The initiative comes soon after its 61-episode `ESPN School Quiz Olympiad', which will go on air from December 26, 2000. Speaking to The Financial Express, Mr Manu Sawhney, managing director of ESPN Software India Ltd, said that children who are captured as consumers now will remain brand loyal for a long time to come.

The sports channel is also planning roadshows at schools in various cities and towns across the country. It will not only continue to hold the on-ground quizzes it's been conducting for the last few years, but also extend their reach to more cities. The on-air quiz format developed in India will be replicated in Taiwan, according to Mr Sawhney. And in India, there is a possibility of doing it in other regional languages, he said.

To give an opportunity to its targeted customers, especially the young ones, to `touch and feel' the ESPN brand, the channel is planning to create `play zones' of 15,000 sq ft in all major cities in the country to start with. These play zones will showcase celebration of various sports, especially non-cricket sports like football, basketball, racing etc, where people can view these sports as well as participate in them.

The pay channel reaches 23 million households in the country and has had an important role to play in popularising non-cricket sports like football, basketball, Formula 1 racing etc in India.