Friday, 15th December 2006

HEADLINES OF THE DAY

New Super Series to Raise Prize Money, Profile

Badminton's most prestigious event, the All England Championship, will be part of a new cash-driven 12-tournament Super Series tour aimed at raising the sport's global appeal. Governing body Badminton World Federation (BWF), formerly known as the International Badminton Federation, said on Thursday that the inaugural series in 2007 will offer minimum prize money of US$200,000 (102,000 pounds) for each tournament.

"There will be more prize money, more television coverage and the opportunity for players to make a proper living out of the sport, just like tennis," BWF deputy president Punch Gunalan told reporters. "The important thing is to make badminton one of the leading racquet sports in the world."

The Super Series, running from January to December, will feature tournaments in England, China, Denmark, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Switzerland. China will stage two tournaments while a season-ending BWF Super Series Masters for the top eight in men's and women's singles and doubles will be played at a venue yet to be announced.

Canadian top-50 player Bobby Milroy said the series is a major step forward for the sport. "This is what we were waiting for the past 10 years," he said. "We knew it was the only way this sport could take off. "Tennis has been doing this for 20 years. We are really excited about this. The new points system is great. Players were sceptical at first but now we can't imagine going back to the old system."

Paisan Rangsikitpho, BWF's chairman of events, said he hopes the series will encourage more players from Europe, the Americas and Africa to challenge what has traditionally been an Asian-dominated sport. "With more prize money, it would mean that players can make a living out of the sport, therefore, it may encourage more players from the US and Europe to play badminton," said Paisan.

While minimum prize money is US$200,000, individual tournaments are allowed to offer purses above this amount. BWF has also appointed Stockhold-based IEC in Sports to handle global television marketing and distribution. "Badminton needs more stars. We expect players and federations to be more professional and change their mindsets," said Gunalan. "We need a Tiger Woods or Andre Agassi. That's the direction we want to go in." Source: Reuters, Bernama, The Star Malaysia, The Telegraph UK, 14th December 2006

Pachuca stun Colo Colo to win Sudamericana

Mexican outsiders Pachuca came from behind to beat Colo Colo 2-1 away and win the Copa Sudamericana, the region's equivalent of the UEFA Cup, on Wednesday. Pachuca, Mexico's oldest club, silenced a 60,000 crowd at the Estadio Nacional as they won the final 3-2 on aggregate to become the first Mexican team to win a South American club competition. Colo Colo, who won the Libertadores Cup in 1991 to become the only Chilean side to win an international club tournament.

Mexican teams have taken part as guests in South American tournaments since the mid 1990s. Colo Colo's 1-1 draw in Mexico two weeks ago and their free-scoring form had made them hot favourites. But prodigy Matias Fernandez never got into his majestic stride and was upstaged by Pachuca's speedy Argentine winger Damian Alvarez, who changed the complexion of the game after coming on as a half-time substitute. Source: Guardian Unlimited, Associated Press appearing on International Herald Tribune, Houston Chronicle, 13th December 2006

Mexico President Felipe Calderon applauded Pachuca for becoming the first Mexican team to win the Copa Sudamericana soccer championship on Wednesday. Calderon called Pachuca club president Jesus Martinez after Wednesday's match and "extended his congratulations to all the players, trainers, managers, and fans for this important victory," the president's office said in a press statement. Calderon invited the team to visit Los Pinos, the presidential residence, "as soon as schedules permit." Source: Associated Press appearing on International Herald Tribune, Fox Sports, 14th December 2006

INFO DIGEST

Info Box – 5 Things About Federer’s 2006
* US$8 million: By winning the Masters Cup, Federer became the first player to earn $8 million in a season. Keep in mind that no player had ever taken home $7 million in a year. Federer's exact total of $8,343,885 in 2006 is more than the amount Nadal has won in his career ($8,336,939)!
* Won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open over three consecutive years: Before Federer, Bill Tilden (1920-21) and Don Budge (1937-38) were the only players to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open back-to-back in two consecutive years.
* Won 90 matches in a season: Federer finished 2006 with a career-high 92 match wins, 11 more that he had in 2005. He joins Lendl as the only players since 1980 to win at least 90 matches in a year. Lendl went 96-14 in 1981 and 106-9 in 1982.
* Won without a loss against James Blake: No question Blake made a significant jump on the ATP Tour this season but despite a career-high ranking of No. 4 and five titles, he has not been able to get by Federer. Including the Masters Cup final, Federer is now 6-0 against the American, including winning four times in 2006, dropping only one set.
* The Number: Federer has accomplished just about everything possible. The question is: Will he catch Pete Sampras' all-time record of 14 career Grand Slam titles? At 25 years old, the world No. 1 has nine Grand Slams. (Sampras was also 25 at the time of his ninth Grand Slam title.)
Source: Tennis Essentials Blog, 13th December 2006

Info Box – Real Madrid
* Real Madrid was founded on 6 March 1902 as Sociedad Madrid Football-Club
* Real plays its home matches in the Estádio Santiago Bernabéu, which has a 80,000+ capacity
* Santiago Bernabéu was the legendary chairman that led Madrid to great successes from 1945 to 1978
* Real has won nine Champions Cup/Champions League trophies, more than any other club
* The club has also won a record 29 Spanish league titles and 17 Copa del Rey trophies.
Source: Infostrada, December 2006


SPORTS SHORTS

* North America’s Speed Channel has renewed its contract with FGSPORT, rights holder of the FIM SBK Superbike World Championship, signing a deal that keeps the series on the network through 2009. In 2006, the SBK Superbike World Championship reached more than 2 billion contacts worldwide via 95 Television Networks beamed into 173 countries with 3106 broadcast hours in total and an equivalent Media value of US$ 773 million. On Speed in 2006 all the races of all SBK events have been shown in full, with a total coverage of 40 hours during the season. Source: Daily Motos, 14th December 2006

* Nimbus Communications has agreed to sell a one-fourth stake to an international media giant for $125 million (Rs 562 crore), valuing the company at Rs 2,250 crore. The deal will be the largest investment by a foreign company in Indian media. After the issue, Nimbus Chairman and Managing Director Harish Thawani’s stake will come down from 54 per cent to 40 per cent. Source: Agencyfaqs, 15th December 2006

* BBC World has become the first international news broadcaster to create its own block of programs on TU Media, which is Korea’s first S-DMB (satellite-based mobile broadcasting) provider. TU Media, a subsidiary of mobile service provider SK Telecom, launched its satellite-based mobile broadcasting service in May 2005 and currently has 1 million subscribers, delivering 15 video channels incorporating drama, sports, games, news, music and movies, as well as 19 audio channels. Source: Worldscreen, 14th December 2006

* Japan has announced the commencement of field tests in the 2.5GHz band of TD-CDMA (E-R7) system, reportedly the latest technical release based on UMTS TD-CDMA technology. The licence to conduct the field test was approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on December 8. Field tests will be conducted in Tokyo, and items of the test include operational frequency propagation; data communication speed measurements; testing of various internet applications; and High Definition TV streaming. Source: Digital Media Asia, 14th December 2006

* The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia has put mobile technology and working with regulatory authorities in markets like Indonesia and Vietnam on top of its agenda for 2007. Mobile technology will be a focus region wide, with emphasis on India and China. CASBAA will also continue to engage regulatory authorities in markets and promote industry development in Indonesia, Vietnam and Pakistan, among others. It will also look to boost the pay-TV advertising market. Source: Worldscreen, Indian Television, Exchange4Media, Advanced Television, 13th December 2006

* Real Madrid has begun legal action against French newspaper Le Monde following an article published last week alleging the club had links to Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes. Fuentes, who is being investigated in a judicial inquiry into doping in sport, did not name the clubs he has worked with in the interview with Le Monde. Source: Football Insider, 14th December 2006

* Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry insists the club will not become a "rich man's plaything" if the takeover by Dubai International Capital (DIC) goes through. He insists the takeover, which would include funding for a new stadium, can secure Liverpool's position among the elite for the next century. A DIC source said: “If we do a deal we would aim to have a long-term relationship with Liverpool. We will get the stadium built and help the club move on to the next level.” Source: Football Insider, 14th December 2006 Related news in EUFootball.biz, 15thDecember 2006

* Leading Formula One team McLaren Mercedes has agreed a long-term partnership deal with Aigo, the MP3 and MP4 player brand becoming the first Chinese company to join the team’s sponsorship portfolio. Aigo will become a corporate partner of the team and its logo will be displayed on the cars and on the drivers race suits. McLaren will have a new driver line-up for 2007 with current world champion Fernando Alonso joining from Renault. His team-mate will be British rookie Lewis Hamilton. Source: Sports Media, Brand Republic, 14th December 2006

* Roman Abramovich will try to revive the Russian national team as he has done with Chelsea – with a cash influx. He will invest at least another USD 40 million in the Russian national team. His hopes are to shore up a national team that has been flagging since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Abramovich already partly finances national coach Guus Hiddink's salary package, and has put millions of dollars into Moscow club CSKA, which last year became the first Russian club to lift a European trophy when it won the UEFA Cup. Source: EUFootball.biz, 15th December 2006

* The English Football Association will make a bid to FIFA for the introduction of video replays, mainly to catch divers. The FA hopes to raise the issue when FIFA meets in March. An FA spokesman said they are the only organisation pursuing that rule. "We have asked FIFA in the past to consider it and we will again raise the issue of using video evidence retrospectively," FA spokesman Andrin Cooper said. "We want to try to convince them that it is in the interests of fairness and the image of the game. Source: EUFootball.biz, 15th December 2006


MORE NEWS

AVP: 2007 Tour Include Charleston, South Carolina

AVP today announced that the fast-growing AVP Crocs Pro Beach Volleyball 2007 Tour will include the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, South Carolina. The AVP Crocs Charleston Open will take place this summer, June 14-17, 2007. Charleston is the first new city announced for the 2007 AVP season and will make up one of eighteen nationwide events.

The AVP Charleston Open will kick off with an open qualifier on Thursday, June 14 and continue with the main draw throughout the weekend, culminating with the men's and women's finals on Sunday, June 17. More than 150 of the world's top men's and women's beach volleyball professionals will compete in the tournament to be televised nationally on Fox Sports Net. Tickets will be available for purchase in late March on the official AVP website (http://www.avp.com/).

The AVP Tour is comprised of the best men's and women's pro beach volleyball players in the U.S. and the world. Featuring more than 150 of the sport's top competitors, the Tour includes world-class athletes such as 2004 Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor as well as other Olympic medalists and professional stars like Holly McPeak, Eric Fonoimoana, Elaine Youngs, Dain Blanton and Karch Kiraly, who won the sport's first gold medal in Atlanta. The AVP's main goal is to deliver its fans the experience of an amazing athletic contest surrounded by an unforgettable beach party. Source: Yahoo! Business, 14th December 2006

Thailand/Broadcaster: Fine May Close ITV

ITV, the Thai television network controlled by Singapore's Temasek Holdings, was ordered to pay fines and fees to Thailand's government that may amount to as much as US$2.66 billion. The network says it will bankrupt them. The company and the government will negotiate the exact size of the payment, a Supreme Court Judge said.

It deals a blow to Temasek, whose acquisition of a stake in ITV's parent earlier this year is being investigated by Thai authorities. The court also upheld an order requiring ITV to raise its news and information programming to 70 per cent. The shares have slumped since May when a court revoked ITV's right to discounts on its concession fees. The firm's appeal against that decision was rejected by the court. Source: Advanced Television, Worldscreen, 15th December 2006

India/Broadcaster: Neo Sports to Go Beyond ‘Live India Cricket’

Neo Sports in its efforts to further stress on being ‘the home of Indian cricket on TV’ has announced its calendar of international cricketing properties lined up till March 2010. The channel has claimed that 72 per cent of all confirmed international cricketing events and series featuring India till March 2010 would be telecast on Neo Sports.

The channel is looking at redefining the existing paradigm of viewer involvement with cricket, where there is currently no life beyond ‘Live India cricket’. The first stage in this process is to re-energise domestic cricket. Building on its success of becoming the No. 1 sports channel with the Challenger series, Neo Sports is in sync with BCCI’s efforts in making domestic cricket ‘the next big thing’ with repackaging and re-branding. The second stage will be to drive appointment viewing beyond live cricket by combining key insights on TV viewing and viewership data with those relevant to cricket.

Neo Sports has entered into an exclusive distribution tie-up with STAR India, which will ensure speedy connectivity build up for the channel. The channel will be available on cable, DTH and new media platforms and will have 100 per cent connectivity with the commencement of the ODI series with West Indies in January 2007. Source: Exchange4Media, 15th December 2006

Elsewhere/Broadcaster: French TV Responds To Rugby Threat

A call for French rugby clubs to pull out of the European Rugby Cup (ERC) has left public broadcaster France Télévisions, the ERC rights-holder, watching anxiously from the sidelines. Serge Blanco, president of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby, has urged clubs to consider dropping the ERC from their schedules in order to take the pressure off playing squads and preserve the rights fees for the Top 14 domestic competition.

Top 14 rights-holder Canal+ has expressed unhappiness at the frequent resting of players in domestic matches, setting the stage for a reduction of the rights fee. If the French clubs were to follow through with leaving the European competition, France TV could exit from its deal, according to Daniel Bilalian, France TV’s head of sports.

The tournament is known as the Heineken Cup in the UK, but not in France because of local rules on alcohol advertising. The competition has worked well for France TV of late. Source: Sports Media, 14th December 2006

Elsewhere/New Media: Online Video Sales to Reach $1.5 Billion in 2007

Online sales of TV shows, movies and other prerecorded video will become a billion-dollar business in 2007, predicts a new report from technology research firm Strategy Analytics. "The Video Store Goes Virtual: The Global Outlook for Online Video Sales," report predicts that while video download sales made through Apple's iTunes store and other sources will total just $298 million this year, by the end of 2007 the market will grow to $1.5 billion. By 2010, global revenue from online video sales, rentals and subscriptions will surge to $5.9 billion, and account for eight percent of total home video industry revenues.

Along with broadband growth and consumer demand, online video sales will also be spurred by a growing number of distributors and payment models. While Apple's iTunes store is the leading source for paid video downloads today, other major players such as Wal-Mart, Time Warner, and NetFlix are expected to enter the market in the near future. Source: TV Over Net, Worldscreen, 13th December 2006


ARTICLES, COMMENTS & OPINIONS

A Campaign as Speedy as Its Endorser

Sometimes media is as much about being fast as it is about being strategic, and this is an example of taking a quick reaction to the limit. Speedy placement is always triggered by an event, and in this case it was Liu Xiang, the Chinese 110-meter hurdler, breaking his own world record in Lausanne, Switzerland. Liu is to China and the 2008 Beijing Olympics what Cathy Freeman was to Sydney and Australia in 2000 -- only bigger -- so this was a big deal.

Liu has been sponsored by Nike since 2002, and the response from the Nike team was almost immediate. The record was broken at 4 a.m. Shanghai time on July 12. That same day, banner ads appeared on Sina's sports channel, and a big banner appeared on the side of the Aurora skyscraper in Shanghai. Ads appeared the next day on TV and on the front pages of major titles such as the Beijing Morning Post and the Oriental Sports Daily in Shanghai.

Liu arrived back in Beijing the afternoon of July 13 wearing a T-shirt bearing the new world-record time, 12.88, generating more PR through national and sports TV, print and online coverage. By July 14, more major outdoor had been added to the mix, and employees in Shanghai and Beijing Nike stores also were wearing 12.88 T-shirts.

This would have been a big story anyway, but swift work from Nike and its agencies ensured that everyone knew about Liu's achievement, as well as the brand's support for the star athlete. Source: Advertising Age, 13thDecember 2006

What value a TV license ...?

Read with great interest this report on The Australian's web site of an online study that showed that 53% of respondents regularly downloaded television content - usually illegally - despite most people knowing that such activity is illegal. I’ve been wondering for a while whether the value of a TV license will be diminished over time as the internet becomes an increasingly prominent mechanism for the distribution of programming. With people less willing now to wait for networks to air their favourite programming (and fill it full of ads) its not entirely surprising that those same people are willing to act illegally to get what they want.

The real question tho is what can networks and copyright owners do to protect their revenue? In my view, the future will be one where the first point of distribution for any program is direct sales across the internet. It's then up to the networks to decide whether they want to bid on the free to air rights for the program. It seems to be the only sensible way of circumventing piracy while still ensuring a revenue stream for the content creators.

Where the networks will play a prominent role (at least in the mid term) is that of actually creating awareness and marketing of new programs. But of course, this role will only be important for the period of time before internet-based referral services, marketing and general blog and IM chatter renders that role obsolete also.

Chances are that it will take no more than 40 years for the role of free-to-air television to have been diminished to lowest-common-denominator programming, and possibly as a distribution mechanism for live events, such as sporting contests. Brad Howarth comments on his blog, Lagrange Point, 14th December 2006