Monday, 27th August 2007

THIS WEEK

Mon to Sun, 27th Aug to 1st Sep 2007
US Open Tennis Championships 2007: Early Rounds

Sun, 19th Aug 2007
AVP Crocs Tour 2007: Final Day – Cincinnati Open
DTM 2007: Race Day – Nurburgring, Germany
BTCC 2007: Race Day – Knockhill, UK


RESULTS

AVP Official, 27th Aug 2007
Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser earned their ninth victory this season when they defeated Aaron Wachtfogel and Scott Wong in Saturday's final. On Sunday, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh captured their 11th AVP Crocs Tour crown this season with a victory over Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs on Sunday. The victory increased May-Treanor and Walsh's point total to 5,958 points while Branagh and Youngs held on to the second position with 5,238 points. Rachel Wacholder and Tyra Turner remain in third place on the women's side with 4,770 points.


COURTSIDE: AT THE US OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2007

USTA Hires Security Firm to Prevent Gambling at US Open

The organisers of the US Open, the last grand slam tennis tournament of the season, have appointed a security firm to ensure that there are no gambling scandals at the event, which begins on Monday. SafirRosetti, which has worked with horse racing’s New York Racing Association and various professional sports leagues and clubs, with have an investigative team in place throughout the two-week event in New York. The US Tennis Association said: ‘We don’t believe there is a problem [with gambling], but we want to educate ourselves to what can be better.’

There are some concerns over the impact of betting on tennis after Betfair, the UK-based online bookmaker, decided to void all bets on a recent match between Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko and Argentina’s Martin Vassallo Arguello in the Prokom Open in Poland because of suspicious gambling activity. The ATP, the governing body of men’s tennis, has launched an investigation into the affair and signs clarifying the US Open’s anti-gambling policy have been placed around players’ facilities at the Flushing Meadow venue. The issue of gambling in sport has been to the fore in the USA of late after former NBA referee Tim Donaghy pleaded guilty to betting on games, some of which he was involved, and faces up to 25 years in jail. Source: Sportcal, 24th Aug 2007

Tennis Fans Can Pick Their Shots

Sporting events these days are getting more than just traditional television coverage, and the upcoming U.S. Open is only the latest example. The USA Network beginning Monday will offer 107 hours of weekday coverage, with 95 being live, while CBS will have more than 37 hours of mostly weekend coverage. But another 300 hours -- up to 100 matches -- will be available through a multichannel DirecTV package that is free to subscribers during the first five days of the Open. On DirecTV channels 692-696 will be matches not on USA. There is also a "mix channel" (690) that will have five matches on the screen at once. Customers with interactive system equipment can click on any one of those matches and it goes to full screen. DirecTV offered a similar package for the first time last year.

A new interactive feature this year provides a schedule of current and upcoming matches that users can click on to go to the correct channel. The USA weekday coverage all next week will be on from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. and again from 4-8 p.m., with the match of the day being shown at 11 p.m. The DirecTV supplemental coverage more than likely will continue after USA signs off the air at 2 p.m. and will also include interviews and news conferences not available on USA.

After the first five days, there will be coverage only on CBS and USA. CBS, which Sunday at 9 a.m. will show highlights of Arthur Ashe Kids' Day, will have Open coverage throughout Labor Day weekend and on the final three days, Sept. 7-9. USA will also televise the Open Sept. 4-6. And in case that isn't enough tennis for DirecTV customers, the satellite service launches the Tennis Channel on Monday. It can be found on channel 617. Source: Los Angeles Times, 24th Aug 2007

USTA Looks to Broadband, Mobile for Open

It's a very new media U.S. Open that kicks off this weekend as, in a new twist this year, fans in the stands will be able to watch video on other courts on handheld devices from WiseDV. And with CBS Sports backing off its late-night U.S. Open wrap-up show the USTA has stepped in with two of its own online wrap-up programs every night. Sponsored by American Express, the programs will be put together with an Apple Final Cut Pro system and an EVS [Spot]Box, giving USTA fans a recap of the day’s events and preview of the night session at 6:30 and a full-day wrap up at 11:30 p.m.

“We’ll also build a flypack with additional tape machines and edit it in short three-minute segments that can be easily played back online,” says Steve Gorsuch, Director of Broadcast Operations for the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center. While the online highlight shows will help fans at home keep on top of the action a new technology from WiseDV will make its debut at the USTA Center itself, giving fans in the stands the first-ever opportunity to watch matches on up to six courses via a handheld MPEG-4 video player.

With the help of American Express, 2,000 Wise DV devices will be available free to American Express cardholders. Fans will be able to walk up to the American Express booth, have their card swiped (for a deposit of $350 to make sure the device is returned) and then dial in and watch six channels of Am Ex Vision Live at the U.S. Open.

Gorsuch says a WiseDV headend has been set up in the TV compound and will pull in a variety of signals from around the compound. A closed-circuit TV system has been in place for years, allowing fans around the tennis center to see action on other courts and the new system will tap into that network and also deliver live simulcasts of CBS or USA Network feeds. A stats page will also be available.

WiseDV was selected over competing technologies because its form factor and look are better suited for the tennis fan than, say, the KangarooTV device seen at NASCAR races. “KangarooTV works great for NASCAR fans but the WiseDV device is a little slicker and cooler,” he explains. “We were intrigued about the product and brought it to American Express’ agency and they were excited.” WiseDV has also made the interface simple, making it usable by both the tech savvy and tech newbies. “We didn’t want a device that required a 14-year old to show you how to use it,” says Gorsuch.

The WiseDV LVIS system, set within the tennis center, sends audio and video signals to a hand-held four-inch LCD video player. It replays action on demand from any camera angle at full speed or slow motion as well as showing stats and more immediate information such as where to get food. “We’ve developed our own system and it interfaces with the tennis center cameras and audio,” says Atul Anandpura, WiseDV founder and CEO. The transmitter antennas connected via fiber to the headend and are located at the top of Arthur Ashe, Armstrong, the Grandstand courts and on top of the AmEx corporate suites to ensure AmEx guests can receive signals inside.

The biggest challenge will be one of the classic conundrums facing hand-held device users: battery life. The USTA is working to ensure that battery life isn’t an issue, with 1,500 extra batteries on site and a large number of chargers to keep up with demand. And then there is the enemy of all LCD screens: the sun. “At high noon it’s similar to looking at a cellphone screen so you need to move around a little,” says Gorsuch. “But in the shade or at nighttime it’s spectacular.” Source: Sport Video Group, 23rd Aug 2007


SPORTS SHORTS

* Dubai Investment Group (DIG) has bought a 40% stake in India’s Time Broadband Services. The deal has been done via DIG subsidiary, Dubai Ventures, and when Time Broadband is set to launch an IPTV-based service in India. It is promising to introduce linear TV, new movies, interactive TV as well as on-demand movies and programming. DIG is one of the investment vehicles of Dubai Holdings, controlled by the Emirate’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. Source: Rapid TV News, 24th Aug 2007

* India’s ace shuttler Anup Sridhar has attained his career best World Ranking of 29 as per the latest rankings brought out by the Badminton World Federation today. Sridhar's sterling performance in the recently concluded World Championship in Kuala Lumpur - where he reached the quarterfinals after scalping Olympic gold medalist Taufiq Hidayat of Indonesia and former All England Champion Hafiz Hashim (Malaysia) - fetched him 6600 points and helped him jump 11 places from 40 to the current ranking of 29. Source: The Hindu, 25th Aug 2007

* The Indian cricket board is set to launch its own Twenty20 competition to counter the threat posed by an unofficial league which launches this autumn. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has not yet introduced the short format version of the game at domestic level, but has been forced to accelerate its plans because of the emergence of the Indian Cricket League, which it has refused to sanction. Niranjan Shah, the secretary of the BCCI, told Reuters: ‘All I can say for now is it is at an early stage. The idea was actually floated last year. The modalities will be discussed at a meeting next month and we could have foreign players participating.’ It is thought that the BCCI’s ‘Premier Cricket League’ could comprise franchise teams owned by corporations and that players could be bought, sold or transferred as in professional soccer. Source: Sportcal, 24th Aug 2007

* The International Rugby Board holds world TV and marketing rights for The Rugby World Cup, reportedly worth more than $200 million. Marketing mavens note that rugby fans tend to skew toward the more educated and affluent, in line with the adage that calls rugby a ruffian's game played by gentlemen. Also helping is the game's swift pace and other TV-friendly elements like the haka, the popular pregame war dance of the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks. In a surprising statistic, the Cup's worldwide TV audience exceeded 3 billion four years ago. Although shy of the most recent soccer World Cup (30 billion for all matches) and Summer Olympics (4 billion), it's still No. 3 on the list. Excerpted from Reuters CA, 24th Aug 2007

* GlobeCast is putting HD in the spotlight at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, providing end-to-end satellite and fibre services for host broadcaster TVH. GlobeCast will deploy 15 SNG vehicles to all matches in France, including three trucks dedicated to HD. Additionally, for the first time in Europe, GlobeCast will provide long-distance, terrestrial transport of non-compressed HD signals – a development that promises to help telcos transport HD video without modifying infrastructures, updating equipment or compromising quality. This experiment will be held at matches in Marseille. As a security measure, GlobeCast will also ensure the transport in SD of all backup feeds via satellite. Source: Sports e-Media, Rapid TV News, 24th Aug 2007

* With two weeks before the deadline for candidature applications, five cities have applied to host the inaugural Youth Olympics in 2010. International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge named the applicants as Algiers, Athens, Moscow, Turin, and Singapore. Olympics specialist website Around the Rings reports that Guatemala City, which hosted last month’s IOC session, and Guadalajara in Mexico, are expected to bid. Rogge was speaking after a meeting of the IOC executive board and the council of the IAAF, world athletics’ governing body, a meeting that takes place in the lead-up to the athletics world championships. Source: Sportcal, 24th Aug 2007

*South Africa is to bid to host the World University Games (Universiade) in 2015, the South African Student Sport Union has announced. Following this year’s edition of the biennial games, which ended in Bangkok, Thailand last weekend, Glen Bentley, the SASSU’s president said that it would hold an executive meeting next month to begin planning the bid. Belgrade in Serbia and Shenzhen in China have been chosen to host the 2009 and 2011 editions, respectively. Milan (Italy), an unnamed city in Kazakhstan, Brasilia (Brazil) and Manila (Philippines) are thought to be prepared to bid for the 2013 edition. Source: Sportcal, 24th Aug 2007

* FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has refused to apologise for his blast at the Football Association - and stands by his claim that England is disliked by the rest of Europe. Warner said in a BBC interview this month that the FA had made little impact on world football and that his Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) would fight England’s bid for the 2018 World Cup. Warner wants FIFA to continue the policy of rotating the World Cup around the continents, but European FIFA members believe the finals should be held in Europe every three tournaments. A decision is expected at FIFA's next executive committee meeting on October 30. Source: Soccerex Newsletter, 24th Aug 2007

* CBS SportsLine.com has undergone a rebranding - and will now be known simply as CBSSports.com. CBS Interactive, which operates the site, says the change gives advertisers the ability to more readily associate with the CBS Sports brand and reach sports fans across a range of platforms. The move to CBSSports.com will be marked by increased on-site and on-air integration with CBS Sports. Source: 24th Aug 2007

* Tennis sensation Venus Williams has teamed up retailer Steve & Barry’s to launch what is being billed as the ‘largest fashion collection by a female athlete’. The collection, called EleVen by Venus Williams, will get a high profile debut when she wears the signature item in the line – the V-Court court shoe - during next week’s US Open. The full 120-piece range includes gear for both and off the court. EleVen will be sold exclusively at Steve & Barry's stores in US from November. Source: Sport Business, 24th Aug 2007

* The International Olympic Committee is beginning its global promotional campaign, entitled ‘The Best of Us’ with a television advertisement. The advertisement is already available on the IOC website. The promotional campaign is intended to drive key Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect to a global youth audience and has been developed by the Voluntarily United Group of Creative Agencies (United), a unit of global advertising giant WPP. The IOC will work with United across a range of media including television, the internet, print, viral promotion, experiential and PR activities. The campaign will be rolled out in a phased approach in the run-up to and beyond the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Source: Sportcal, 24th Aug 2007


MORE NEWS

The Yonex-Sunrise India Open: Malaysia’s Trip in Jeopardy

The participation of the Malaysian badminton team in the India Open now hangs in the balance following bomb blasts in Hyderabad on Saturday. There were three blasts at Hyderabad that left more than 30 people dead. The incident had been linked to terrorism. The India Open, which is offering its highest-ever prize money of US$150,000, is scheduled for Sept 4-9 and it is one of the tournaments that offers Olympic qualifying points.

The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) secretaryP. Ganga Rao said yesterday that they would make a decision on the team's participation this week. “The bomb blasts were very close to the badminton venue (Kotla Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy Indoor Stadium). We will have to look into the players' safety. We (the BAM) will discuss the matter with the NSC (National Sports Council) before we come to s decision,” he said.

National number one Lee Chong Wei is the top seed and the other Malaysian entries in the men's singles include Mohd Hafiz Hashim and veteran Wong Choong Hann. The tournament has also drawn the participation of China's Bao Chunlai and Chen Yu and Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat. In the men's doubles, Malaysia have three national pairs among the entries – Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari-Mohd Zakry Abdul Latif, Chan Chong Ming-Hoon Thien How and Gan Teik Chai-Lin Woon Fui.

Among the top pairs in the fray are the Indonesian-American combination of Candra Wijaya-Tony Gunawan, South Koreans Jung Jae-sung-Lee Yong-dae and Lee Jae-jin-Hwang Ji-man and China's Xie Zhongbo-Guo Zhengdong. If Malaysia opt out of the tournament, the next assignment for the national shuttlers will be the Japan Open, which is the seventh leg of the Super Series, scheduled for Sept 11-16 in Tokyo. Source: The Star MY, 27th Aug 2007

South East Asia/Rights: Thais Want Money for SEA Games TV rights

A Thai proposal to commercialize television rights for this year’s Southeast Asian Games came under fire at a meeting in Bangkok Thursday. The rights are usually given free to all participating nations. Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Indonesia opposed the host nation’s call to scrap article 59 of the SEA Games Federation regulation prescribing free rights, Hoang Vinh Giang, the Vietnam Olympic Committee general secretary said.

The article further permits the Olympic committees of the participating nations to confer the rights to one (or more) local TV stations. The Malaysian and Singaporean national committees also advised domestic TV networks not to hold any negotiations with the SEA Games organizing committee (SGOC) on the matter. Sumonpan Kosonsiriset, coordinator of the International Broadcasting Center – a member of the SGOC – said the proceeds from the rights sales would cover part of the organizing expenses of approximately US$6.6 million.

Vietnam Olympic Committee chairman Nguyen Danh Thai rejected the argument saying that for the 2003 SEA Games his country hosted, VND120 billion ($7.5 million) was spent only to buy TV equipment to provide free coverage. The SGOC said it would convene another meeting Friday to further discuss the issue. The 24th SEA Games will be held from December 6 to 15. Source: Thanh Nien Daily, 24th Aug 2007

China/New Media: No Special Olympic Editorial Rights for Sohu.com

The International Olympic Committee today rejected a claim by Sohu.com, a Chinese website, that it would get preferential access to report on next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing for its own commercial use. Sohu.com claimed the privilege as one of the benefits of its partnership with the games organising committee, of which it is an official sponsor. However, the IOC told Sportcal: ‘The Olympic Games are covered by a number of media outlets. Being a BOCOG [organising committee] partner does not grant exclusive or special editorial rights to cover the Beijing games. Currently the new media and mobile rights to show live or highlight footage of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games have not been granted in mainland China.’

The deadline for Chinese companies to bid for internet and mobile phone rights for the games elapsed in April. The games organising committee had replied cryptically when challenged over the issue by the Wall Street Journal newspaper, saying: ‘BOCOG welcomes all media coverage on the Olympics.’ The IOC declined to become involved in a parallel row in which rival Chinese websites are up in arms over a stipulation that other organising committee sponsors can use the games logo only when advertising with Sohu.com, and not on the rival sites.

The organising committee said that Olympic sponsors are ‘only allowed to release their Olympic-related online advertisements on Sohu.’ The restriction applies only to the organising committee’s sponsors and not to those of the IOC. The rival sites claim that, under its sponsorship deal, Sohu acquired only the right to manage the official games website and to use the games logo in its own advertising. Source: Sportcal, 24th Aug 2007

Global/Rights: FA Issues Invitation to Tender for International Rights

The Football Association, English soccer’s governing body, today issued an invitation to tender for the international media rights for England’s home games and the FA Cup top-tier knockout competition for a four-year period beginning with the 2008-09 season. The tender offers two packages of live matches, covering the FA Cup and England matches respectively, and two delayed rights packages including highlights and various clips and edit rights.

The FA said that all of the rights will be available across the three platforms of traditional broadcast, internet and mobile. Bidders are free to submit bids either for selected territories, or on a global basis. The tender also requests separate bids for the sale of ‘second-party rights’ for England qualification matches in the World Cup and European Championships. These are media rights in the country of the visiting team when England are playing home qualifying matches.

Broadcasters acquiring FA rights will be free to agree their own broadcast sponsorship deals, subject to an obligation to offer the FA’s sponsors the first option to acquire the rights in each of the FA sponsors’ industry sectors. The tender documents are now available via the FA’s website at www.TheFA.com/ITT, after it began the process by seeking expressions of interest in May from broadcasters, agencies and specialist media operations, including mobile phone and IPTV networks.

The majority of the rights are distributed by Sportfive, the international sports agency, under the present deal which is worth about £50 million ($100 million). The rights cover the annual FA Cup competition, England matches, England Under-21 matches, and the FA Community Shield, the traditional ‘curtain-raiser’ to the English season. A domestic deal worth £425 million has already been agreed with commercial broadcaster ITV and pay-television operator Setanta. The deadline for submissions of bids is midday, UK time, on September 28. Source: Sportcal, 24th Aug 2007