Friday, 30th March 2007

HEADLINES OF THE DAY

TSA Secures Japanese Baseball

Total Sports Asia (TSA) has joined forces with Korea’s MBC ESPN to acquire the exclusive television rights to a number of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) broadcast in Korea in 2007. The partners have bought the rights to all the away games of the Yomiuri Giants - Japan’s most famous team. Korean slugger Lee Seung Yeop is in his second season playing with the Tokyo club. The deal includes games against the Yokohama Baystars, Hanshin Tigers, Hiroshima Toyo Carp and Tokyo Yakult Swallows baseball clubs, all of which belong to the NPB’s Central League.

All the games acquired are expected to be shown live on the MBC ESPN sports channel, starting with the opening game of the season this Friday between the Giants and the Baystars. The NPB regular season runs from March until September. MBC ESPN was established in 2001 as a joint venture between MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation) and ESS (ESPN Star Sports).

“Many thanks to Total Sports Asia, we were able to add another quality contents to solidify our number one status in Korea”, said Jin-Yong CHOI, Manager (Programming) of MBC ESPN.

Chung See Liang, managing director (Korea/Japan) of TSA, said: “We are extremely honoured to be able to partner with MBC ESPN on this acquisition and are also very pleased with the outcome. The Tokyo office of TSA covers two of Asia’s most important markets – South Korea and Japan – and we are very excited to be able to participate in professional baseball, which is undoubtedly one of the most popular sports in both countries. This deal also marks TSA’s first major foray into the world of Japanese professional baseball and we are confident that more such deals will follow in the near future.” Source: Sports Media, Sport Business, 29th March 2007


FRIDAY SPOOF!

Murray and Rusedski - Wimbledon exclusive
Warning: Harmful if taken seriously :)

Andy Murray the new tennis star who dons a dirty hat and exhibits a bad temper insists he is Scottish. Sadly for Andy he has yet to learn that he is Scottish ONLY when he loses, when he wins he is English. Another top class tennis player who is English when he wins is Greg Rusedski, clearly he is Canadian when he loses and of German origins if he loses badly.

The two tennis stars are planning to team up for this years Wimbledon doubles games in the hope of putting a homeland on the map. It's not known yet where the country is or what it will be called. Source: Spoof.com, 28th March 2007


SPORTS SHORTS

* The International Olympic Committee has launched a tender for the sale of internet and mobile rights in Hong Kong for next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing. Conditions of the tender are contained in the invitation to tender which can be obtained by contacting: newmedia_hongkong@olympic.org. Bids must be submitted by 5pm on April 20. The tender follows a similar one launched last week for internet and mobile phone rights for the 2008 Olympics in China. Source: Sportcal, 29th March 2007

* The NBA will return to China in October with three games featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic and the China Men’s National Team, it was announced today in Shanghai. NBA China Games 2007 will tip off on Oct. 17 with the Cavaliers and the Magic playing in Shanghai at Qizhong Forest Sports City arena. The event will head to Macao for another two games at the new Venetian Arena. On Oct. 18, the Magic will play the China Men’s National Team, and a rematch between the Magic and the Cavaliers will be on Oct. 20. Source: Sports e-Media, Sportcal, 29th March 2007

* Fuel TV is hanging ten with the Wolfpak, a group of aggressive surfers who patrol the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The action sports channel, part of Fox Cable Networks, is targeting a July 7 premiere for The 808, a seven-episode original series centering on the group, led by Kala Alexander, who has appeared in feature film "Blue Crush" and "North Shore". The series is co-produced with Red Square, which has produced "10 Count" and "Project: Detention" for Fuel. Fuel, which launched in July 2003, is seen in 24 million homes. Source: Hollywood Reporter, 29th March 2007

* German distributor setONE GmbH has introduced a new magazine series on sailing for the international market. Planet Sail TV will provide a range of coverage on sailing sports, with an emphasis on the 2007 America’s Cup. SetONE is also distributing two automobile magazines - Test Drive TV, tracking the global automobile market, and Classic Wheels TV about vintage cars. Source: Sports Media, 29th March 2007

* Controversial staggered kick-off times on the final day of rugby union's Six Nations Championship this season are to be extended, with a second, so-called 'Super Saturday' scheduled for the penultimate matchday weekend of 2008, organisers revealed today. The format is a result of organiser Six Nations Rugby Ltd's 2005 broadcast agreement with public-service broadcaster the BBC which wants final-day scheduling to maximise the amount of live content available, in return for its £120-million ($235-million) television rights fee. Source: Sportcal, 29th March 2007

* Ronaldinho is close to a marketing rights agreement with Disney Studios, according to his brother and agent Roberto Assis. “I cannot say too much because we've guaranteed confidentiality, but negotiations are heading in a good direction,” Assis told GloboEsporte.com. The Disney contract is not expected to interfere with the agreement Ronaldinho signed with Mauricio de Sousa productions, which has the license to produce merchandising related to Ronaldinho worldwide. Ronaldinho’s cartoon-magazine is also in its third edition in 25 countries. Source: Football Insider, 29th March 2007

* Birmingham in England is to host a new top-tier event on the Professional Squash Association Men’s World Tour later this year. The English Grand Prix – Birmingham 2007 will take place at the University of Birmingham from September 6 to 9 and will feature 400 competitors in senior, junior and masters tournaments. The event is organised by sports management company internationalSPORTgroup and will help the city prepare for the staging of the prestigious British Open in 2010. Source: Sportcal, 29th March 2007

* Elite women's international squash will be staged in Madrid later this year when the Spanish capital hosts the 2007 Women's World Open Squash Championship. The historic agreement to stage the biggest-ever event in women's squash - boasting a cash prize-fund of more than $100,000 - has been reached between the World Squash Federation (WSF) and Madrid City Council. Madrid 16, the organisation lobbying to host the 2016 Olympic Games, is also supporting the event. Source: Sports e-Media, 15th March 2007

* CONCACAF will adopt a new qualifying format for the annual Fifa Club World Cup. From 2009, the body will use a group system for its club competitions, replacing the Champions Cup. The decision was approved by Concacaf’s executive committee at its meeting in Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles on Tuesday. The finalised format for the 'Concacaf Champions League' will be disclosed at the body’s ordinary congress in May. Source: Sportcal, 29th March 2007


MORE NEWS

Elsewhere/General: Mixed Reaction from US Tennis to WTA Tour Changes

The United States Tennis Association today said that ‘there are some issues remaining’ in response to a major overhaul of women’s tennis which was unveiled yesterday by governing body the WTA. The USTA last year set aside $10 million to establish a rival women’s tennis circuit should it fail to reach agreement with the WTA, the women’s professional tennis governing body, over proposed changes to the tour.

The USTA has been resistant to change over the US Open Series, which comprises 10 major men's ATP and women's WTA events, culminating with the US Open, one of the game’s four Grand Slam events. The new WTA schedule will include a longer off-season and fewer top-level events, in a bid to increase player participation and reduce injuries.

There will be four top-level events – including the US tournaments in Key Biscane and Indian Wells in USA – in which participation is mandatory, together with increased prize money and a drive into China. On top of those two events, USA will stage five premier events: Charleston, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, New Haven and Stanford.

Prize money will increase to an estimated $72 million in 2009, a 30-per-cent hike on this year, but top-10 players failing to take part in tournaments will be subject to suspensions and larger fines than previously.

The new streamlined schedule will consist of 20 events, comprising eight in North America, seven in Europe and five in the Asia-Pacific region. Previously there were 26 tier I and II events. The season-ending tour championships will be switched from November to October, extending the off-season to nine weeks from seven. Source: Sportcal, 29th March 2007

Elsewhere/General: Euroleague Basketball Unveils ULEB Summer League

Euroleague Basketball announced, in partnership with Verde Sport, that the inaugural edition of the ULEB Summer League will be held in Jesolo, Italy from Thursday, June 28 until Sunday, July 1, 2007. In addition to the ULEB Summer League, a number of parallel events will be held in Jesolo and the surrounding area.

The competition will consist of a combination of existing Euroleague teams and teams made up of elite-level free agents. As the only event of its kind in Europe, the ULEB Summer League will be a focal point for the basketball community. Not only players, but also team executives, scouts and agents from all over the world can be expected to attend the ULEB Summer League.Located 40 kilometers from historic Venice, Jesolo has great prestige as a seaside resort and is a very popular destination for tourists. Source: Sports e-Media, 14th March 2007