Monday, 30th April 2007

HEADLINE OF THE DAY

Badminton Enjoys Media Growth Ahead of Beijing Olympics

IEC in Sports said it has seen a significant boost in media interest in the sport of badminton ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Summer Games. IEC represents the international media rights for the Super Series, a twelve tournament circuit with prize money of over $2.5 million. New broadcasters to air the Super Series include: Now Sports (Hong Kong) TV2 (Denmark) WCSN (USA) J-Sports (Japan) and SBS Medianet (Korea).

Rights are shared in China between CCTV, Beijing TV, Shanghai TV, Guangzhou TV and Chongqing TV. However, CCTV has increased their commitment and is accessing the Indonesian Open Super Series for the first time.

“The Super Series has added extra spice, since all tournaments played between May 1 2007 – 30 April 2008 will allow players to earn valuable points towards Olympic qualification. We see the top stars appearing across the entire Super Series, from Copenhagen to Jakarta” said Datuk’ Punch Gunalan, Deputy President of the Badminton World Federation. Source: Sport Business, Sports e-Media, 27th April 2007


INFO BOX

Outlook on A-P Broadband Pay-TV Operators & Broadcasters
Source: Report by MP Asia “Asia-Pacific Pay-TV and Broadband Markets 2007” on Content Asia, 30th April 2007

* Producers of Chinese, Indian and Korean content will lead in Asia as the region heads towards an US$102 billion pay-TV and broadband future by 2015.
* Estimated pay-TV revenue of US$9.2 billion in 2007 could grow to US$18 billion by 2011 and top US$24 billion by 2015.
* Channel subscription could climb at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 13% to reach US$11.5 billion.
* Advertising revenue is expected to grow 10% to reach US$12.6 billion and pay-TV and broadband industries could be worth US$102 billion by 2015.
* Regional pay-TV industry turnover is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11%, topping US$43 billion by 2012 and US$54 billion by 2015.
* Regional pay-TV penetration will top 50% after 2011 and 55% by 2015, with almost half of pay-TV homes having a digital set-top box by 2015.
* Total pay-TV subs reached 255 million in Asia last year and is expected to climb to 381 million by 2011 and 446 million by 2015.
* Regional broadband household penetration will scale up to more than 30% by 2015.
* Total broadband subs in Asia could grow from 108 million in 2006 to reach 216 million by 2011 and 287 million by 2015.
* Broadband household penetration, at an average 13% in 2006, could grow to 24% by 2012 and 31% by 2015.
* Broadband household penetration levels in Korea, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia will peak at 80%-90%, on average
* Broadband household penetration in China will continue to climb, approaching 40% by 2015.
* Malaysia will lead the ASEAN region with almost 50% broadband household penetration by 2015.
* Penetration levels in India will remain modest at 11% by 2015.
* In 2006, Asia’s pay-TV and broadband industries generated turnover in excess of US$44 billion, which represented 0.4% of real GDP.


SPORTS SHORTS

* Japanese government terrestrial channel NHK has agreed a three-year deal to cover the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. This year, Wimbledon will be the only Grand Slam tournament to be shown on terrestrial TV in Japan. “It's something we're very pleased about,” said Ian Ritchie, chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club at a press conference to announce the deal. Source: Sports Media, 27th April 2007

* Singapore’s MediaCorp will offer advertisers a chance for greater creativity in ad campaigns and more precise reach to clients with a series of online and mobile initiatives this year. One such initiative is an online marketplace for Singaporeans to trade their wares, which could be launched as soon as two months' time. This will fulfill the growing demand of a highly affluent online community on a local wide web. Integrating traditional and new media ideas will be a phase of MediaCorp's businesses and platforms to engage new frontiers. Source: Asia Pacific Broadcast Union, 27th April 2007

* Digital TV broadcasting services will fully replace analogue in Korea by 2012. Minister of Information and Communication Roh Jun-hyong and Korean Broadcasting Commission Chairman Cho Chang-hyun have put together a bill that would require full digitisation. The bill requires broadcasters to halt their analogue TV signals by December 31, 2012. The law would also require all new TV-related home appliances to incorporate digital tuners, or equipment for digital reception. Source: Advanced Television, 27th April 2007

* A six-year, €1.6-million ($2.2-million) television rights deal agreed between Danish Premier League soccer and commercial broadcaster TV2 late last year is under threat of an investigation by the competition authorities. It is believed that authorities will decide that the deal is anti-competitive and that a new auction is set to be held, with rights split into several packages and a new deal restricted to three years. Source: Sportcal, 27th April 2007

* The Big 12 has signed an 8-year media rights extension with ESPN that will result in an expanded package of events. The deal is believed to be worth about $480 million — an increase over the conference's existing deal. The deal includes up to 19 telecasts for football games every season on ABC, including the Big 12 football championship. An increase of at least two men's basketball games per week beginning with the 2008-09 season. It will also see an increase in up to 50 non-football conference events on ESPNU. Source: San Antonio News, Texas Star Telegram, 26th April 2007

* ESPN has been linked with a possible bid for Irish sports media group, Setanta Sports. Setanta declined comment on the speculation. ESPN was interested, just over a year ago, in making an investment in the company, including the purchase of an equity stake or a full bid, but its shareholders were not receptive. Since then, Setanta sold off its North American Sports Channel to ESPN in a deal valued at €80 million. Setanta has raised about €400 million in the last two years and is fully funded. Source: The Sunday Business Post, 29th April 2007

* From April 24th to May 1st, surfers will ride waves at the Highland Open in Scotland, recognized as the coldest event on the ASP World Qualifying Series. It is newly upgraded to a 6-star WQS event and the second edition of this contest has also been classified as one of 7 world prime locations on the WQS tour. 6 digital beta cams plus two 16 mm cameras will film this event. On May 2nd, an exclusive satellite news feed of 3-mins with news and footage will be produced. A 30-min rough-cut and a 24-min highlight will also be produced. Source: Sports e-Media, 27th April 2007

* FC Barcelona is developing an Arabic language version of its website. The Primera División giant was in Egypt this week to celebrate the centenary of African champion Al-Ahly's foundation and 75,000 fans turned out at the Cairo International Stadium for a friendly match, ending in a 4-0 win for Barcelona. The club is keen to tap the fan base in Africa and the Middle East and signed with sports marketer, Stryx, and the largest Internet portal in the Middle East, ‘Link dot Net’, to develop the Arabic version of FCBarcelona.cat’s website. Source: Sports Media, 27th April 2007

* Weather conditions have left broadcasters divided on their level of coverage of the America’s Cup across Europe. Frustrated German broadcasters ZDF and ARD have reduced their programming of the world’s top sailing race in Valencia, Spain after only seven races out of a possible 20 were available for viewers due to a lack of wind over the first 10 days of competition. ARD has reduced its coverage from 100 minutes to just 15, while ZDF said: “We had 90% no-sailing so why should we torture our viewers?” Source: Sports Media, 27th April 2007

* Jurgen Klinsmann has a new job as commentator for German pay-TV channel Arena. The company confirmed that Klinsmann will take up the role at the start of next season. The former Inter Milan and Bayern München striker has signed a two-year contract with the option to break it to take over a position as a club manager. Klinsmann will fly to Germany from his Californian home to commentate on 1.Bundesliga matches as well as filming his own weekly programme to be screened ahead of weekend fixtures. Source: Sports Media Daily, 27th April 2007


MORE NEWS

Malaysia/Broadcaster: New IPTV Platform Unveiled

Malaysia’s SyQic Capital started showcasing its new IPTV platform, Yoonic, in April. It’s still not clear what content the new platform will carry, although execs were quick to underline their “complement and not compete” line. The chief executive behind the new system is Jamal Hassim, who was involved in the now defunct SPH Mediaworks in Singapore as well as early efforts to launch Malaysia’s channel 9, now operated by Media Prima.

The content channels, services and business model would be announced in June, followed by the launch of Yoonic services in Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. The second stage is to venture into China and India. SyQic Capital developed the Yoonic video streaming platform based on peer-to-peer technology in-house. The company said this would “overcome the last-mile delivery issues in narrow bandwidth environment and provide true TV-quality video delivery and an interactive experience for the first time in this region.” Source: Content Asia, 30th April 2007

Malaysia/General: Leading a Plan for US-Southeast Asia Fiber Link

17 telecommunications companies signed a pact to build a $500 million undersea fiber optic cable between Southeast Asia and the US they claim will be safe from earthquakes and tsunamis. Telekom Malaysia, which is leading the consortium of companies, said construction of the 20,000-kilometer link would begin immediately. It said it would be the first submarine cable system linking Southeast Asia directly to the US.

The fiber optic cable will connect the US with Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Guam and Hawaii, and offer "seamless interconnection" for those locations with Europe, Africa and Australia. Parties involved in the project include AT&T , the British Telecom Global Network Services, Eastern Communications Philippines, Bharti AirTel, CAT Telekom, Indonesia's Indosat and PT Telkom, Telecom New Zealand International, Singapore's StarHub and Australia's Telstra. Source: Telecom Asia, Digital Media Asia, 30th April 2007

Elsewhere/Rights: German Broadcasters Near Euro 2008 Deal with Improved Bid

German public-service broadcasters, ARD and ZDF, are hoping that an increased bid of €115 million ($157.1 million) for 27 of the 31 games at soccer's Euro 2008 will finally seal a deal in Europe's largest television market. SportA, the sports rights subsidiary of ARD and ZDF, lodged the bid after failing in an offer of €60 million for 20 matches which would have cleared the way for commercial network, RTL, to acquire rights for remaining matches.

However, Sportfive is said to be seeking a further €10 million before agreeeing a deal. SportA is aiming to break a long-running deadlock, with Sportfive said to target between €130 and €150 million from the German market for the rights. Fritz Raff, ARD’s director, said in February that the broadcasters 'saw no reason to improve on' an earlier offer worth an estimated €80 million.'

A €115-million contract for 27 matches of Euro 2008 would be equivalent to €4.25 million a match, exceeding the €3.75 million a game that ARD and ZDF paid to show 48 out of the 64 matches at the 2006 World Cup, which took place in Germany. SportA’s offer would also be nearly double the rights fee of €60 million paid for all matches of the European Championships in Portugal in 2004.

In the European tender issued to Sportfive, Uefa specified that 19 of the 31 games must be shown on free-to-air television, including the matches of the national team in each territory, and all games from the quarter finals onwards. The lack of exclusivity on offer for pay-television operators has dampened the bidding war that Sportfive had hoped for in order to reach its target of up to €150 million.

Similar deadlocks have so far prevented deals from being agreed in three of the four other major European markets: France, Spain and the UK, although TF1 and M6, the French commercial broadcasters, were said to be close to being confirmed as the winners of the rights in France. RAI, the Italian public-service broadcaster, has acquired the rights in Italy. Source: Sportcal, 27th April 2007

Elsewhere/Rights: BSkyB in New Raid on BBC Soccer Rights

British Sky Broadcasting has been awarded rights to show Northern Ireland’s home soccer matches from next year. The deal covers qualifying matches for both the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 European Championships. BSkyB beat off competition from incumbent BBC, the UK’s public-service broadcaster, to acquire the rights in a four-year deal said by the BBC to be worth over £10 million ($20 million). The figure compares with the present deal with the BBC which is worth just £2 million.

Northern Ireland are presently top of their qualifying group for the 2008 European Championships. Under the deal, BSkyB has also committed to show live coverage of two of Northern Ireland’s under-21 international matches and five matches from its top-tier Carnegie League each season. The deal begins in August 2008 and runs until the end of the 2011-12 season. Jim Boyce, president of the Irish Football Association, denied that the switch to pay-television was motivated purely by financial considerations. Source: Sportcal, Sky Sports, 27th April 2007

Elsewhere/New Media: IIHF World Championship Available Live and On Demand

With the 2007 IIHF World Championship in Moscow on April 27th, Infront Sports & Media launches its new in-house live IP broadcast platform. Infront will produce a dedicated online broadcast for the 2007 IIHF World Championship, offering the opportunity to view live and on demand every game of the Championship on the official event website – http://www.ihwc.net/. The website is jointly managed by the IIHF and Infront.

This is the first time in the event history that such a wide ranging online service is available for fans, with a flexible set of viewing options. The online service allows fans to purchase single live games and download or access the high-quality video stream of the games after the live event has ended. The “Follow Your Team” option enables users to follow games of their favourite team through the tournament live and on demand.

Broadband consumers worldwide will be able to watch all games live and delayed for €40. Access is geo-blocked in a few countries where conflicting media license agreements are in place.

Infront’s in-house IP broadcast platform is set-up to complement the Group’s service offering and to effectively exploit media rights to a wider and more discerning audience. The production facilities are located in Milan, Italy and managed by MP Web – the new media company of Infront’s wholly-owned subsidiary Media Partners. In June 2007, MP Web will be re-launched formally as Infront Advanced Media Solutions and function as the Group’s dedicated competence centre for the management and distribution of new media sports rights. Source: Sports e-Media, Sportcal, 27th April 2007

Elsewhere/General: PSA Hail New Super Series Finals Deal

Fears for the future of the PSA's Super Series Squash Finals have been allayed as the Professional Squash Association agreed a seven-year deal which will see the annual event re-launched later this year. A five year agreement, with a two-year option, will provide a total minimum cash prize fund of US$675,000 over the period committed to the top eight players who annually qualify from the PSA Super Series roster of events throughout the season.

The Super Series Finals bring together top eight qualifiers from the annual PSA Super Series Tour to compete in a week-long event. The tournament boasts one of the richest prize funds in the sport and TV highlights are distributed to a large global audience. First staged in Switzerland in 1992, the event moved to the unique location of Broadgate Arena in the heart of London's Square Mile in 1999. Source: Sport Business, 27th April 2007

Friday, 27th April 2007

DID YOU KNOW…?

Scientists at Beijing’s meteorological centre have guaranteed that they can prevent the 2008 Olympic Games from being marred by the weather. Zhang Qiang, the head of the Office of Weather Manipulation, said that records suggest that there is a 50-per-cent chance of rain during the games, but that meteorologists would be able to ensure that rain clouds would dump their load before reaching the competition venues. Source: Sportcal, 26th April 2007


FRIDAY SPOOF!

Blair to Sign for Newcastle After Downing Street
Warning: Harmful if taken seriously :)

Newcastle United today confirmed that Prime Minister Tony Blair will wear the famous number nine jersey next season. Blair, who is a lifelong Newcastle fan, will be hired by manager Glenn Roeder to make the half time teas. The deal was almost scuppered when Mr Blair refused to sign unless he was allowed to wear the famous shirt.

"Tony will be joining us as teaboy next season" confirmed Roeder. "It was touch and go when he asked to wear the shirt, but after a meeting with Dot Cotton, our head of laundry it was decided that despite milk splashes, it wouldn't be a problem". When asked why he decided to sign for the magpies, Mr Blair Said "Cos George told me too". Source: The Spoof!, 20th April 2007


SPORTS SHORTS

* Bangladesh has banned the downlink of 10 foreign satellite TV channels in the country. The channels are: Channel V, Zoom, Ren TV, Fashion TV, AXN, G Cop, Music India, Cinemax, The Music and Trendz. The restriction was enforced under the Cable Television Network Act of 2006. Without government approval, no channel would be allowed to telecast in Bangladesh. Before broadcast by any new channel, it would have to obtain approval from the Ministry of Information of Bangladesh. Source: All Headline News, 25th April 2007

* Sony is launching a video-sharing site in Japan in a step to challenge YouTube. Sony hopes to introduce eyeVio abroad, but said it wanted to gauge the reception at home before drawing up an overseas launch schedule. Earlier this year YouTube agreed to display warnings in Japanese telling users not to upload copyright materials. Last year it removed nearly 30,000 video files from the site at the request of Japanese media firms. Source: Advanced Television, 26th April 2007

* Discovery Networks Asia will partner with Visa for the launch of a new filmmaking initiative allowing six Chinese directors to produce a series of five-minute vignettes on six former Olympic host cities for broadcast on the Discovery Travel & Living programming block in China this September. A page dedicated to the initiative will be available on Visa China and Sina websites for the next five months. Visitors can view the vignettes, vote their favorites and share their Olympic City experiences online. They will stand to win tickets to the 2008 Olympic Games. Source: Worldscreen, 26th April 2007

* The BOCOG, FIBA and the NBA formed a joint cooperation to develop and execute aspects of Olympic sports presentation for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. As part of this broad partnership, the NBA and FIBA will work with BOCOG on basketball presentation in the Wukesong Basketball Arena and consultation on other sports event presentations. The NBA will utilise its sports presentation expertise to incorporate the Olympic image into entertainment elements that have Chinese characteristics and international appeal. Source: Sport Business, 26th April 2007

* Beijing unveiled the route for the 2008 Olympic torch relay including to Mount Everest and Taiwan, which swiftly rejected the route as an "unacceptable" attempt to downplay the island's sovereignty. The flame will pass at least 22 cities in five continents, including capital cities and scores of stops in China. The 130 day, 137,000 kilometre relay will begin in Beijing on March 31, with the attempt to summit Mount Everest sometime in May. Source: Channel News Asia, China Economic Review, 27th April 2007

* India’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games has been shelved after Delhi lost out to Incheon in the bidding to host the 2014 Asian Games. The proposed Olympic bid had been part of a three-part masterplan that involved Delhi hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2010, then the Asian Games and finally the Olympics. Only the first part of the plan will now go ahead. Source: Sportcal, 26th April 2007

* Aston Martin could make an entry into F1 in the future. Former Benetton and BAR team principal, David Richards, returns to the sport next year with his own Prodrive team, hinted that "in five years F1 could be realistic for Aston." Richards and a consortium of investors acquired a controlling stake in Aston Martin from Ford. Source: Sport Business, 26th April 2007

* Ray Ranson has submitted a revised proposal to buy Manchester City. Ranson earlier made a £90 million offer to buy the club according to reports. He said the revised proposal addressed the club's concerns about conditionality and he hoped to enter formal discussions with the board. He says he has the backing of a British-based financial partner. Manchester City said it would consider offers for the club. Source: Sport Business, 26th April 2007

* The route for cycling’s Tour of Britain this autumn was announced yesterday, with organisers aiming to take advantage of the surge of interest created by London and the south-east of England hosting the start of the Tour de France in July. The Tour of Britain will have six road stages and begin with a prologue time trial at Crystal Palace in south-east London. The Tour of Britain is scheduled for September 9 to 15. Source: Sportcal, 26th April 2007


MORE NEWS

Japan/Rights: Pay-TV to Offer Additional Olympics Coverage in Japan

Japanese satellite broadcaster, SkyPerfecTV, will agree to broadcast the Olympic Games, starting with the 2010 winter games in Vancouver, giving Japan its first ever pay-television coverage of the Games. The Japan Consortium, a group of broadcasters organised by the NHK network and the National Association of Commercial Broadcasters in Japan, is expected to acquire rights for Japan and subsequently sub-license rights to SkyPerfecTV.

SkyPerfecTV’s acquisition of Olympic broadcast rights would allow viewers in Japan to watch events that are not usually covered by terrestrial broadcasters in the country, such as the preliminary matches in the ice-hockey tournament. The Japan Consortium’s existing Olympic contract expires after the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, but it is widely tipped to agree an extension for 2010 and beyond.

A $545.5-million contract was signed with the IOC in 1997 for the five Olympic Games between 2000 and 2008. The share of the fee for the forthcoming 2008 games was $180 million. The consortium comprises NHK, NTV, TV Asahi, Fuji TV, TBS and TV Tokyo. Source: Sportcal, 26th April 2007

India/Broadcaster: Possible Solutions Emerge in Indian Cricket Encryption Row

A solution to the dispute over availability of Indian international cricket to the India's television viewers appeared to be closer after a government committee offered several technological solutions. The group gave its seal of approval to eight sets of encryption technology that could ease the fears of Nimbus Communications, the holders of rights to India's home internationals, over a government ordinance demanding it shares the action with Doordashan.

Nimbus claimed that the decision, which came just before the start of a one-day series against the touring West Indies team, significantly eroded the value of the $612-million investment it made to acquire the rights between 2006 and 2010. Without encryption, Doordashan's broadcasts could be picked up via direct-to-home satellite signals as well as by regular terrestrial viewers. The signal, which Nimbus delayed by seven minutes, also 'leaked' across the country's borders denting the value of rights to the action in the Middle East. Source: Sportcal, 26th April 2007

Pakistan/General: Two Badminton Tournaments to be Staged

Pakistan will stage two back-to-back international badminton tournaments in Lahore and Islamabad this year. “A triangular series involving Iran, Sri Lanka and Pakistan will be played in Lahore from April 28 at Government Science College,” the aid a spokesman from the Pakistan Badminton Federation. The Iranian team will arrive on April 27 and the Sri Lankans on April 28.

After the series all the three teams will feature in President of Pakistan International Invitation Tournament which will be played from May 2-4 at Liaquat Gymnasium in Islamabad. The two back-to-back tournaments would help raise the standard of game in Pakistan beside spotting of new talent as under-19 players would be tried in both the events. Source: Daily Times Pakistan, 26th April 2007

Elsewhere/Business: Joost Lines Up Advertisers Ahead of Launch

A host of big-name advertisers, among them Microsoft, Sony Electronics and Unilever, have come on board as advertisers on Joost, the new Internet TV service from Skype founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom. According to the New York Times, Joost has signed on 30 “launch partner” advertisers as it gears up to deliver free content to users worldwide. Nick Loria, the senior VP of global advertising sales at Joost told the Times that the new advertisers had signed up for a three-month trial.

Ten of the new advertising partners stem from Joost’s deal with the Interpublic Emerging Media Lab. The strategic relationship covers the Interpublic clients General Motors Europe with Opel and Vauxhall, Intel, Lionsgate, Microsoft Corp., Motorola Inc., Sony Electronics, Inc., Taco Bell Corp, Unilever's Magnum Ice Cream and the U.S. Army. The prices for the ads range from $50,000 for U.S. only to $100,000 for worldwide distribution over three-months. Some will be traditional 30-second spots, while others will utilize interactive elements. Source: Worldscreen, Rapid TV News, Advanced Television, The Daily Reel, 26th April 2007

Global/General: Idate Forecasts Mobile TV Growth

In its latest Digiworld 2007 report, French research institute Idate estimates that the value of worldwide TV services reached €250bn last year, and is expected to grow to €263bn this year. The French market alone represented €10bn and should grow to €11bn in 2007. The world’s main markets (that include Europe, USA and Japan) account for 80% of TV revenues but annually lose 1% marketshare to diversified entertainment services.

Out of 1.1 billion households equipped with TV sets, 480m were subscribing to some sort of pay TV offering last year, mostly via cable TV. However, DTH dish reception keeps expanding steadily, Idate mentions. Idate considers the importance of IPTV within the mix as “marginal”. In France, Mobile TV revenues should pass from €25m in 2006 to €34m this year before reaching new levels of €206m in 2008, €409m in 2009 and €618m during 2010. Source: Rapid TV News, 26th April 2007

Thursday, 26th April 2007

HEADLINE OF THE DAY

Prize Money Hike Makes Wimbledon Tennis' Most Lucrative Event

The All England Club has announced a record prize purse of £11.3 million ($22.5 million) for 2007, making it the most lucrative tennis event in the world. Following the decision to award men and women equal prize money at Wimbledon for the first time, the singles champions will receive £700,000 each. Total prize money has risen 8.7% on 2006 and now exceeds the $21.1 million, including bonuses, that was on offer for the US Open.

However, it is anticipated that the United States Tennis Association, which runs the US Open, will raise its purse in 2007 to regain its self-proclaimed title as the provider of the ‘highest annual purse in sports.’ Wimbledon is scheduled for June 25 to July 8 this year and the US Open is scheduled for August 27 to September 9. Source: Sportcal, Houston Chronicle, The Star Malaysia, The Herald Sun Australia, 25th April 2007


INFO BOX

Info Box – Bits & Bobs on Golf
Source: Sporting Insight, April/May 2007

* 68% of regular golfers wear a glove to play golf.
* Golfers in the UK purchase an average of 25 golf balls at a time when buying over the Internet, almost 3 times as many as they buy at any one time in a golf pro-shop.
* Scotland has 9,750 people for every golf course, while Wales has 18,300 and England has 27,700.
* The 45 events on the European Tour so far this year (up until March) have been played in 24 different countries, with winners from 17 different countries.
* Winners of a European Tour stroke play event in 2006 have earned an average of €1,523 per shot played in the tournament that they won.
* Coverage of the 2006 Ryder Cup on Sky Sports attracted over 3.6 million individual viewers for at least 15 minutes over the 4 days of competition.


SPORTS SHORTS

* Comperio Research, the market research arm of IMG Media, will open in Hong Kong which will be the hub for its Asia Pacific operations. Comperio has offices in Europe, North America and India, and this move signals the company’s decision to capitalise on growing demand for its services in the Far East. The new office will deliver a full-service quantitative and qualitative offering and will be headed by James Dick, who for the past four years has been Head of New Business Development at its headquarters in London. Source: Sport Business, 25th April 2007

* Telewizja Polsat, the Polish broadcaster that transmits on terrestrial and satellite, shared broadcast rights to the 2006 Fifa World Cup with public-service broadcaster, TVP, paying €5 million ($6.8 million) for the pay-television rights for all 64 games. It also acquired free-to-air rights a selection of matches, excluding those of the Polish team, the opening game and the final. Source: Sportcal, 25th April 2007

* NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers could be getting a new home on cable television. The team's deal with Fox Sports Net expired the end of the season, and FSN has stopped renewal talks, saying the NBA franchise's financial demands were unrealistic. Sports Business Daily reported that the Trail Blazers sought $12 to $13 million a year. Like their win totals, the Trail Blazers' television ratings have dropped in recent years. Viewership last season was less than half what it was during 2002-2003 — the last time the Trail Blazers finished above .500. Source: Oregon Live, Cable 360, 25th April 2007

* The International Olympic Committee has outlined plans for the creation of a Youth Olympics, which would involve participants between the ages of 14 and 18, with the first edition likely to take place in the summer of 2010. The announcement at today’s IOC executive board meeting confirmed earlier statements by Jacques Rogge, the IOC's president. The IOC announced last month that it was conducting a feasibility study into the project, and the board has now unanimously voted in favour of the Youth Olympics. Source: Sportcal, 25th April 2007

* A leading financial expert has compared the way rich businessmen are trying to secure stakes in Premiership clubs to “the gold rush”. There is a marked change in the game, according to Henk Potts, equity strategist at Barclays Wealth, but he insists the financial gap between the leagues will grow ever wider. He said: “While there is talk in the Premiership about what's in store and the money that can be generated, it is strictly limited to the top clubs. It means the gulf between the top flight and the others is likely to get bigger.” Source: Football Insider, 25th April 2007

* European trans-stadia TV network MDM.TV will run an interactive Man of the Match fan competition in partnership with Man of the Match Ltd, to go live on May 5. The interactive content will allow fans across MDM.TV’s EPL football grounds to text or go online to vote for their Man of the Match. Fans who vote for the winning player will enter a prize draw to win their season ticket for 2007-08. Source: Sports Media, 25th April 2007


MORE NEWS

Thailand/Broadcaster: Advert-free Future for Former iTV

The fate of Thailand Independent Television (TITV) was sealed yesterday when the government decided to turn the financially struggling operation into a commercial-free public station. The decision could lead to the departure of staff considered unnecessary for commercial-free television. TITV, formerly Independent Television (iTV), was once controlled by ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. It has been placed under the control of the Prime Minister's Office after it failed to pay concession fees and fines.

PM's Office Minister Dhipavadee Meksawan, who supervised the committee, said the cabinet agreed to turn TITV into an advertisement-free public station based on the results of a committee survey. Khunying Dhipavadee said professionals will be recruited to run the station instead of letting state officials control it. She said the station will be supervised by five panels with members selected from the public sector.

The PM's Office and the Council of State no has to draft a law clearing the way for establishment of the a public television station. The draft will be completed by May 11, and will be forwarded to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) for consideration. Khunying Dhipavadee said that in the first stage about 1.7 billion baht will be needed to run the station. Source: Asia Media, 25th April 2007

Elsewhere/Rights: Austrian Bundesliga Pay-TV Rights Find Familiar Home

German cable and satellite broadcaster, Premiere, will continue live coverage of Austrian top-tier T-Mobile Bundesliga after signing a three-year extension of its pay-television rights deal until 2010. Premiere announced that a deal had been agreed with the Austrian league for the exclusive Austrian and German pay-television rights for the league, allowing Premiere to show all 378 games during each season. Premiere was said to be the only interested party in the rights.

Free-to-air rights, consisting of highlights and one live match each Sunday, for the next three seasons were acquired by ORF, the Austrian public-service broadcaster. The deal was agreed after league officials decided to split their rights into packages in a bid to avoid the controversy caused by Premiere’s exclusive acquisition of all rights for the present contract period (2004-05 to 2006-07).

Premiere has no free-to-air channel of its own and paid €42 million ($57.3 million) for both the free-to-air and pay-television rights until the end of this season, and then sold terrestrial rights for a three-year period to Austrian commercial broadcaster, ATV, for around €2.7 million. However, late last year Premiere agreed a separate deal for free-to-air rights with ORF for the remainder of the 2006-07 season, after running out of patience with ATV still owing €2.2 million of its rights fee. Source: Sportcal, Rapid TV News, 25th April 2007

Elsewhere/Rights: French Euro 2008 TV Rights Award Close to Completion

French commercial broadcasters, TF1 and M6, are set to win French television rights for Euro 2008, soccer’s European Championships. An announcement is due at the end of May or beginning of June, with TF1 and M6 set to share the rights for the tournament. The expected award comes after a long stand-off over the price for the rights. Similar deadlocks have also prevented deals from being agreed in the UK, Germany and Spain. RAI, the Italian public-service broadcaster, has acquired the rights in Italy.

In December, TF1 and M6 agreed to split the rights in France after a second round of bidding failed to produce an outright winner. TF1 and M6 were the only two broadcasters to respond to the original tender but submitted offers deemed significantly lower than the fee required by Sportfive, which is marketing the European broadcast rights on behalf of governing body Uefa. Sportfive had targeted a fee of €100 million ($136.5 million) for the rights in France.

Under the agreement, TF1 and M6 will pay €50 million each, and will have the rights to show simultaneous coverage of France's matches in the tournament. Rights for the 2004 European Championships were shared in France between TF1 and public-service broadcaster, France Télévisions. Source: Sportcal, 25th April 2007

Elsewhere/General: Hawk-Eye to Get Wimbledon Debut

Hawk-Eye will be used at Wimbledon for the first time this year. The technology is already in place at the US and Australian Opens and relies on cameras mounted around Centre Court and Court One that will capture 3D images of any disputed line call. Large screens positioned are viewable everyone on the courts and will show exactly where the ball lands. The introduction of Hawk-Eye at the US and Australian Opens has been a success but Wimbledon will be the first major grass tennis tournament to employ the system.

However, All England Club chief executive Ian Ritchie believes grass requires a different process for consulting the technology compared to other surfaces. At the US and Australian Opens, players are allowed two unsuccessful challenges during a set and one more in a tie-break. Ritchie said: “We're considering the possibility of an extension but there's a balance to strike with the continuity that was evident in the US and Australian Opens. Different situations can arise on grass courts where the service is especially important.”

Hawk-Eye, which is subject to final testing next month, will only be used on Centre Court and Court One while the existing Cyclops technology will be moved to Courts Two, 14 and 18. Source: Sports Media, ZD Net, Brisbane Times, 25th April 2007


ARTICLES, COMMENTS & OPINIONS

WWE’s Vince McMahon: Putting a Headlock on PPV Success
George Vernadakis interviews Vince McMahon, transcript on Multi Channel News, 23rd April 2007

World Wrestling Entertainment chairman Vince McMahon has a lot to grapple with these days - not that that's a bad thing. WWE's April 1 WrestleMania 23 clocked over $5.38 million in ticket sales, making it the WWE's highest grossing one-day event ever. And its three branded TV shows ' USA Network's Monday Night Raw , The CW's Friday Night SmackDown and Sci Fi Channel's ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling ' continue top ratings performances.

Even as WWE branches out across platforms ' including a recent deal with AT&T Mobile ' pay-per-view continues to be a key ingredient in its formula for success. Multichannel News executive editor of presentation George Vernadakis asked McMahon about WWE's recent wins, future plans and PPV's role in its business model. An edited transcript follows:


MCN: How would you size up WrestleMania 23 , in terms of its importance to the WWE brand as well as its performance as a pay-per-view event?
Vince McMahon : WrestleMania 23 was a fantastic event, and did exactly what we hoped it would do: entertain our fans, make money and create a buzz around WWE. This was one of our best attended events, second only in attendance for an indoor event to 20 years ago at WrestleMania III .

It's too early for us to know what the buy rate is for WrestleMania 23 , but the early returns are promising. We've achieved an average of 1 million buys for each of our last three WrestleManias , and I'm certain that we will surpass the 1 million buy mark. WrestleMania is a $100 million brand when you take into account sales of merchandise and licensed products in addition to the revenue from pay-per-view and ticket sales. When you compare the revenue from WrestleMania to a successful theatrical film release, we'll make in four hours what a theatrical film might make in its opening three days.

MCN: For this year's WrestleMania , you put a lot on the line, including your hair. [In case anyone missed it: In a "Battle of the Billionaires," McMahon and Donald Trump had a bet riding on the outcome of the match between Bobby Lashley (Trump's in-ring representative) and Umaga, the Samoan Bulldozer (McMahon's pick). McMahon/Umaga lost and McMahon had his head shaved as a result.] Any parting words for Donald Trump or comments on this "mane event"?
VM: I may be bald but I'm beautiful, which is more than I can say for Donald. Seriously, working with Donald was great. We took two of the best known brands in the world, WWE and Trump, and combined them in an interesting, entertaining way, elevating both brands as a result. People ask me if going bald was worth it, and it definitely was.

MCN: How has the pay-per-view business changed since your early events? And how has the WWE had to change strategy and marketing techniques?
VM: One of our first events with pay-per-view was our first WrestleMania broadcast from Madison Square Garden. Pay-per-view was in its infancy and closed circuit television was the prevalent technology. It was challenging having to work with each individual arena for closed circuit.

Over the years, with the emergence of cable and the evolution of technology, coupled with the tremendous promotional support of our affiliates, it has become easier to promote pay-per-view events.

However, the competition for the entertainment dollar is fiercer than ever. There is greater competition for the public's attention from television, the Internet, video on demand, DVDs, video games and mobile platforms. We have had to become more innovative in how we market and present our events, using all the media platforms and marketing techniques available to us to generate awareness and interest in our pay-per-views.

MCN: What about PPV's place in the overall WWE business? How has it evolved, particularly as you have expanded to more platforms, such as cable, broadband, subscription video on demand and mobile?
VM: Pay-per-view remains a significant part of WWE's business portfolio. We see tremendous future growth for WWE content on VOD, broadband and mobile platforms. There remains a strong appetite for more WWE content on cable, as we demonstrated with the successful introduction of ECW on the Sci Fi Channel and the success of WWE 24/7 On Demand.

MCN: Discuss the strategic balance between pay-per-view and free TV. How do free TV events drive PPV business?
VM: There is a demonstrated relationship between our television ratings and the number of buys we receive for a pay-per-view event. The Web and mobile phones also will become more important to how we drive people to watch our pay-per-views as those platforms evolve.

MCN: Why have you decided to showcase all three brands ' Monday Night Raw , Friday Night SmackDown and ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling ' in future PPV events starting with Backlash on April 29?
VM: We have seen over the past two years that WWE pay-per-views have had significantly better buy rates when more than one WWE brand is involved. In the future, all three brands will be contributing and promoting to the very same PPV event.

MCN: What's next on WWE's PPV agenda?
VM: In late June, we start our "Biggest Party of the Summer" campaign which culminates with another classic pay-per-view in August, SummerSlam .

MCN: And you've announced that next year's Wrestlemania 24 will be in Orlando, Fla.
VM: This will be our first WrestleMania in Florida. The city of Orlando did a great job presenting its vision for WrestleMania and will be a tremendous partner. We'll be in a 60,000 seat outdoor stadium at the Citrus Bowl and that will be a very different experience for our audience than what they are accustomed to. Coming to the home of Disney and Universal theme parks offers all kinds of possibilities to draw an even larger global audience to WrestleMania . It is going to be something very special. WrestleMania 23 is a tough act to follow, but we are always up for a challenge.

Wednesday, 25th April 2007

HEADLINES OF THE DAY

ESPN Star Sports to Launch New Dedicated Cricket Channel

ESPN Star Sports, the pan-Asian sports broadcaster that was appointed the International Cricket Council’s global media and production partner late last year for its events from late 2007 to 2015, is to launch a new cricket-only channel. The new channel, to be known as Star Cricket, is set to launch in June.

RC Venkatesih, managing director, ESPN Software India, said: ‘The launch of Star Cricket is part of our long-term strategy to further strengthen our offering to the sports fans in the country. Star Cricket will showcase live India and non-India cricket for the passionate Indian cricket fan. We plan to add quality first-class cricket coverage from around the globe as well. The channel will also showcase feature programming on cricket, including reality shows, archival programming and magazine shows.’

ESPN Star Sports is reported to have paid $1.1 billion for the ICC’s rights, which include two Cricket World Cups to be held in the Asian sub-continent and in Australia and New Zealand. Source: Sportcal, Indian Television, Agencyfaqs, Exchange4Media, 24th April 2007

Related Excerpts: ESS Launches STAR Cricket

India PR Wire, 24th April 2007
ESPN Star Sports also has the rights from Test-playing nations like England and Australia and is looking at a total of 24 Test matches and 42 One Day internationals in 2007 alone. ESS will also showcase the ICC Twenty20 World Cup later this year featuring 27 matches. ESS also has an array of non cricket properties like F1 and A1 in Motor Sports, the Euro 2008, the English Premier League, La Liga, Grand Slam tennis from the Australian, French and Wimbledon, the Premier Hockey League and action from the world of Golf and Wrestling. With STAR Cricket coming on air in June, fans will be able to watch the India tour of England where they will play four tests and seven One Day Internationals.

Rediff India, 25th April 2007
Star Cricket will be the second 'only-cricket' channel after Neo Sports from Nimbus Communications, the company that has television rights for all first-class cricket being played in the country. In 2007-08, Neo Sports, the only cricket channel so far, expects to generate advertising in excess of Rs 1,200 crore for the forthcoming international series in India. With Star Cricket launched, media planners expect advertisers to spend big.

Economic Times, 25th April 2007
Despite its extensive cricket library, ESPN-Star has so far been unable to monetise its subscription revenues because of the existing norms for pay channels. Under TRAI norms, pricing for channels is calculated with a formula based on prevailing rates in December 2003. It means that ESPN is unable to charge a premium for cricket content. A new channel will give it a pricing leverage and an opportunity to bundle advertising sponsorships across its three channels. The two flagship ESPN-Star channels, which were beginning to flag, can now hope to ride on the strength of the new channel.


DID YOU KNOW…?

Two British newspapers related how Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho once allegedly hid in a laundry basket used for transporting the club's kit to get round a UEFA ban covering a big game. The Daily Mail said it happened two years ago when Mourinho had been barred from contact with his players during both legs of a quarter-final Champions League tie against Bayern Munich. He was being punished after indiscretions in the previous round with Barcelona.

On the night of the home leg, observers were convinced that Chelsea fitness coach Rui Faria used a hidden earpiece to communicate with the manager, the Mail said. Both the Mail and The Times said Mourinho arrived early at the ground, watched the game on a TV in a dressing room and delivered the pre-match and halftime talks. Both papers alleged that about 10 minutes before the end of the game, which Chelsea won 4-2, the manager climbed into one of the laundry skips. He was then wheeled away to Stamford Bridge leisure club where it was claimed he had spent the entire evening. Source: Reuters on The Star Malaysia, 25th April 2007


INFO BOX

Info Box – Worldwide Web Audience
Source: Info IQ, 20th March 2007

747 million people, aged fifteen and over, used the Internet worldwide in January 2007, a 10% increase on January 2006, according to a new report from comScore. Among the top 15 countries by penetration, Internet audiences in India, the Russian Federation and China increased the most in 2006, growing 33, 21 and 20%, respectively.

China now represents the second-largest Internet population in the world, with 86.8 million users, after the U.S., which rose 2% year-over-year to 153.4 million users age 15 or older in January 2007. Internet users outside the U.S. now account for 80% of the world's online population, with rapidly developing countries experiencing double-digit growth rates year-over-year.

Top 10 countries were ranked by average hours online per visitor for January 2007. Canada led the list with the average user spending 39.6 hours (and 41.3 hours/ month among broadband users) online during the month followed by Israel, South Korea, the U.S. and the U.K., countries with significantly high broadband penetration. In each of the top 10 countries, time spent online by users with broadband connection was substantially greater than time spent by users with a narrowband connection.


SPORTS SHORTS

* Hoping to cash in on cricket as the ICC World Cup enters its final stages, mobile application company Mobio Networks is offering free GPRS downloads in India. In association with Indiatimes, Mobio Networks' cricketing applications are available with no download charges. Mobio Cricket Centre – Live & Mobio Cricket Centre Fantasy are services on offer. Additionally, on Airtel Live there is no usage charge involved for remaining matches of the World Cup, including two semi-finals on 24 & 25 April & the final on 28 April. Source: Indian Television, 24th April 2007

* The co-founder of a Chinese telecom equipment vendor is predicting that China will soon be the largest IPTV market in the world, with as many as 1 million subscribers by year’s end, because it has overcome the significant barriers to deployment of the new technology. Ying Wu, co-founder of UTStarcom, said regulatory and market environments will enable the market to ramp up rapidly. UTStarcom deployed its IPTV system with China Netcom in Harpin and with China Telecom in Shanghai. Source: Advanced Television, 24th April 2007

* Malaysian U-17 striker Nazrin Baharuddin may play for an English Premier League club by November this year. Nazrin currently trains under the Ken Barnes Football Club and would be sent to England with several other players for trials soon. KBFC advisor Ken Barnes, former Manchester City and England player, believes Nazrin can make the grade in English football and could become the first Malaysian to play in the EPL. Barnes added that such exposure will help develop confidence , mental fitness and minimise the sense of fear when they faced older or more skilful opponents. Source: The Star Malaysia, 25th April 2007

* Injured Everton and Australia midfielder Tim Cahill is targeting a return to action at the Asian Cup in July. Cahill fractured a metatarsal in his left foot against Sheffield United in early March and has been sidelined ever since. But he said the bone was on the mend and he was desperate to return. Australia are in a Bangkok-based pool that includes Thailand, Oman and Iraq for the Asian Cup, with their first game against Oman on July 8. They play warm-up matches against Uruguay on June 2 and Singapore on June 30. Source: The Star Malaysia, 25th April 2007

* Sweden's national soccer team is to play a home friendly match against USA ahead of the home side’s important Euro 2008 European Championship qualifying match against Denmark. Sweden will play USA at the Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg on August 22, with the Denmark match set to take place at the city's Rasunda stadium on September 8. Sweden currently lie second in qualifying group F, but have played one game fewer than group leaders, Northern Ireland. Source: Sportcal, 24th April 2007

* Samsung has agreed to a new eight-year contract extension with the International Olympic Committee and remain in partnership with them until the Olympic Games in 2016. The partnership between the two, which began in 1997, was extended at a signing ceremony in Beijing yesterday, with IOC president Jacques Rogge and Samsung’s chairman Kun-hee Lee both in attendance. Source: Sports Media, Sport Business, 24th April 2007


MORE NEWS

Elsewhere/Business: Ranson Launches City Takeover Bid

In a new development, Manchester City has received a £90 million takeover bid from a British-based consortium headed by former player Ray Ranson. Ranson, who previously failed in an attempt to buy Aston Villa, lodged his offer last night and is awaiting a response. Stock Market rules prevent Ranson discussing his bid, but it is thought any deal would result in a £20 million transfer windfall for manager Stuart Pearce.

It has previously been suggested the City hierarchy would not be interested in doing business with Ranson because they did not want the club saddled with further debt. However, Ranson is thought to have the funds in place to pay off the £25 million owed to Wardle and Makin and also has plans in place to eventually wipe away £40 million owed to other creditors.

Ranson’s was associated with the financial catastrophe at Leeds United, with fans of the Championship struggler claiming it was the former England Under-21 defender’s complicated buy-and-lease-back plans which led to its downfall. He vigorously defended himself against those charges and, at a time when many Premiership clubs have fallen into foreign hands, will be eager to stress the British-ness of his bid. Source: Football Insider, Sport Business, 24th April 2007

Latest news on The Guardian Unlimited, 25th April 2007
Manchester City's future was last night shrouded in uncertainty after it emerged that the Premiership club have refused to enter into any talks with Ray Ranson despite the former City player submitting a takeover bid, believed to be in the region of £90m. Ranson confirmed yesterday that he has made "indicative proposals" with a view to ultimately assuming control although it is understood he has received no encouragement from the City board. Ranson is unlikely to lose interest despite the board's refusal to hold discussions.

Earlier in the day City - notably making no mention of Ranson's interest - issued a statement to the Stock Exchange reiterating that they remain in talks with potential buyers which "may or may not lead to a bid" for the club. The Thailand prime minister, Thaskin Shinwatra, who failed in a bid for Liverpool in 2004, has been linked with a takeover offer for City and there has also been speculation that an American consortium are preparing to make an offer.

Thailand/Broadcaster: iTV to Sue PM's Office in Retaliation

Executives of iTV Plc plan to sue the Office of the Prime Minister to indemnify the company against damages incurred in what they called an "illegal process". At the broadcaster's annual shareholders' meeting yesterday, executives said the PM's Office failed to submit to cabinet a contract clause that was inserted after the office and the station had already signed an agreement. That led to trouble that forced the station to stop broadcast last month.

At the time, iTV was controlled by Shin Corp, founded by Thaksin Shinawatra. After the PM's Office allowed state-owned Channel 11 to broadcast advertisements, previously not allowed, iTV went before an arbitration panel to seek compensation. The arbitrator ruled in favour of iTV, reducing its concession fee and increasing the proportion of entertainment content it could carry.

iTV still exists as a business and is listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand but shares, held by nearly 10,000 investors, are essentially worthless. SET officials have given iTV two years to work out a rehabilitation plan to avoid delisting. The Public Relations Department has now taken over the station, which is broadcasting under the name TITV. However, its fate is still uncertain. The additional clause said the station could seek compensation from the office if any state agencies grant concessions or contracts to others that hurt iTV. Source: Asia Media, Related news on Total Content + Media, 24th April 2007

Asia/General: Formula BMW Asia Season on May 5 in Malaysia

The youngest and most culturally-diverse field of drivers ever assembled since its inception in 2003 will line up for the start of the 22-round, 2007 Formula BMW Asia season on May 5 at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. New for this season, the Formula BMW Asia Nations Cup will allow drivers to score points for their country. For each round, points will be awarded to the highest placed driver from each nation in the top ten.

As Formula BMW Asia continues to strengthen its position as the region’s premier entry-level single seater series, three new teams join this season: Team Holzer PFX, which will run the three top graduates from the inaugural PETRONAS Formula Xperience (PFX) Racing School course, is headed by Günther and Ronald Holzer; Team TARADTM, an Indonesian outfit; and Engstler Bollywood Racing, an inspired pairing of Engstler Motorsport’s racing expertise and the glamour of Bollywood.

Championship-winning Malaysian-Irish outfit Team Meritus is back with a vengeance, fielding six cars, while Eurasia Motorsport has further strengthened its capabilities through a tie-up with the successful Raikkonen Robertson Racing (Double R Racing) Formula 3 team. South Korean outfit Team E-Rain, second in the Team Classification last year, fields the series’ first ever driver from the USA this year.

Five Formula BMW Asia Juniors, winners of scholarships following trials in Bahrain earlier this year, join a further seven drivers in the Rookie Cup category. A total of 16 drivers are currently registered from 11 countries and territories representing more than half the world’s population. Represented on the grid for 2007 are: China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Africa, Thailand, and the USA. Source: Auto Racing Daily, 24th April 2007

Asia/General: Bin Hammam Looks for More Sponsors

Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed bin Hammam hopes more sponsors will follow English club Chelsea and his aims to give a boost to his Vision China initiative. Earlier this year, the Premiership champion signed an agreement with Asia’s governing body becoming a financial backer of the development programme in the world’s most populous nation. China was the first to sign up for the Vision Asia project at the start of 2003 and Thursday saw the launch of new projects in the cities of Nanjing and Chengdu.

With Nanjing and Chengdu on board, the AFC is now instrumental in setting up amateur leagues in four of China’s major cities, with plans for more in the pipeline. Hammam hopes that, in addition to developing the game in China, the programme can play a key role in curbing social ills in the developing world. Hammam’s Vision Asia project has now expanded throughout the continent, taking in countries such as Bangladesh, India, Iran and Vietnam with the development of the game at school and amateur level a key component. Source: Football Insider, 24th April 2007

Elsewhere/General: Forbes Unveils MLB Rich List

Forbes Magazine estimated the value of the New York Yankees Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise at $1.2 billion, rising 17% from last year. Forbes’ annual valuations of all 30 franchises brought particularly good for the Yankees, which were valued at almost $500 million over second-placed team, cross-city rivals the New York Mets - at $736 million. Next was the Boston Red Sox at $724 million, the Los Angeles Dodgers at $632 million, and the Chicago Cubs at $592 million. The valuations do not take into account the shares some franchises have in local media networks.

The Yankees franchise, which was bought by owner George Steinbrenner for $10 million in 1973, made an operating loss of $25.2 million on its $302 million revenue last season - largely due to its excessive player payroll and luxury taxes. The loss also came after revenue-sharing payments were made to the League. The team has a new stadium on the way, which will likely see revenues increase further from its opening in 2009.

The Yankees also topped Forbes’ list of estimated media market revenue for MLB franchises, taking $91 million from the YES Network ($67 million) and other broadcasters. Next on the list was the Atlanta Braves franchise ($65 million), the New York Mets ($60 million), the Los Angeles Dodgers ($45 million), and the Chicago Cubs ($42 million). Source: Sports Media, 24th April 2007

Elsewhere/General: Handball World Championship Plan 'Ignores Developing Countries'

A proposal that handball’s World Championships to switch from a biennial to a quadrennial event ignores competitive opportunities for teams from Asia, Africa and the Americas, according to the Hassan Moustafa, president of the International Handball Federation. The proposal, from the European Handball Federation, is due to be voted on at the IHF’s congress beginning today in Madrid.

When asked about the consequences of a change to a quadrennial championship, Moustafa replied: ‘Above all, teams from Asia, Africa and Pan America would lose an important opportunity to compete and also the chance to keep up with participation in regularly staged international competitions. The boost of nations like Brazil and Angola would not be possible.’

The European and international federations have also been at loggerheads over other issues, with the European federation succeeding last week in its campaign to overturn a series of decisions made by the international federation last August, including a controversial new system of qualifying for the world championships and the Olympic Games.

The decision by the IHF's arbitration commission meant that the European federation would retain control over qualification and that the television and marketing rights associated with qualifying matches will remain in the hands of national federations. Other decisions to have been annulled by the commission related to the planned introduction by the IHF of a World Cup for club teams and the formation of a Challenge Trophy. Source: Sportcal, 24th April 2007


ARTICLES, COMMENTS & OPINIONS

IPTV Promise for Asia is Stronger Than Ever
By Jeffrey Soong, CEO of BNS Ltd on IPTV News, 24th April 2007

It is safe to say that IPTV has ‘turned the corner’ so to speak. Within a short period of time the service has moved from pioneering pavement to mainstream penthouse and is set to continue to head the wish list for telcos and service providers in the years to come.

While lately Europe has transformed itself into the global IPTV leader, IPTV has also made considerable headway in Asia and is predicted to outpace Europe in the not so distant future. That’s not particularly surprising, if you look at the enormous market potential of populous nations like China and India, which are in the midst of a tiger leap onto the economic world stage.

Asia’s IPTV Opportunity
However, one of the biggest arguments of those who doubt that Asia had a big IPTV future, is that with such a large economically disadvantaged population, IPTV would simply be too expensive to reach economies of scale any time soon.

But oddly enough, it has emerged that this is exactly where key opportunities lie for IPTV in Asia. A la carte models, first championed by PCCW’s Now service, have shown to break down the high-cost entry barrier normally associated with premium Pay TV services and their expensive channel bundles. This can make a big difference in countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, where affordability is an issue.

Of course, the IPTV sweet spot remains at the intersection of high broadband penetration and a weak Pay TV market, which to date only a handful of countries in Asia such as Australia, HK, Singapore and Japan can offer.

In countries with low broadband penetration but a strong Pay TV market, it is more of a challenge to make IPTV work, as simple multicast - a la carte or not - will not differentiate the service well enough to lure subscribers. Here operators should maximise IPTV’s interactive capabilities but also pay close attention to unmet content needs in their specific market.

Asian IPTV Business models
Since PCCW exploded on the world IPTV stage with Now Broadband TV in 2003, IPTV has experienced a steady spread through the Asia Pacific region’s collective of heterogeneous nations. IPTV has now been launched or is trialling in 12 nations, and some countries even run multiple services, such as Japan and Thailand, where the rural telco TT&T just recently announced the launch of its IPTV trial to combat eroding fixed-line revenues.

So what’s the collective wisdom that we can see among these deployments in Asia? From a business model perspective, five common threads have emerged:

Firstly, STB subsidies lower the entry barrier which is critical in driving service adoption and shows that finding a low-cost STB remains paramount for operators.

Secondly, as mentioned above, a la carte and/or mini-pack subscription models have shown to break down barriers of huge channel bundles with equally high monthly fees to make a service more affordable.

Thirdly, cable TV look-alike packages are still prevalent but local programming is rapidly becoming more important due to the diverse nature of Asia as a region where many languages, religions and cultures require very different programming approaches.

This goes hand in hand with the fourth point, which is a significant spread of the ‘niche channel concept’ throughout the region. The past months have seen more channels than ever before becoming available in Asia – including locally produced programs – which clearly points towards an explosive growth in the popularity of entertainment options that brings with it an increased appetite for content.

Fifth, time shifting has finally landed in the region which, together with interactivity and possibly User generated Content (UGC), promises to be one of the main drivers for IPTV going forward. UGC is still in its infancy, much the same as anywhere else, however it is definitely destined to eventually become critical for IPTV in Asia, although it is also set to raise fresh issues with the region’s still at times shaky regulatory environment.

Regulation: still a grey zone in some countries
Talking of regulation, this area remains fluid in many countries.

In South Korea, telcos are still not allowed to launch IPTV services except VoD and regulators continue to squabble over who has jurisdiction over IP-based television. So far Hanarotelecom has launched download-to-TV service Hana TV with over 200,000 subscribers, and Korea Telecom is readying its Megapass TV VoD service for launch in the first half of 2007. Hanarotelecom has announced ambitious subscriber targets of 1 million for 2007, which indicates the operator’s confidence that the conflicts will be resolved soon to allow the launch of a fully fledged IPTV service.

A similar situation still prevails in China, where a clear framework for IPTV regulation has still not been established. However, there has been some considerable movement particularly over the past year and licences have now been extended to four operators which are gradually increasing their coverage across the country. Promising is also the government’s indication that IPTV is their platform of choice which puts a definite positive spin on the future of IPTV in the country. So far, the most successful operator, the Shanghai Telecom/SMG service BesTV, reportedly has signed up 120,000 subscribers to its IPTV offering, almost a quarter of China’s total IPTV subscriber numbers, with a strong growth tendency.

Across the Taiwan Strait the news are less rosy though. Having always had a difficult standing against Taiwan’s highly competitive and protected Pay TV market, Chunghwa Telecom’s MOD service faces fresh challenges from the local regulator, who is requesting the telco transform its MOD business into an open platform available for use by ISPs, channel operators, digital content providers and operators of fixed-line telecommunication services, a move that may have serious implications and could jeopardise the future of the MOD service.

And finally Japan, one of the earliest adopters of IPTV in the region, where regulatory issues are still preventing operators to truly maximise their country’s ‘IPTV sweet spot’ status. Japan separates carriage and content and IP broadcast content is considered communication, not broadcast. This results in different rights to be granted to the organizations that transmit and the organizations that broadcast, which causes ongoing friction between all parties.

Asia’s IPTV wildcards
India and China have been coined the ‘wildcards of IPTV’ and there’s good reason for it. India for example has not only a roaring economy that rivals China’s but is also set to become the world’s third biggest Internet market, surpassing Japan, by the end of 2007. What’s more, 50% of the country’s telephony infrastructure is already IPTV ready. But there are still huge issues which could impact India’s ascendancy to becoming a serious IPTV player for years to come, such as low broadband penetration, cable TV having broader last mile access than Telcos and general affordability issues. Nonetheless, IPTV services have been launched by MTL and BSNL and Bharti, Reliance and Tata have all announced plans to follow suit soon.

The issues holding back IPTV in India resemble those in China, where broadband penetration and affordability – regulation aside - are significant hurdles to overcome for IPTV to gain mass appeal. But analysts consistently see China becoming the largest IPTV market as early as 2010, a prediction no doubt fuelled by the country being the fastest growing broadband market in Asia and hosting the Olympic Games next year which is expected to give IPTV a huge boost.

Asia: Set to Shape IPTV on a Global Scale
As I said many times before, only IPTV has the intrinsic flexibility and power to be the chief conduit of a person’s entertainment life, the place where TV, PC, Mobile TV and any other device that not doubt will emerge in the future will come together.

With its vast population and rapid economic emergence, coupled with people’s voracious appetite for content and readiness to pay for it, Asia is in pole position to lead the IPTV fray and shape IPTV’s further evolution on a global scale.