Tuesday, 5th June 2007

DID YOU KNOW…?

A Singapore radio station was fined for organising a contest in which women were asked to remove their bra as quickly as possible from under their clothes. Singapore's Media Development Authority said state-owned MediaCorp Radio would be fined S$15,000 (4,920 pounds) for broadcasting "exploitative and inappropriate content" in its programme "No Bra Days with the Muttons" in March.

"The two DJs had made sexually suggestive comments on how fast the bras were removed, as well as the colour, design and cup size of the bras, and the size of the girls' breasts," the regulator said in a statement late on Monday. The Media Development Authority said the women were also asked to pose with their bras for videos that the radio station posted on its Web site and on the video-sharing YouTube Web site. MediaCorp officials were not immediately available to comment. Source: Reuters report on The Scotsman, 5th June 2007


WHAT’S THE BUZZ?

Olympics: London Olympic Logo Triggers Debate

The "iconic" logo for the 2012 London Olympics was unveiled on Monday, but critics immediately condemned it as "hideous" and a waste of money. The jagged emblem, designed to define the image of the Games in five years' time, comes in a series of bright shades of pink, blue, green and orange, and includes the signature five Olympic rings emblazoned onto the "0".

Organisers hope the logo, designed to be instantly recognisable worldwide, will help boost its campaign to raise two billion pounds (three billion euros) to stage the Games. "This is an iconic brand that sums up what London 2012 is all about - an inclusive, welcoming and diverse Games that involves the whole country," said Olympics minister Tessa Jowell.

But neither the critics nor the public were impressed.

Bob Neill, 2012 Olympics spokesman for the main opposition Conservative Party, was disparaging about Coe's optimism, despite him being a fellow Tory lawmaker. "Lord Coe has described this logo as 'ambitious, interactive and youth-friendly'. I would describe it as hideous," he said.

"This logo makes me embarrassed to be English," said a contributor called Clumbers on one online message site devoted to the logo, which was devoid of supporters of the chosen design. A poll by the BBC News website asked readers to give it a gold, silver or bronze medal, or a wooden spoon if they really didn't like it. Eighty three percent gave it a wooden spoon.

The budget for the 2012 Olympics has soared to 9.3 billion pounds (US$18.6 billion, 13.7 billion euros), nearly four times more than the first projections of how much it would cost to stage the Games in London.


SPORTS SHORTS

* Authorities have adopted the National Standard as the technical benchmark for Hong Kong's digital terrestrial television service. Two broadcasters - Asia Television (ATV) and Television Broadcasts (TVB) - will simulcast digital and analogue terrestrial television by the end of this year. Analogue broadcasting may cease in 2012, depending on the coverage of digital terrestrial television. Set-top boxes and integrated television sets for the Hong Kong market are expected to be available in three to six months. Source: Advanced Television, 4th June 2007

* SingTel will launch its IPTV service in July, completing a six-month trial. Its service was licensed in January when the Media Development Authority set out a new licensing framework for IPTV. So far, SingTel is the only operator to have been awarded a licence. SingTel will compete against StarHub Cable Vision which had 490,000 subscribers at the end of March, representing a penetration of 43.6%. Of StarHub’s subscribers, 342,000 homes take digital TV. But SingTel is aiming to attract subscribers with advanced on-demand and PVR features of its IPTV platform and high-definition service. SingTel has 421,000 broadband lines. Source: Rapid TV News, 4th June 2007

* Infront Sports and Media agreed a new commercial partnership for China’s national basketball team with The Pearl River Brewery. The Pearl River Brewery (or Zhujiang Brewery) becomes the Official Beer of the Team China Basketball. The deal includes a comprehensive package of exclusive marketing rights and will support Team China Basketball in its preparations for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Infront is the exclusive marketing partner of the Chinese Basketball Association. Source: Sport Business, 4th June 2007

* The Australian Football League is looking to stage an Australian Rules World Club Challenge in 2009. Although in planning stages, it is reported that the event will be an officially sanctioned AFL event and there will be a bidding process, under which it would be open to all the affiliated countries to bid to host the tournament. The AFL is said to be keen to run the event, an invitational event for clubs from across the globe, every two or three years, with the USA a likely venue for 2009. Source: Sport Business, 4th June 2007

* FIBA has partnered with Sportingo, a fan-generated website. Sportingo’s site is where fans can submit articles that are professionally edited and published and is open to fans to comment and rank. Fans submit articles that are professionally edited and posted on FIBA and sportingo.com sites. Credits for articles go to the writer. The partnership will ensure articles reach a global audience of basketball fans. Submissions include player-profile stories, nostalgia, match posts and tournaments and comparisons of styles according to country. Source: Sport Business, 4th June 2007

* The England and Wales Cricket Board are negotiating with Cricket Scotland to net a share of lucrative broadcasting revenue from 2009. Scotland and Ireland field teams in the Friends Provident Trophy, English cricket’s 50-over one-day competition, but do not receive a share of the television revenue. But according to a Scottish newspaper, Cricket Scotland could earn over £1 million ($1.99 million) from an agreement with ECB when the next broadcasting contract starts in 2009. ECB’s present broadcast contract covers home international matches and domestic county competitions and is worth £220 million. Source: Sportcal, 4th June 2007

* Infront Sports and Media announced the launch of an online sports gaming platform which will allow players from around the world to compete simultaneously. ‘Empire of Sports’ is an online role-playing game platform based on sport which has been developed by Infront in partnership with F4, a Paris video game company. It is due for launch at the end of 2007 and the initial multiple player sports games will be basketball, skiing, tennis and a series of fitness and exercise games. The target is to have a user base of one million after one year but there is scope for tens of millions of users. Source: Sportcal, 4th June 2007

* Officials in Chicago have announced plans to stage a four-team soccer tournament this summer. The Chicago Trophy will take place at Soldier Field, with Wisla Krawow of Poland, Sevilla of Spain and Toluca of Mexico, all signed up to take part. The fourth club is yet to be announced. The competition will take place from July 27 to 29. Source: Sportcal, 4th June 2007

* Ads in the US say that Apple’s iPhone will go on sale June 29. It is not yet known how quickly the high-spec mobile handset will go on sale in Europe. In the US, the phone will retail at $499 or $599 depending on the contract and specification of the phone. US buyers will be obliged to take out a contract with AT&T’s Cingular division. The iPhone’s touch-sensitive screen also gives access to the unit’s integrated media player and web-surfing functionality. Source: Rapid TV News, 4th June 2007