Friday, 2nd March 2007

HEADLINES OF THE DAY

Nimbus Is Not Seeking Partners

Nimbus Communications has said that it is not in pursuit of new equity partners after press reports that Sony Entertainment Television has offered to buy a 26% stake in its Neo Sports channels. The Economic Times newspaper on Tuesday claimed that the Sony Entertainment board has already approved the offer to be made for the stake.

But a Nimbus spokesperson told Sports Media: “We have no comment to offer on news reports in relation to a possible equity investment in NEO Sports, except to state that Neo Sports is not soliciting any equity investments at the present time, being fully funded by its existing shareholders. Any unsolicited offers will obviously be placed before the Board for its views.”

In January, Nimbus Communications raised US$125 million in new funding from private equity firm 3i, Cisco Systems and Oman Investment F und (OIF). Nimbus said this investment would largely be deployed to fund sports rights acquisitions and develop global sports events, as well as finance Indian-language and international film production and distribution, develop further digital content production for wireless and VOD/IPTV platforms and expand the broadcasting operations of the company.

Nimbus has negligible debt and revenue for the year ending March 31, 2007 is expected to be in excess of $225 million. Nimbus Sport International controls the worldwide media rights of the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) until 2010. Source: Sports Media, 1st March 2007


WHAT’S THE BUZZ?

Reality Series Follows Posh to LA

NBC has commissioned a new reality series from the producer of American Idol that follows Victoria 'Posh Spice' Beckham, wife of soccer superstar David Beckham, as she begins her new life in Los Angeles. Simon Fuller's CKX-owned UK prodco 19 Entertainment will give viewers an inside look at Beckham's glamorous life as she makes the move from London to LA in a new, so-far un-named 6x30' series slated to premiere in the summer.

Beckham, whose legendary shopping trips and highly publicised celebrity friendships have made her a regular fixture in glamour pages around the world, said that the show would "surprise a lot of people." The ex-Spice Girl, who married David Beckham in 1999, has long been a subject of discussion for TV projects, according to Fuller, the man who originally shot the Spice Girls to fame in the 90s. Source: C21 Media, 1st March 2007


INFO BOX

Juan Pablo Montoya
* Juan Pablo Montoya is a racing driver, who was born on 20 September 1975 in Bogotá, Colombia
* Montoya’s breakthrough came when he was crowned the youngest CART Series (Champ Car) champion at 24
* In 2000, Montoya became the first driver from his country to win the Indianapolis 500, triumphing on his race debut
* From 2001 to 2006 he represented Formula One’s Williams and McLaren teams, starting 95 races and winning seven
* In July 2006, Montoya announced his departure from F1 to enter the highly popular US NASCAR series
Source: Infostrada, February 2007


SPORTS SHORTS

* Scottish Premier League side Rangers, have bought out broadcast rights for the away leg of their Uefa Cup tie against Spain’s Osasuna. Rangers will now be responsible for selling the rights to broadcasters wishing to show the second-leg fixture, scheduled to take place at Osasuna’s home on March 14. However, Osasuna will sell the TV rights in Spain. Rangers will sell rights in the UK while Kentaro has been appointed to distribute rights outside Spain and the UK. The game is expected to generate at least £2 million ($3.92 million) in television revenues. Source: Sportcal, 1st March 2007

* FC Barcelona is set to play a friendly in Beijing to help the city mark the one-year countdown to the 2008 Summer Olympics. Chinese Super League club Beijing Guon will provide the opposition for the UEFA Champions League holder on either August 3 or 5, according to Sun Kanglin, director general of the Beijing sports bureau. Sun told reporters: “I've just come back from Barcelona where I spoke to club officials last week. We have signed an agreement about this match and this has been confirmed.” Source: Football Insider, Sportcal, 1st March 2007

* A friendly match has been organised between the national teams of China and Australia in Guangzhou on March 24. The match will be a warm-up for both teams in preparation for the Asian Cup in July. Australia will likely play another Asian nation – possibly Saudi Arabia – on March 27. Football Federation Australia has already organised home friendlies against South American teams Uruguay and Argentina on June 2 and June 6 respectively in the run-up to the Asian Cup. Source: Sportcal, 1st March 2007

* The Indian government has set a target of providing 9 million broadband connections by end-2007 and 20 million connections by the end-2010. Communications and Information Technology Minister Dayanidhi Maran stated that more than a million broadband connections would be added per month before the end of 2007 thanks to the availability of new disruptive wireless broadband technologies such as Wi-MAX. Eighty per cent of the exchanges would be broadband by the end of 2007 and roll out of IPTV will begin in major cities. Source: Indian Television, 1st March 2007

* Zee has launched a cricket website, www.zeecric.com, to cash in on interest of the ICC Cricket World Cup. Steve Waugh, Maninder Singh, Nikhil Chopra and Vinod Kambli are contributors to various columns on web site. The World Cup will see live coverage of multiple matches embellished with graphics, ball-by-ball commentary and a live scorecard on the site. Live commentaries will excerpt the day’s highlights on the site. The website will also carry data of all records at a dedicated space called Number Game. Source: Indian Television, 1st March 2007

* In the build-up to the ICC Cricket World Cup, which starts in earnest on March 13, satellite news service SNTV is offering video content relating to six of the tournament’s lesser-known entrants, the ‘Associate’ teams from Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands and Scotland. The profiles are available to subscribers of SNTV, which is a joint venture between TWI and AP Television News. Source: Sports Media, 1st March 2007

* NSNO exclusively revealed that Everton Football Club and The Malaysian Indian FA (MIFA) have struck up a coaching partnership. MIFA plan to set up 10 football academies throughout Malaysia by the end of the 2007. The coaches who head the academies need to be the best and this is where Everton comes in. MIFA will identify candidates to attend a six-week training course at Everton Football Club. On their return, the most advanced coaches will be selected to run the football academies and will be paid a monthly salary. It is believed that Brazilian giants Vasco Da Gama may also be close to agreeing a partnership with MIFA. Source: NSNO Site, 1st March 2007

* Dorna Sports, the exclusive holder of the MotoGP World Championship commercial and television rights, appointed Wasserman Media Group (WMG) to manage global marketing opportunities for its marquee racing events. WMG will offer preferred brands an opportunity to partner with MotoGP, the world's most popular and prestigious motorcycle racing series and WMG will represent Dorna and MotoGP to marketers on a global basis. Jeff Slack, Executive Vice President, European Sales will front the efforts in that territory. Source: Sport Business, Sportcal, 1st March 2007


MORE NEWS

Thailand/Broadcast: Government Agency Slated for iTV

A member of the Thai government has denied reports that it will turn broadcaster iTV over to government media company MCOT PCL next week when the independent fails to pay fees, fines and interest levied on it. MCOT already operates Channel 9, radio stations and the government’s Thai News Agency. Despite the denial, it is believed that MCOT managing iTV remains an option. The channel may also change its name to Thai Independent TV (TITV).

iTV said earlier this week that it would not be able to pay the massive Baht 100 billion sum owing, so the government said it would revoke iTV’s licence on Tuesday next week (March 6). A government committee will initially administer the channel, which will continue broadcasting without the loss of any jobs, according to deputy prime minister M.R. Pridyathorn. Source: Rapid TV News, 2nd March 2007

India/Broadcast: Bill to Replace Sports Ttelecast Ordinance

Introducing a Bill making it mandatory for private broadcasters to share feeds of live sports events with Prasar Bharati, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi told the Lok Sabha the legislation will replace an ordinance promulgated last month in the interest of millions of viewers who had the facility of only terrestrial or free-to-air channels to enjoy live sports events of national and international importance.

The Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Bill 2007 will have retrospective effect from November 2005 when the Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines had been issued. The Bill is expected to be debated towards the end of next week. The ordinance was promulgated after Nimbus Communications refused to share live feed of the India-West Indies one-day series with Doordarshan after the Delhi High Court passed an order for a seven-minute deferred telecast signal to the public broadcaster and live broadcast on All India Radio.

Distribution of broadcasting signals of sporting events of public interest in India is characterised by a few dominant exclusive rights holders or broadcasters and distribution platforms. Nimbus, which owns Neo Sports channel, had expressed apprehensions that the government may resort to coercive methods for sharing their exclusive feed.

The Bill provides for a revenue sharing formula between private and public broadcasters. Advertisement sharing between private and the public broadcasters would be in the ratio of 75:25 in case of TV coverage in favour of the rights holder and 50:50 in case of radio coverage. Source: Indian Television, 1st March 2007

China/General: Forced to Wait for Champ Car Spectacle

Delays in preparations for the first-ever Chinese round of US motor racing’s Champ Car World Series could see the event put back by five months. The race is scheduled to take place at Zhuhai on May 20 but will now be held on October 28, a week after the round in Surfers Paradise in Australia, according to SpeedTV.com.

This would mean that there would be no Champ Car race in May, giving drivers and teams the opportunity to qualify and participate in the Indianapolis 500, the most prestigious event on the US motor sport calendar. It is reported that more work is required on the circuit and in securing sponsors for the Chinese round. Meanwhile, Champ Car has moved the date of its inaugural race in Belgium, to be held at the Zolder circuit, from September 9 to August 26. Source: Sportcal, 1st March 2007

Elsewhere/Rights: French Rugby League To Attribute League Rights

French rugby’s Ligue Nationale de Rugby, will attribute its final remaining packages of media rights this week. It has already awarded pay-TV broadcaster Canal Plus exclusive live rights for its Top 14 competition in a deal worth between €25 million and €30 million a year and public service broadcaster France Televisions acquired the free-to-air rights for the final.

Mobile phone company Orange is preparing to launch a new ADSL sports channel and has bid for the league’s mobile rights (in competition with e-TF1) as well as for the broadcast highlights rights. Orange is already the sponsor of the league’s Top 14 competition in a deal worth €3 million. Six other bidders are in the frame for the highlights rights: BFM TV, L'Équipe TV, Allegria, Canal +Plus and Eurosport. Source: Sport Business, 1st March 2007

Elsewhere/General: Argentina, Uruguay and Chile To Host Ninth WISPA Promotional Tour

The Women's International Squash Players' Association has confirmed details of its ninth annual WISPA Promotional Tour, which will visit Argentina, Uruguay and Chile from 30 May to 10 June. Leading the initiative in WISPA’s drive to promote women's squash around the world are Malaysia's reigning world champion Nicol David, Australia's former world No.1 Rachael Grinham, and Sarah Fitz-Gerald, five-times world champion, also from Australia.

The Tour itinerary will feature exhibitions, clinics, press conferences and meetings with sports bodies in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, before a planned final leg in Santiago. All these programmes have been organised in close co-operation with the countries' National Squash Federations.

In 2006, WISPA extended their trips to the Estonian capital of Tallinn and the Norwegian capital Oslo by visiting the most northern squash court in the world - in Longyearbyen, situated on the Norwegian island of Svalbard, which is less than 600 miles from the North Pole! This year, players travel south from Buenos Aires to play on the globe's most southerly courts at Ushuaia in Cape Horn, the southernmost point of South America.

WISPA's promotional tour concept was launched in 1999 with a visit to the Czech Republic. Successive years featured trips to Jamaica, El Salvador, Peru, Kenya, Thailand, Brunei, Sarawak, Russia, China, Nepal, Jordan, Turkey and, last year, to Estonia and Norway. Source: Sports e-Media, 1st March 2007

Elsewhere/General: ICC to Launch Fantasy Cricket World Cup League

Online games company Silentmanager has agreed to create an official Cricket World Cup fantasy game running on the International Cricket Council's website, coinciding with next month's tournament in the Caribbean. The interactive cricket game on the official 2007 Cricket World Cup website, for its Cricket World Cup Fantasy Manager game will invite web users to choose their own starting 11 of batsmen, bowlers, wicketkeepers and all-rounders from the tournament's 16 competing teams.

An additional competition will run, offering cash prizes for users with the most successful fantasy teams, throughout the tournament's different stages. Silentmanager said the game would be promoted to around 2 million cricket fans in five key market areas: the UK; the US; India; South Africa and Australia.

Broadcaster Star India manages the site and has been asked to grow its popularity as the tournament progresses from its current average user level of 8.27 minutes per visit. Star India also ran a fantasy cricket league in conjunction with last year's ICC Champions Trophy.

SilentManager said its fantasy cricket league would aim to increase the 'stickiness' of the Official Cricket World Cup website by offering users an incentive to interact with other fans and virally grow the website's popularity. Source: Brand Republic, 23rd February 2007

Elsewhere/General: HBO Expects PPV Record for De La Hoya-Mayweather

Pay-per-view coverage of a boxing match between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather scheduled for May 5 could exceed 1 million buys and could even become the highest-grossing pay-television event ever. HBO is reported to believe that the present record of $106.9 million, set when 1.95 million people subscribed to watch a match between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson in 2002, could be overhauled.

Making up the five top-grossing pay-per-view events (all boxing matches) are: two fights involving Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson, which scored $100.2 million from 1.99 million buys and $77.9 million from 1.59 million buys; Tyson vs Peter McNeeley (£67.1 million from 1.55 million buys; and Felix Trinidad vs De La Hoya ($64 million from 1.25 million buys). Source: Sportcal, 1st March 2007

Elsewhere/General: Blatter Bids to Allay Fears about UK Olympic Soccer Team

Fifa President, Sepp Blatter, will offer written guarantees to the national associations of Scotland and Wales that contributing to a Great Britain team at the 2012 Olympic Games would not jeopardise their independence. Blatter has urged opponents of a unified British Olympic team to reconsider their stance and insisted that the autonomy of the four national soccer associations in Great Britain and Northern Ireland would not be diminished by their participation.

The Scottish Football Association and the Football Association of Wales have said they will not provide players for a Great Britain team in 2012 on the basis that it could endanger their independence within Fifa. English soccer’s Football Association and the Irish Football Association, the ruling body in Northern Ireland, have already backed the plans for a unified team.

The SFA and FAW are reported to be fearful that Fifa members would see a unified 2012 team as an opportunity to push forward their claims that the four national teams should be permanently replaced with a single UK team. In 2005, the FAW claimed that two attempts had already been made by members to do so. Gordon Brown, the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer met Blatter yesterday and the idea of a written guarantee was discussed. Source: Sportcal, 1st March 2007