Wednesday, 27th June 2007

HEADLINE NEWS

Movistar Agrees Copa America Sponsorship Deal

Movistar, the mobile phone operator owned by Telefonica Moviles, has become a sponsor of the 2007 Copa America, the South American national teams competition that kicks off in Venezuela today. Movistar, which agreed a sponsorship agreement with the Mexican soccer federation earlier this month, will also sponsor the man of the match trophy for each game.

Meanwhile, mobile clips of the tournament will be available in Japan after an agreement was struck between sports marketing firm Total Sports Asia and Softbank, the Japanese telecommunications and media giant. Under the terms of the agreement, video highlights of the tournament will be available on ‘world goal movie,’ a mobile website operated by Softbank, as well as on other mobile websites in Japan.

Total Sports Asia was acting on behalf of Traffic Sports Marketing, which holds the marketing and broadcasting rights to the tournament. Source: Sportcal, 26th Jun 2007

More on Chris Benoit

Source: WWE Official, 26th Jun 2007
WWE releases official timeline of events, including details of text messages sent by Benoit to a co-worker (believed to be Chavo Guerero)

Source: Wrestle Mag, 26th Jun 2007
Vince McMahon will open tonight’s live edition of ECW by issuing an apology for last night’s three-hour tribute show to Chris Benoit. Both World Wrestling Entertainment and the USA Network have recieved complaints for airing the show, which was believed to be put together before WWE management were made fully aware of the events that had taken place and the circumstances of the death of Benoit and his family. We understand that tonight’s ECW broadcast and Smackdown TV taping (airing Friday) will focus on straight wrestling matches, with no angles or storylines being included in either show.

Source: WWE Official, 26th Jun 2007
World Wrestling Entertainment is stunned and saddened by the details released by local authorities concerning the double homicide-suicide involving Chris Benoit, his wife, Nancy, and his son, Daniel. However, WWE is concerned with the sensationalistic reporting and speculation being undertaken by some members of the media following the press conference held by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department and the District Attorney. During the press conference, the investigating authorities made points which ran contrary to the media speculation that "roid rage" was a factor in the senseless murders and suicide.

YESTERDAY’S RESULTS

Source: Copa America Official, 27th Jun 2007
Peru thrashed Uruguay in an action-packed Group A match which kicked off the Copa América 2007. Miguel Villalta, from Lima’s Sporting Cristal, opened scoring on 27 minutes with a powerful header meeting a cross by skipper Claudio Pizarro. On 69 minutes, substitute Juan Carlos Mariño received a pass by Farfán and fired a right-footer to beat Fabian Carini and double the lead. Paolo Guerrero closed the scoring on 88 minutes at the Metropolitan de Mérida Stadium. Peru clinched their first win thanks to a fine job done by Jefferson Farfá, the 26-year-old PSV Eindhoven player, who was the maestro of a team well-organized by Júlio Cesar Uribe.


THIS WEEK

Wed, 27th Jun 2007
Copa America 2007: Group B - Mexico v Brazil, Puerto Ordaz
Copa America 2007: Group B - Ecuador v Chile, Puerto Ordaz

Thu, 28th Jun 2007
Copa America 2007: Group C - USA v Argentina, Maracaibo
Copa America 2007: Group C - Paraguay v Colombia, Maracaibo

Sat, 30th Jun 2007
Masters Football: North West Masters
Copa America 2007: Group A - Bolivia v Uruguay, San Cristobal
Copa America 2007: Group A - Venezuela v Peru, San Cristobal

Sun, 1st Jul 2007
Copa America 2007: Group B - Mexico v Ecuador, Maturin
Copa America 2007: Group B - Brazil v Chile, Maturin


SPORTS SHORTS

* Thailand’s Shin Satellite has launched a Ku-band digital-satellite offering which it is hoping will be in a million homes within a year. Shin Broadband Internet is marketing the new service which will be for receiving free-to-air channels only. The product soft-launched three months ago and have 30,000 sign ups. Shin Broadband Internet, which currently develops applications for Shin Satellite’s IPStar broadband satellite operations, is hoping that the new venture will account for the majority of its revenues within a year. Source: Rapid TV News, 26th Jun 2007

* China’s Along Mobile Technologies has announced that it reached an agreement with Beijing You Jie Le Comm. Technologies to develop and launch a series of 'Hello Kitty' mobile games. Fans of the “Hello Kitty” cartoon and casual gamers will “meet” Hello Kitty and other three athletes in a sports encounter. The game is expected to attract players’ interest and download volume in the period of the Olympic Games. The game is scheduled for release next month. Source: Digital Media Asia, PR News Wire, 26th Jun 2007

* Qatar has been left as the sole candidate to stage the Asian Cup in 2011 after Iran and India both missed the deadline to submit their bids. Qatar handed in its bid on June 19, two days before the deadline, but India and Iran failed to follow, the Asian Football Confederation announced yesterday. India felt it could not meet infrastructural requirements for hosting the event, but there was no reason given for Iran failing to submit a bid. The host of the 2011 Asian Cup will be decided on July 29, the day of the final of this year’s competition in Indonesia. Source: Sportcal, 26th Jun 2007

* China’s first brand research institute ‘World Brand Lab’ unveiled the 4th annual ranking of “China’s 500 Most Valuable Brands.” This year’s brand ranking covers 48 industries from F&B to media. The top five media brands showcase China Central Television (CCTV) with the highest brand value of USD 8.59 billion, followed by Phoenix Satellite TV (USD 3.06 billion), People’s Daily (USD 0.77 billion), Reference News (USD 0.76 billion) and “Guangzhou Daily” (USD 0.73 billion). Source: Entertainment Asia, 26th Jun 2007

* The New York Yankees have signed a sponsorship deal with Chinese dairy company Yili, the first Major League Baseball club to sign with a Chinese company. Yili will receive ad exposure at Yankee Stadium and in Yankees Magazine, the official programme of the club. The Yankees have signed pitcher Kai Liu and catcher Zhenwang Zhang, the first players from China to sign with a major league club with approval from the Chinese Baseball Association. Source: Sport Business, Sportcal, 26th Jun 2007

* LG Electronics and Harris Corporation, joint developers of Mobile-Pedestrian Handheld in-band mobile digital television, have submitted a proposal to the Advanced Television Systems Committee for a standard enabling broadcasters to provide high-quality digital TV signals to a range of mobile and portable devices. The ATSC is an international, non-profit organisation developing standards for digital TV. LG and Harris submitted a proposal detailing their technology, which is backward-compatible to the current standard. Source: Advanced Television, 26th Jun 2007

* South Africa’s Premier Soccer League is in talks with public-service broadcaster, SABC, to negotiate a compromise for the league’s TV rights. PSL awarded its live rights to pay-broadcaster Supersport International in a deal worth over R1-billion but was slammed by the SABC and prompted political outcry. That deal cannot be reversed but PSL is seeking a compromise that would potentially give SABC role to play. PSL chairperson Irvin Khoza said there were elements in the Supersport agreement that would impact free-to-air channels, therefore there was merit in having a discussion. Source: Sport Business, 26th Jun 2007


MORE NEWS

India/General: BCCI Takes a Stance against Indian Cricket League

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has warned its players not to participate in any competition which does not have its approval in an attempt to derail a new league planned for September. The Indian Cricket League is the brainchild of the Essal Group, the parent company of media company Zee Telefilms, which owns the Zee Sports channel, but has not been sanctioned by the BCCI.

In a letter to its provincial teams, the board said: ‘No member association, present or former players deriving monetary or other benefits from the board, including the welfare scheme, shall in any manner associate themselves with the organisation and conduct of such unapproved tournaments/matches.’ Members and players which ignore the directive stand to lost benefits and privileges, including pensions granted by the board.

Kapil Dev and Tony Greig, former captains of India and England, are on the executive board of the ICL along with ex-Australia batsman Dean Jones and retired Indian wicketkeeper Kiran More, who has resigned as secretary of the Baroda Cricket Association following the BCCI letter. The ICL is planning a six-team Twenty20 competition in September and hopes to recruit Indian national team players and foreign stars for the event. Source: Sportcal, 26th Jun 2007