Tuesday, 6th March 2007

WHAT’S THE BUZZ?

Amazing Race Asia 2 — you can count on it

There’s no official announcement yet but a second series of The Amazing Race Asia is a certainty after the first racked up impressive ratings for AXN. A total of 15 million viewers across Asia watched The Amazing Race Asia, and the program consistently ranked top in its timeslot amongst international cable channels in Singapore and Malaysia. The finale set ratings records in Malaysia as patriotic viewers showed their support as two out of the final three teams were represented by Malaysia. Not surprisingly, TARA was the most watched series, beating all past 10 seasons of the US version.

AXN used multi-platforms to promote the series when it launched last November. The show extended beyond on-air to both online and mobile interactivity. Fans could participate in SMS contests relating to questions that popped up during the show and could go online to participate in The Amazing Race Asia Online Race. Devotees could also use their mobile phones to view unseen footages, exclusive interviews with the winning team and download ring-tones, wallpapers and even psycho-analyze the competition. AXN said all these elements led to a stronger connection between the audience and the show and between the audience and advertisers' brands/products. Source: Television Asia's Executive News, 5th March 2007


SPORTS SHORTS

* A new South Korean international squash tournament has been added to the top-tier women’s WISPA World Tour championship, after the Women’s International Squash Players’ Association signed a deal with the Seoul Squash Federation. The $50,000 Seoul City Open, scheduled for April 23 to 28, becomes the fifth WISPA Gold event of the year and will be staged in an all-glass court in Seoul Plaza in front of the Korean capital’s city hall. Source: Sportcal, 5th March 2007

* China Network Systems, Taiwan TV and Qualcomm are participating in a MediaFLO TV-to-mobile technical trial in Taiwan, beginning later this month. The test will carry four live CNS channels plus three TTV channels. Source: Rapid TV News, Worldscreen, 5th March 2007

* Matthew Ody & Associates today begins international television distribution for the World Combat League (WCL) at Sportel America. The WCL was created by Chuck Norris and launched in 2005. The WCL is comprised of eight teams comprised of experts (five men and one woman) in different martial arts, including boxing, kick boxing, Muay Thai, karate, kung fu and taekwondo. To maintain a fast pace, clinching, holding and ground fighting are not allowed. Ody’s company also handles world sales of TNA (Total Nonstop Action) Wrestling. Source: Sports Media, 5th March 2007

* FIFA sources told the Observer Sport that Sepp Blatter wants the 2018 World Cup in Europe rather than North America, China or Australia. This backing by Blatter will increase England's chances of hosting the tournament. Blatter is ready to support a coalition of football's power brokers from outside Europe that will also endorse Europe as host for the 2018 World Cup event. Source: EUFootball.biz, 6th March 2007

* Mobile phone operator O2 Ireland is running a trial offering live video of horse races to complement its betting service. The company is partnering AtTheRaces.com in the trial, with Servecast providing video solution to make available streaming downloads. O2 is also kicking off a trial of mobile broadcast DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcast - Handheld) in Dublin this month in co-operation with Nokia. Channels on offer during the trial will include Sky Sports and Setanta, as well as Ireland’s main networks. Source: Sports Media, 5th March 2007

* The forthcoming Under-20 World Cup in Canada has become the largest single-sport event to ever take place in the country after ticket sales passed the 500,000 mark. The competition, which will take place in the six Canadian cities of Victoria, Burnaby, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal, runs from June 30 to July 22 and will showcase the world's top 24 youth teams. Source: Football Insider, 5th March 2007

* The English Premier League will push ahead with experiments in goal-line technology after being given the green light by football's rulemakers. The system, which is being developed by the company Hawk-Eye, is now set to be installed at a club's academy for further tests. The move comes after referees' chief Keith Hackett and EPL general secretary Mike Foster made a presentation to the International Football Association Board (IFAB) meeting in Manchester on Saturday. Source: Football Insider, Sport Business, EUFootball.biz, 5th March 2007

* Brazil's national soccer team is to return to Sweden to take on Chile and Ghana in two friendly international matches this month. Chile will provide the opposition for the match on March 24 in Gothenburg, while Stockholm is the venue for the Ghana match three days later. Brazil defeated Ecuador 2-1 in a friendly match staged in Stockholm in October last year. Source: Sportcal, 5th March 2007


MORE NEWS

Hong Kong/Programming: Neo Sports Cricket Debuts on Hong Kong Cable TV

Following the disappointment of losing out on lucrative EPL (English Premier League) soccer rights to PCCW’s Now broadband TV, HK Cable TV is to carry Neo Sports cricket. The exclusive multi-year deal with Neo Sports sees the live telecast of all domestic and international cricket tournaments played in India. From March 1, viewers have the option of taking Neo Sports on a la carte basis, or as a Cricket Combo with Ten Sports.

Cable TV is seen by many to be batting on a sticky wicket once Now’s EPL deal comes into effect for three seasons starting August 2007. And the demand for cricket in a market dominated by soccer can be described as ‘niche’ to say the least. “Neo Sports brings top cricket action to viewers in Hong Kong, with more than 150 days of live coverage annually. It definitely strengthens cricket programming on our sports platform,” says a Cable TV spokesperson. Source: Television Asia's Executive News, 5th March 2007

Elsewhere/Rights: French Football League Reports Profit

Foreign TV revenue for French football rights was €4.6 million last season, according to accounts made public by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LNP). Ligue 1 Orange rights are marketed internationally by TWI.

The league reported a €3.27 million profit for 2005-06 season. The figure, which combines profits for Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, compares with a loss for the 2004-05 season of €27 million. Olympique Lyonnais reported a profit of €16.1 million, more that double that of any other French club. Only four of the 20 Ligue 1 clubs reported losses, with Paris Saint-Germain reporting the biggest loss of €13.5 million.

Domestic TV rights income for 2005-06 was €633 million in the first season of a new exclusive deal with the Canal+ group. Hence, overseas sales generated less than 1% as much as domestic television. In Asia, Goal TV is the rights-holder outside Japan (where J Sports has rights) while ART and Orbit share rights in the Middle East. Source: Sports Media, Sport Business, 5th March 2007

Global/Asia/Rights: IAAF Hopes to Create Asian Athletics Buzz with New TV Deals

The International Association of Athletics Federations is hoping to increase the popularity of the sport in the Asia-Pacific region on the back of three new television deals announced today. The region is to stage two, possibly three, top-level international athletics meetings in the next four years and the governing body is eager for maximum exposure to contribute to the development of track and field in what is seen as a potentially lucrative market.

The IAAF has signed a 3-year deal with China’s CCTV to provide coverage of the World Athletic Series, including the 2007 world championships in Osaka, Japan and the 2009 event in the German capital Berlin. CCTV previously televised both the 2003 and 2005 world championships. Interest in South Korea has heightened as a result of Daegu’s bid for the 2011 championships and the 2007 and 2009 events will both be shown on three different platforms in a deal with IB Sports agency. Terrestrial rights have been awarded to KBS, cable rights to Xports and satellite rights to Skylife. Source: Sportcal, 5th March 2007

Elsewhere/Programming: HBO Sports Increases Its Reach

HBO Sports hopes to soon announce a documentary on ill-fated champion horse Barbaro, a new boxing series in Sunday primetime and a possible deal with producer Mark Burnett into increased stature. The Barbaro documentary chronicles the courageous Kentucky Derby winner whose horrific injuries sustained in last May's Preakness Stakes race led ultimately to his being put down in January. Barbaro's battle to survive became front-page news, garnering so much attention that it created a backlash, as people wondered why the country grew obsessed with a horse.

HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg says that they are also focusing on a four-part boxing series, building up to the long-anticipated May 5 showdown between the sport's best fighter—Floyd Mayweather Jr.—and its most marketable one, Junior Middleweight champ Oscar De La Hoya. That mega-contest should be the sweet science's biggest pay-per-view event of the year. There is also a possible collaboration with producer Mark Burnett. Burnett has dabbled in sports before, notably with boxing reality series The Contender, which debuted on NBC in 2005 before moving to ESPN. Source: Broadcasting & Cable, 5th March 2007

Elsewhere/Programming: Alfred Haber Takes on UFC

Alfred Haber Distribution International (AHDI) in the US has paired up with a team-based mixed martial arts professional league, formed to compete with the likes of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The distributor has acquired rights, excluding Latin America and the Middle East, to the International Fight League's new late-night series IFL Fight Night and primetime series IFL Battleground.

IFL Fight Night (22x60'), a late-night event series that showcases five fights between two teams, originally premiered on the Fox Sports Network in the US on February 23. IFL Battleground (22x120') offers a behind-the-scenes look at the IFL with action footage of the sport's rising stars and their coaches. The series, set to air in the US in a primetime slot on MyNetworkTV from March 12, also includes highlights and vignettes. Source: C21 Media, Worldscreen, 5th March 2007

Elsewhere/New Media: Clubs Report Broadband Growth

Everton and Arsenal both reported the rapid take-up of their broadband services at Servecast’s New Media Sportscasting Summit. Everton, which re-launched its broadband television service Everton TV last June, said it has grown the number of subscribers from 1,400 to 6,000 at present, while the number of subscribers for Arsenal Broadband is “well into five figures”, the club reported.

In the past two years there has been a shift from domestic to international subscribers, with international users now accounting for 56% of the total user-base. Richard Glover, operations manager of Arsenal Broadband, speaking at the Summit, said the club would concentrate on international growth.

Despite growth, there is a mounting threat to the online subscription content offer. The main challenges, according to Glover, are the “continuing dilution” of Premiership rights with the proliferation of content, “platform confusion”, and piracy/IP infringement. Glover said he was “not convinced” that the internet can be controlled. “There is no way of putting the internet genie back into the bottle," he said. Glover also believes “the days may be numbered” for the subscription model and as for the advertising model, the question is whether the market is ready.

Everton’s broadband service originally kicked off back at the end of 2001 as Toffee TV. At that time the venture was outsourced and there was no risk to the club. There was also no revenue, reported Mark Ashton, Everton’s head of communications. Now Everton TV has been brought in-house with three partners – ADI for production, Rippleffect for website design and Servecast for video solutions. He said the service now accounts for over 50% of the club’s content revenue. Source: Sports Media, 5th March 2007

Elsewhere/General: MotoGP Relies on TV Rights in Absence of Sponsors

Carmelo Ezpeleta, the chief executive of Dorna Sports, the Spanish company which holds the commercial and television rights to motor cycling’s MotoGP World Championship, has admitted paying $50 million to teams struggling to attract sponsorship in the run-up to the new season. Despite rising attendances and television audiences for MotoGP, it is proving difficult for even the most prominent private teams to cover their costs.

Kenny Roberts, the former world champion and independent team owner, says that he will pull out of the sport unless he makes up a 20-per-cent sponsorship shortfall this month. The increase in outgoings has been attributed to the need to design new engines to conform to the new 800cc maximum and comes at an unfortunate time, with tobacco companies such as Camel and Gauloises ending their sponsorship deals and small teams such as WCM and Pons already having withdrawn from MotoGP.

The new season starts in Qatar on Saturday and the only bright spot is Yamaha, which is set to sign a new sponsorship deal with Italian car giant Fiat. Fiat have been drawn to Yamaha by the allure of Italy’s Valentino Rossi, the seven-times world champion and Dorna wants more riders from the north European countries, such as Great Britain, France and Germany, to help attract new sponsors. Source: Sportcal, 5th March 2007