Friday, 20th July 2007

HEADLINE NEWS

CBS Nears US Open Advertising Sell-out

Viacom-owned US television network, CBS, said that it has sold more than 90% of its commercial slots for this year’s US Open tennis championship. New advertisers include Aviva, Canon, Fed Ex, Goodyear, ING and Valspar, which will feature alongside returning advertisers. The network plans to have over 40 advertisers signed up by the start of its broadcast on September 1.

The tournament starts on August 27 and CBS will start its coverage on the first weekend of play, and will also air the final three days of the championship concluding on September 9. CBS will televise about 37 hours of the tournament in total. John Bogusz, CBS executive vice-president for sports sales, said: ‘The tennis marketplace has been more active and healthier this year than it has been the past few years.

‘Right now for the US Open we are very close to our goal in terms of sales volume and are well over 90% sold.’ Additional interest from advertisers could emerge should a US player reach the latter stages of the tournament, providing a boost to viewing figures. Source: Sportcal, 19th Jul 2007


THIS WEEK

Sat, 14th Jul 2007
Masters Football: London Masters

Sun, 15th Jul 2007
WWE Special: The Great American Bash, San Jose
AVP Crocs Tour: Long Beach Open, California
World Superbikes Championship 2007: Brno, Czech Republic


SPORTS SHORTS

* Tim Leiweke, CEO of the Anschutz Entertainment Group which owns LA Galaxy FC and David Beckham's contract, has revealed other money-spinning games are being lined up for Asia next year. Referring to reports that Real Madrid are being offered US$ 6 million a game to play exhibition matches in Asia, Leiweke told reporters: "I think the greatest opportunity for the Galaxy is touring and doing international matches. I don't think it is $6 million dollars a game but if we do six games a year, it can add a significant amount of value to the team’s revenue. We're still focused on training in Asia and doing games there next year at the beginning of the season." Source: Asian Football Business Review, 16th Jul 2007

* Real Madrid has signed a 3.5-year license agreement for the establishment of the Real Madrid Academy of Football Excellence in the Indonesian tourism province of Bali. In recent weeks Real Madrid has announced new school and academy opportunities in North America and Africa. In the USA, Real Madrid is partnering with SCP Worldwide to open football schools, organise Real’s trips and tours to the country for the next five years and control broadcast rights to Real Madrid TV. Source: Asian Football Business Review, 19th Jul 2007

* Of the 20 clubs in the English Premier League only three - Newcastle, West Ham and Wigan - are preparing for their 2007/08 season solely at home. Manchester United is in Asia along with Liverpool, Portsmouth and Fulham in Hong Kong for the Barclays Asia Trophy and Bolton and Reading in South Korea for the Peace Cup. Tottenham in South Africa, Chelsea, Everton and Aston Villa are in North America and the rest are around Europe. Source: Asian Football Business Review, 15th Jul 2007

* Thai police will be able to seize computers from homes and businesses under a new cyber-crime law that came into force this week, which authorities say will help crack down on Internet pornography. AFP reported that Thailand’s Computer-related Crimes Act allows authorities to seize computers suspected of illegal use, but media rights activists say the law will allow the government to invade people's privacy. People found guilty of breaking the new law could face up to 20 years in prison if their actions are seen as a threat to national security, the report said. Source: Asia Telecom, 19th Jul 2007


MORE NEWS

Elsewhere/Rights: Scottish Premier League Swaps IMG Media for Sportfive

Sportfive has won the rights to distribute television rights internationally for soccer’s Scottish Premier League, beating off competition from incumbent, IMG Media. Sportfive has agreed a two-year deal starting from the 2008-09 campaign and will be responsible for selling the television rights worldwide, with the exception of the UK and Ireland where the league markets the rights itself.

IMG Media’s four-year distribution deal with the SPL expires after the 2007-08 season but the sports marketing agency was unable to retain the contract after losing out to Sportfive in an auction that also involved two other unnamed bidders. The SPL issued an open tender for a contract lasting two years only, in order to bring the international distribution deal back in line with the SPL’s domestic live broadcasting contract with Setanta, the pay-television broadcaster.

Setanta’s original contract was due to expire after the end of the 2007-08 season but it signed an extension until 2009-10 in April 2006. Sportfive’s deal with the SPL does not include the distribution of separate mobile and internet packages, but does include linear simulcast rights.

Confirmed live broadcasters in 2007-08, the final year of IMG Media's contract, include Germany's Premiere, the pay-television broadcaster, Dutch digital broadcaster Sport1 and J Sports, the Japanese cable and satellite sports broadcaster. Meanwhile, the SPL has also signed a five-year non-exclusive television highlights, radio and online clips deal with BBC Scotland, the public-service broadcaster.

The BBC will now be allowed to show a 30-minute midweek television highlights show, in addition to extensive live radio coverage and online clips geo-blocked to the UK. Setanta currently offers a late-night highlights programme on Saturday evenings to compliment its live coverage of SPL matches. The deal starts with the new season and runs until the end of 2011-12. STV, the Scottish commercial broadcaster, also shows weekly SPL highlights as part of a four-year deal running from 2004 to 2008.

Commenting after the announcement of the deals with the BBC and Sportfive, Gold said that, ‘looking only at the next three seasons, the SPL has commercial deals in place with in excess of £60 million ($122.9 million).’ Source: Sportcal, 19th Jul 2007

Elsewhere/Rights: Mediapro to Continue with Soccer Rights Acquisitions

Mediapro is confident of agreeing broadcasting deals with the professional Spanish soccer clubs that it has not already signed up. Mediapro claims to have agreed exclusive television rights with most of Spain's 42 first- and second-tier clubs from the 2009-2010 season, with Atletico Madrid, Getafe, Tenerife and Betis said to be the only teams it has not signed.

Sogecable, the Spanish television group, threatened legal action against Mediapro and its chairman Jaume Roures earlier this month over the agreements. Roures agitated Sogecable by saying: ‘We will exploit the rights on our own.’ Sogecable holds a majority of Spanish soccer television rights through Audiovisual Sports, in which it has an 80-per-cent stake, and claims to have ‘numerous contracts with soccer clubs running through to 2013.’

Mediapro, which has a stake in the burgeoning commercial broadcaster La Sexta, previously announced that it had secured rights to the league matches of Real Madrid and Barcelona (from 2008-09) in long-term deals worth more than €1 billion ($1.4 billion). La Sexta presently shows one live match per week as part of a three-year deal worth €150 million a season, which expires at the end of the 2008-09 season.

The absence of top-flight soccer rights would be a major blow to Sogecable and jeopardise its position as the leading Spanish pay-television company. Its shares were down nearly 5% in early trading today. Source: Sportcal, 19th Jul 2007