OLYMPIC BITS
* ESPN, is interested in acquiring the US television rights for 2014 and 2016 Olympics. ESPN’s executive vice president for content, John Skipper, told the paper: “Our DNA is different than theirs, we serve sports fans. It’s hard in our culture to fathom tape-delaying in the same way they have. We did Euro 2008 in the afternoon. We’ve done the World Cup in the middle of the morning. We have different audiences. “If ESPN follows its Euro 2008/World Cup model, the live feeds would be carried to all time zones; when NBC shows events live in prime-time, they are seen in real-time in the Eastern and Central time zones, not in the Mountain and Pacific zones”. Sport Business, Worldscreen, Sportcal, Sports City, New York Times, 20th Aug 2008
* International Surfing Association (ISA) President Fernando Aguerre believes the inclusion of the likes of BMX biking and snowboarding as Olympic disciplines gives the sport great heart in its quest to be approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Aguerre, who started the ISA’s Olympic quest in 1994, believes that the IOC’s shift in its stance towards ‘extreme’ sports bodes well for the likes of surfing. Aguerre believes that the solid administration of the ISA and the IOC’s need to keep the Olympics fresh and relevant are more important factors for surfing. Sport Insider, 20th Aug 2008
* Nike has described as ‘a malicious rumour’, a claim that it was responsible for Liu Xiang’s withdrawal from the men’s 110-metres hurdles. Liu was considered to be China’s best hope of a gold medal in athletics at the ongoing Beijing games when he pulled out of his heat citing an Achilles tendon injury. Nike, one of Liu’s many sponsors, has called on authorities to investigate a internet posting claiming that it was responsible for his withdrawal. The post claimed that Liu, who faced Cuba’s world record holder Dayron Robles, had little chance of defending his title did not run in order to protect his commercial value. Sportcal, 20th Aug 2008
* Meanwhile, Nike responded quickly to Liu Xiang’s withdrawal from the 110m hurdles, with a Wieden + Kennedy designed ad aimed at reflecting both determination and somberness surrounding the local favourite’s failure. The revamped work features a blank faced Liu, flanked by new copy which ends “Love sport even when it breaks your heart.” Reportedly, all Liu-related print ads will feature this creative, while the TVC’s have been redubbed with the new copy. Liu earlier withdraw from the Games following an injury, sparking widespread disappointment in the mainland. He currently endorses a range of brands, including Visa and Coca-Cola, which have also rallied behind the star with public statements of support. Brand Republic Asia, 20thh Aug 2008
IOC Hails Viewing Figures for Beijing Olympic Games
The Beijing Olympic Games are set to be the most-watched, with widespread internet viewership complementing the large audiences for television coverage, according to the International Olympic Committee. The IOC has been particularly encouraged by the ratings of NBC, the US national network which attracted 40 million viewers, its highest Saturday night audience since 1990, when it televised American swimmer Michael Phelps’ record-breaking eighth gold medal-winning race on August 16.
Of the estimated 1.2 billion people worldwide who watched the opening ceremony on August 8, 840 million came from the host country and, with the Chinese team well clear at the top of the medal table, domestic viewing figures have remained high. Despite the unfavourable time difference, there have also been large audiences for Olympic events in Europe, notably the UK, where sports fans have seen Team GB pick up 16 gold medals, their highest number for 100 years.
Timo Lumme, the managing director of the IOC’s television and marketing services, told reporters today: ‘The Beijing games look set to become the biggest broadcasted event in Olympic history. Ratings are higher than for any Olympics before.' He also stressed the growing significance of the internet, saying that the 22 million clips have been viewed on the NBColympics.com website, 30 times as many as during the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Lumme added: ‘In China alone, more than 102 million people [have] watched the games live online.’
The IOC has made its own contribution to the changing media landscape, launching a channel on YouTube, the video sharing website, where people in countries where internet rights have not been sold exclusively can access Olympic Games content. Lumme said that the growing audiences would help the IOC to generate more money from the sale of media rights in future Olympic cycles.
Prior to the Beijing Olympics, the IOC announced that it had generated $3.8 billion in broadcasting revenue from the 2010 Vancouver winter Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics. This compares to $2.6 million for the 2006 Turin winter Olympics and this year’s Beijing games.
Lumme said that Chinese state broadcaster CCTV could expect to pay much more in future for the rights to Olympic Games, reflecting its growing sporting and economic power. The Chinese rights to the 2008 games were obtained by CCTV for only about $17.5 million in 1998 (before the host of the event was known) through its membership of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. No deal has yet been concluded in China for the Vancouver and London games but Lumme suggested that it will be worth in excess of $100 million.
By comparison, Australia's Seven Network paid around $140 million to broadcast the 2004 and 2008 Summer Games, and the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics, while the United States' NBC spent $US894 million on the rights to Beijing. Australia's Nine Network has joined with pay TV company Foxtel to pay $117 million for the Australian rights to the 2010 Vancouver and 2012 London Games.
NBC, which paid around $900 million for the rights to the Beijing Olympics, is likely to experience a decline in ratings this week partly because the finals in athletics, unlike those in swimming, are not being shown live in prime time. However, the investment appears to have been fruitful as the network claims to have sold $25 million in Olympic advertising since the start of the games, including $15 million in the last seven days. This is in addition to the $1 billion in advertising revenue raised from advertising sales prior to the event.
After 11 days, NBC’s Olympic coverage had reached 200 million people, 12 million more than for the first 11 days of the 2004 Athens games and 4 more million more than the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, which were the most-viewed television event in US history. Some 94 million of the country’s 112.8 million television homes, an 83-per-cent share, have tuned in for events at the games. Sportcal, Sports City, Brand Republic Asia, ABC Australia, 20th Aug 2008
Paralympic Games Set For Record Global Coverage
The Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games will enjoy the most comprehensive television coverage in the history of the event. Running from September 6 to 17, the Games will also benefit from exposure through the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) Internet TV channel, www.paralympicsport.tv, and its recently launched YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/paralympicsporttv. The host nation’s two broadcasters are extensively backing the Paralympics. CCTV will broadcast 10 hours each day throughout the event. BTV is also planning daily coverage from 08:00 to 22:30 on its BTV-6 station, including live events, competition highlights, news and features.
Broadcasters in the UK, Spain and Germany will offer the most complete Paralympics packages in Europe. BBC Television will have live coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies, live events through its interactive service and regular highlights programmes on BBC Two in the UK. Germany’s two major sports networks, ARD and ZDF, will split a similar schedule to that of the BBC. In Spain, RTVE and the Spanish Paralympic Committee have agreed to offer over 100 hours of Games coverage through several channels that are part of the TV Corporation in a similar offering to its presentation of the Athens 2004 Paralympics. Throughout the continent, Eurosport will offer a selection of live and online coverage and more than 32 European Broadcasting Union (EBU) members are committed to cover the Beijing 2008 Paralympics from China.
Throughout the rest of the world, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) will offer over 100 hours of coverage. The broadcaster intends to show eight hours of daily live coverage on ABC2 and two, one-hour highlight packages every evening on ABC1. Daily live action can also be enjoyed in Brazil through the SportTV channel and South Africa on SABC, with the former committed to 10 hours of live competition each day. NHK Production will cover the Games in Japan with a daily highlights programme and supplementary documentaries, while in Canada, CBC Sports will allow viewers to follow the best action from Beijing in both English and French.
Sir Philip Craven (pictured left), president of the IPC, said: “It is a thrill to see the audience that we will be reaching with the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. With over 1,000 hours of coverage, this is by far the largest broadcast of Paralympic Sport, and I welcome each and every viewer to take advantage of this opportunity to witness these exciting Paralympic Games.” Sport Briefing, 20th Aug 2008
Coca-Cola Finishes Top of OP Index
Soft drink manufacturer, Coca-Cola, has finished top of the Olympic Performance Index (OP) – the first currency measure the marketing performance of brands up to, during and after the Olympic Games against their competitors.
The index from TNS partner, CSM Media Research, sees a mix of Chinese and international brands rank in the top-ten, with Coca-Cola followed by Yili – a prominent dairy products brand in China and an Olympics sponsor. Third place has been taken by Lenovo, a manufacturer of PCs and other technology products. Fourth is China Mobile, the telecoms company, while fifth place goes to adidas, the sports footwear, apparel and accessories brand.
Yet, according to the OP index, many brands are failing to maximise the value of their heavy sponsorship investments. Companies like Atos Origin, GE and BHP Billiton have had low OP index scores over the last two years – although it should be noted that these companies may be more focused on business customers than general consumers in their marketing efforts.
CSM Research has also tracked companies which respondents mistakenly believe are sponsors. It found that over 70 per cent of consumers agree they are more likely to purchase products associated (either rightly or wrongly) with Olympics sponsors. More than 60 companies have invested around US$3 billion in sponsorship rights for Beijing. TNS estimates that additional promotional spend by corporations looking to ride Olympics interest will exceed US$5 billion from August 2006 to August 2008, making the Olympics the world’s biggest marketing ‘bet’ worth more than US$8 billion.
TNS Media – has collated the OP index through a quarterly poll of 1,500 consumers in 10 Chinese cities, analysis of the creative treatments of Olympics advertising in China and associated media spend and measurement of China’s TV audiences for Olympics programming. CSM Media Research has conducted 8 waves of research to date and will complete its analysis with Wave 11 in October 2008, some two months after the Olympics finish. Sport Business, Sportcal, 20th Aug 2008
SPORTS SHORTS
* Malaysia's Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) has shelved a proposal to ban gambling in the four states it rules with its political allies. Some members of the party have baulked at the moderate stance promoted by its alliance partners, but PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said that it would not pursue a campaign against gambling and alcohol. “Liquor and gambling are allowed by other religions, so we allow them,” Abdul Hadi said. Sport Briefing, 20th Aug 2008
* Australian Football League (AFL) Middle East president Stephen Nugent is confident of the league’s success ahead of its move into a new market. AFL Middle East will operate a league for a nine-a-side competition comprising four teams from the UAE – three in Dubai and one in Abu Dhabi, plus additional clubs in Doha, Qatar and Muscat, Oman. The six clubs will compete in the region’s cooler months, from October to March, with play set to get under way this October. With 15,000 Australian expatriates living in Dubai alone, Nugent is confident that the new league can be a big hit. Sport Briefing, 20th Aug 2008
* Meanwhile, an Indian team has been invited to participate in the AFL International Cup, which will kick off in Melbourne August 27. The Cup will feature teams from the United States, Britain and Japan as well as Australia. Essendon Football Club will host the Indian team at its home, and Essendon’s Mark Anderson said the link-up represented “a great opportunity to introduce Australian Rules Football to India”. The AFL plans to host exhibition matches at the Feroz Shah Kotla cricket ground in New Delhi and the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai next year in a bid to further its links with India. Sport Briefing, 20th Aug 2008
* The German Football League (DFL) has scheduled talks with media company Sirius in a bid to save its television rights contract for next season. Bundesliga clubs were set to share €500 million per season as part of six-year deal between the DFL and Sirius due to start in 2009, but that has been struck down after the Federal Cartel Office ruled the deal was not in the best interests of consumers. The objection was based on plans to block broadcasts of Bundesliga highlights on free-to-air television until after 20:00 on Saturday evenings. The ruling has led to fears that Sirius will now withdraw or reduce its offer. Sport Briefing, 20th Aug 2008
MORE NEWS
Indonesia/Rights: Football’s English League Moves to Aora TV
PT Karya Megah Adijaya, Aora’s cable television operator, has officially received the exclusive rights to broadcast the 2008 – 2009 English League. ESPN Star Sport (ESS) and All Asia Multimedia Network said Aora’s proposal was more attractive from the commercial and operational point of view than that of other television operators.The television company initiated by former Trade and Industry Minister, Rini Soemarno, was also regarded as having featured the best series of English League advertising as well as raised the number of its subscribers in Indonesia.
“ESS will broadcast 370 English League’s matches this season, including the previews and weekly highlights,” said Senior Director Marketing & Corporate Communications ESPN STAR Sports, Paras Sharma, in a press release received by Tempo yesterday. However, Paras did not elaborate the agreement’s details, including its value. “According to the company’s policy, we cannot expose the financial aspects of the business,” he told Tempo in an e-mail.
Aora also gave the same response. Although the company has confirmed it received exclusive broadcasting rights, the Public and Government Relations officer of PT Karya Megah Adijaya, Dinar Hanggarani, would not give any details regarding the financial agreement between ESS and Astro. In principle, the deal was made today,” she said. “We cannot share the details yet,” she said.
Last August 1, ESS and Astro Malaysia offered the rights to broadcast the 2008 – 2009 English League worth of US$ 25 million, to all Indonesian cable televisions. Tempo Intereaktif INA, 19th Aug 2008
India/Broadcast: Reliance’s Big TV on Air
India’s viewers are awash with satellite TV choices, and now another entrant has joined the highly competitive arena. Telco giant Reliance ADA Group has launched its Big TV, and is looking to replicate the spectacular growth it has achieved with cellular telephony in the pay-TV market. Big TV has been testing and trialing its offering for some months, but is now offering consumers 202 channels including 50 VOD “channels”.
With 200 channels at launch, packages from Rs100 to Rs450 a month, and available in 6,500 towns and cities, the group is sparing no expense on the platform. It is also going for its competitors’ jugulars from the off, comparing its own value with Dish TV’s (143 channels for Rs262 a month on the Welcome Pack) and Tata Sky’s (92 channels for Rs200 a month in its Family Pack).
Unlike Zee or TataSky (or pubcaster Doordarshan) Big TV is depending on MPEG4 for its transmissions which manages to carry more channels per satellite transponder than its rivals. Its receiver boxes also come equipped with hard drives for recording content. Next up is a matching IPTV service, says Reliance, by the end of this year. Rapid TV News, 20th Aug 2008
Global/General: ITU Announces new Triathlon World Championship Series
Less then 24 hours after the completion of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games triathlon, the International Triathlon Union today announced an innovative new platform for the sport by establishing a pioneering new series that will take triathlon to new heights.
The new format will consist of six World Championship events plus a Grand Final every year, extending the current single World Championships event into a series. A major feature is the world's best athletes will now consistently race head-to-head. World class venues in internationally renowned cities will be selected to host each World Championship event with guaranteed live international high-definition television offered.
"This is fantastic for triathlon," said Germany's newly crowned Olympic champion Jan Frodeno. "It is similar to F1 racing where the top athletes are battling head-to-head. Using the Hamburg [World Cup] model is ideal as having 100,000 spectators and TV makes it easier for us to market ourselves and as it snowballs the top athletes will want to come."
For the first three years, the events programme will be scheduled on a monthly basis from March to September. In an Olympic year, the Grand Final will move to October or November. This provides the athletes, coaches, National Federations, sponsors and television broadcasters with a well planned stable schedule of high quality events.
Each World Championship event leading up to the Grand Final will seek to integrate a mass participation and youth element alongside the elite races. The ITU Age-Group World Championships will be staged at the annual Grand Final event along with Junior and Under23 competitions. Sports City, 20th Aug 2008
Wednesday, 20th August 2008
OLYMPIC BITS
* Digital animation outfit Inspidea has licensed its Mustang Mama characters to promote the Olympics on Yahoo! Southeast Asia’s regional portals. The Mustang Mama characters have been chosen to animate the Yahoo! logo in various sports activities, and will appear on the search engine’s websites in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. Inspidea is also launching Mustang Mama Die Hard Sports Fan, the follow-up season to Mustang Mama Football Fever, which has been broadcast on Cartoon Network Japan, Nickelodeon Italy, Animax, TFOU, MBC3, Bonsai TV and AXN Central Europe. The series follows the adventures of Mustang Mama, an eccentric senior citizen who, when not taking care of her grandson, attempts a range of high-impact sports. Worldscreen, 19th Aug 2008
* NBC, is under pressure from advertisers to broadcast the Olympic 100 metres final at peak time in the US, raising prospects that the 2012 event will take place after midnight London time. On Saturday, Usain Bolt led the fastest 100m in history at 10.30pm Beijing time, but NBC held back its telecast by 12 hours before releasing it to viewers. At the time of the race, the broadcaster was showing a basketball match between Spain and the US. A spokeswoman for London 2012 said schedules will not be arranged for two years but admitted that "rights holders want to maximise viewership; we will work this so everyone has the best opportunity to watch." NBC did not comment on whether it wants a post-midnight 100m final. Sport Business, 19th Aug 2008
New Sports Pledge Star Attractions for Spot in Games
From stroke play with Phil Mickelson to squash's all-round glass court, seven sports are pulling all the stops to impress the International Olympic Committee and win a spot on the 2016 Games programme. The IOC will decide next year whether up to two new sports will be included for 2016 and golf, squash, rugby, karate, baseball, softball and rollersports are in full election mode. Baseball and softball will be pushing for a comeback after they were voted off the 2012 London Games programme some three years ago.
The IOC is eager to refresh its programme as younger viewers turn away in greater numbers at every edition and the pattern of viewing is changing considerably, with new media taking a foothold among teens. But for some sports, including baseball and golf, questions remain whether the top players are willing to take part.
"I think (Spanish golfer) Sergio Garcia will have noticed the tear in Rafael Nadal's eye at the tennis medals ceremony the other day," International Golf Federation's Head of Programme Ty Votaw told reporters. "I think the players will support golf for 2016." New world number one Nadal, from Spain, won gold in Beijing.
All of the sports present at a conference organised by Olympics-related website Around the Rings pledged to add value to the Games. "We have 100 million athletes," International Karate Federation General Secretary-George Yerolimpos told Reuters. "Its appeal is just tremendous and we can bring that to the Games. It is exciting, fast and spectacular." Rugby has also been tipped as one of the frontrunners for inclusion, with the rugby sevens format, following its successful World Cup last year.
World Squash Federation President Jahangir Khan, arguably the greatest athlete to ever grace the sport, said squash had worked hard to create a more audience-friendly image with portable glass courts that could be placed anywhere, inside or outside. "You can have the court in the middle, set up temporary stands and have 10,000 people watching it," Khan said. "We have worked on becoming more viewer-friendly and will bring an exciting sport to the Games."
The inclusion of up to two new sports will be decided in October 2009 during the IOC session in Copenhagen. The sports programme for any Olympic Games is decided seven years in advance. Sports City, 19th Aug 2008
(Related…) Boxing will press for introduction of women fighters at the London 2012 Olympics. Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) president, Wu Ching-Kuo, said. The introduction of a new sport into the Olympic schedule must be configured into the bid made by a winning city seven years in advance. The women's boxing competition would include 11 weight classes –same as the men’s competition - and bouts would be over four two-minute rounds. Existing world and continental championships would be used as qualifiers. The AIBA said that it expects a decision from the IOC by December 2008. Sport Business, 19th Aug 2008
DATA BOX
SmarTone in Hong Kong to Register Highest ARPU in 2010
Hong Kong Mobile Forecast by The Office of Telecommunications Authority published on Wireless Federation, 19th August 2008
Hong Kong has built one of the sophisticated markets in the world. Mobile operators are CSL/New World, Hutchison, SmarTone, Sunday, and People. It has one of the world’s highest penetrations in mobiles, Internet and telephones generally. The Office of the Telecommunications Authority, has played a major role in developing the telecom sector.
Notable highlights of Hong Kong Mobile Forecast include:
* The wireless penetration level in Hong Kong will be 131.3% in 2010.
* Market shares (by subscribers) of major operators in Hong Kong will remain fairly stable during the forecast period. In 2010, our model is forecasting market shares of 30.7%, 26.3%, 12.8% and 11.7% for CSL/New World, Hutchison, SmarTone, and Sunday respectively.
* In 2010, EBITDA margins in Hong Kong will continue to be some of the lowest in East Asia. In our view, although CSL/New World will continue to have the largest subscriber base, its competitors such as Hutchison, Sunday and SmarTone will provide increased competition that should see Hong Kong operators EBITDA margins slide over the forecast period.
* The average ARPU in Hong Kong will continue increasing to reach $22.17 per month in 2010. Among the operators, SmarTone will register the highest ARPU at $35.15 per month in 2010.
Ringback Tones Drive Mobile Premium Content Market
Market research by MultiMedia Intelligence published on MobileTech News, 19th August 2008
Ringback tones are on track to become the most attractive mobile content category by 2012, according to new market research from MultiMedia Intelligence. With worldwide revenue nearly tripling to $4.7 billion, ringback tones will fall just short of mobile gaming revenue in capturing the largest share of the mobile premium content market (not including mobile video and mobile TV).
Overall, the global retail market for mobile premium is projected to reach $29 billion by 2012, according to MultiMedia Intelligence. Developed markets, such as Japan and Korea, have seen dramatic growth in premium content, with some operators seeing data revenue exceed 30% of total service revenue. As key Asian markets continue to evolve, growth has shifted to Europe and then the Americas.
Other findings from MultiMedia Intelligence:
* Realtone ringtones are displacing polyphonic ringtones in all regional markets. * Retail mobile music is nearly a mature market in South Korea, but an expanding market in Japan. By 2012, the mobile music market in Japan, for example, will be over 7 times the size of the mobile music market in South Korea.
* Streaming mobile music is growing; however, it does not yet have the market scale compared to other mobile music categories. Mobile games and adult content are continuing to grow, but at gradually slowing rates.
SPORTS SHORTS
* Real Madrid has reached a deal to open a football academy for youngsters in the Colombian capital Bogota. The Real Madrid Foundation Academy will also be a focal point for a number of social regeneration projects. Columbia’s President Alvaro Uribe welcomed Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster and players Michel Salgado, Raul and Guti to a ceremony in Bogota to mark the partnership ahead of the Spanish champion’s 2-1 friendly victory over Santa Fe earlier this month. At the ceremony, Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon signed an agreement for the football academy and associated social projects with Carlos Salazar, president of the local foundation. Sport Briefing, 19th Aug 2008
* StarHub is launching an on-demand service for its digital customers. Subscribers can opt for one-off purchases or pay monthly subscription for unlimited access to the on-demand channel. Single programs include Barclays Premier League matches, WWE monthly specials, features from Hollywood, Bollywood and Indonesia, and TV series such as CSI and Numb3rs from CBS. From September, the latest seasons of these popular series will be available to StarHub as early as 24 hours after their U.S. releases. In addition, viewers can choose to catch up on past seasons of selected CBS series on Video-On-Demand. StarHub has also lined up deals to deliver Taiwanese, Korean and Cantonese dramas. Worldscreen, Rapid TV News, 19th Aug 2008
* MP & Silva (MPS) has agreed a five-year deal with Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG Inc.) to be the exclusive worldwide media rights partner from 2009 to 2013. MP & Silva acquires the international distribution rights (except Japan, South Korea, and the United States of America) to events organised by FEG Inc., including K-1 and DREAM, a mixed martial arts (MMA) series. The agreement marks the second time that MPS has teamed up with FEG Inc. after the agency helped K-1 and FEG’s previous MMA series, PRIDE, establish and expand its international footprint to over 135 countries. Sport Business, 19th Aug 2008
* Bennett Media Worldwide has inked international agreements totaling more than 300 hours in five new markets for The MEN7 Show. New deals for MEN7 are ABS-CBN in the Philippines, Dogan TV in Turkey, Canada’s Global/Unified Entertainment, Zee TV in India and Viasat in Bulgaria, Hungary and Denmark. This brings the total of territories the male-skewing series has been licensed in to 34. Hosted by Tava Smiley and Hoyt Christopher, The MEN7 Show looks at areas such as entertainment, tech, action, self and women. The show is launching in the U.S. on ION Networks on September 4. Worldscreen, 19th Aug 2008
* The Indian telecom watchdog said the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), set up by advertisers last September, should oversee TV audience measurement and broadcast ratings for broadcasters. "BARC can have two nominees from the ministry of information and broadcasting on its board, and be responsible for audience measurement rating of television programmes," Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said in an official statement. BARC is an umbrella organisation formed by leading industry associations of the advertising sector in September last year to oversee and control the television audience measurement system in India. News.WebIndia123, 19th August 2008
* TAC, Thailand’s second-largest mobile phone operator, is expected to launch 3G mobile service by Q1 2009. According to the company’s executive Sigve Brekke, the company also expects the number of new subscribers added in the second half of this year to be close to the 1.8 million of the first half. Wireless Federation, 19th August 2008
* China Unicom Ltd said subscribers for its global system for mobile (GSM) services rose to 128.55 mln at the end of July from 127.60 mln at end-June. The company said billed GSM users rose by 3.69 mln in the first seven months to 66.16 mln, while prepaid users were up by 4.30 mln at 62.39 mln. Hemscott, 20th August 2008
* The Premier League has confirmed that the first transfer deadline of the season will be extended to midnight on September 1. The window is usually scheduled to close 24 hours earlier but has been put back because August 31 falls on a Sunday, following normal league guidelines. The move has been agreed between the Premier League, Football League and the Football Association. When the window closes on the first day of September, teams will then have to wait until January to sign players. Sport Briefing, 19th Aug 2008
* Snooker promoter Matchroom’s Barry Hearn has hit out at the scheduling of a new world-ranking event in Bahrain, which clashes with fixtures of the existing Premier League, promoted by Matchroom. The new event will be held in Manama, Bahrain on November 8 to 15 and according to World Snooker, will feature the top 16 players in the world rankings. However, four of these were already scheduled to take part in the Premier League on November 13. Hearn said that, as the Premier League is to be televised by British Sky Broadcasting, and the league would stick to its dates. Matchroom would insist that the four players honour their contracts. Sportcal, 19th Aug 2008
MORE NEWS
Malaysia/New Media: 1 first out of WiMAX traps in Malaysia
Packet One (P1), a 2.3GHz mobile WiMAX licence holder in Peninsular Malaysia, has become the first operator in the country to launch commercial WiMAX services. The initial promotional offer is RM99 ($30) per month for customers signing up to a 12-month contract for a 1.2Mbps service. A 2.4Mbps service is available at RM299 ($89) per month for a one-year contract. P1's WiMAX tariffs are pitched just below the combined price of an equivalent-speed ADSL service and PSTN connection offered by Telekom Malaysia.
Green Packet, which owns Packet One, has invested around RM300m (just under $100m) in its WiMAX operations to date. According to analysts at local investment firm Aseambankers, P1 will need at least 350,000 subscribers paying an average of about RM92 ($27.5) over the course of five years before it can break even. P1 is aiming to acquire 100,000 subscribers over the next 12 months.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the country's regulator, has stipulated that all four 2.3GHz WiMAX licence holders - the other three are Redtone (for East Malaysia), Bizsurf and Asiaspace (both serving Peninsular Malaysia) - should have 25 percent population coverage of their respective WiMAX licence areas by the end of 2008. P1 has said it will meet that target and subsequently increase its population coverage to 35 percent and 46 percent in 2009 and 2010 respectively to meet MCMC requirements.
At first glance, Malaysia looks a promising place for WiMAX to make an impact. Broadband penetration is low (around five percent at the end of 2007) and GDP per capita is reasonably high at around $6,500. One potential drawback, however, is that the regulator has awarded WiMAX licences in the 2.3GHz frequency band, which does not enjoy the same level of vendor support as 2.5GHz and 3.5GHz. Lack of economies of scale, of course, pushes up prices.
Although WiBro in Korea uses 2.3GHz and is supported by local vendors such as Samsung, the system is based on 8.75MHz channels. WiMAX operators in Malaysia use 5MHz and 10MHz channels, which means they can't turn to the Korean vendors to supply kit.
According to a recent report in '3G Wireless Broadband', a newsletter published by Informa Telecoms & Media, MCMC has not ruled out issuing WiMAX licences in the 2.5GHz frequency band. Spectrum at 2.5Ghz was originally handed over to several triallists for pre-WiMAX technology in 2003, but not much progress has been made. If WiMAX licence awards did happen at 2.5GHz, it would clearly put the 2.3GHz business case under more strain. Earlier this year, Intel invested RM50m ($15m) in Green Packet with a view to speeding up WiMAX development in Malaysia. Telecoms, Telecomasia, 19th August 2008
Vietnam/General: Ministry Drafting Sports Betting Decree
Vietnam’s government is drafting a decree that would legalise betting on football matches as well as horse and dog races. The Finance Ministry is drafting the decree on sports betting, which it estimates could earn the state at least US$2 billion a year. That figure compares to just $10 million of betting on the country’s current two legal horseracing games.
An official in the ministry’s finance and banking department says it is seeking opinions from several ministries before submitting for government approval. If approved, the decree would allow a planned horse racetrack in northern Vietnam to go ahead and fully legalise betting at existing horse and dog racetracks in southern Vietnam.
Gambling has long been officially regarded as a social evil in Vietnam, but betting on sporting events, and particularly football matches, is widespread. According to the Ministry of Public Security, illegal gambling activities began increasing in 1996, and in the period of 2001-05 alone, the police discovered 495 cases of gambling involving 4,187 people, with more than $250,000 seized. Sport Briefing, 19th Aug 2008
Elsewhere/General: Nigeria to Bid for 2018 Commonwealth Games
Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, Chairman of the People's Democratic Party, told local media that Nigeria won't be deterred by its failed bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and will make a bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Ogbulafor said hosting major international sports competitions like the Olympics contributes to the development of the hosing nations.
He said, "the gain of hosting major international games cannot be quantified. The benefits are in chains. They include infrastructural development, trade and business opportunities". He added, "sports is now used the world over to build nations. It has gone beyond the more recreation and entertainment. It is now used for international politics, promotion of international image of the nations and development of the economy. "Nigeria as a nation has the capacity and ability to bid and host the 2018 Olympic Games". Sports-City, 19th August 2008
ARTICLES/ COMMENTS
DVB-H Punched in Nose Again
Just days ago Germany’s intentions as regards DVB-H became very cloudy given that the TV-to-mobile project’s backers (publishing houses Burda and Holtzbrinck together with South African media company Naspers) appeared to be on the verge of folding (see our July 30 story). Now comes news that Norway’s major broadcasters have selected another system, T-DMB (as originally adopted by the British Telecom-backed, and now defunct, Movio system).
However, the Norwegian news is a major blow to the European Union’s wish to have a common mobile TV standard across Europe. A consortium comprising three of Norway's largest broadcasters (public broadcaster NRK and commercial outfits TV2 and Modern Times Group) are planning a nine-channel line-up plus on demand content and related services in time for a launch later this year. One of the obvious appeals for a DMB system is its instant compatibility with DAB radio transmissions.
Gunnar Garfors, NRK’s development director, stressed that the Norwegian scheme was not about pay-TV but free-to-air broadcasting to mobile phones “and other devices”. This does not mean that DVB-H is dead in the water, far from it. There are excellent services up and running in Italy, Austria, France, Finland (naturally as the home of Nokia, which firmly backs DVB-H) and Poland is also planning a launch, same with Russia and elsewhere. It is not impossible for some markets to sustain DVB-H as well as MediaFLO (or DMB, or DMB-T) in a competitive cellular environment. It is already known that Qualcomm’s rival MediaFLO system is likely to launch in the UK.
In less than three weeks the giant IBC broadcasting show takes place in Amsterdam and no doubt positive news will then emerge from each of the assorted backers to the rival delivery systems. But it is now clear that DVB-H, for a number of reasons, has not yet won universal favour across Europe and this is a major challenge to the EU’s stated aim of making cross-border handset functionality a reality for consumers. RapidTVnews, 19th August 2008
The Changing Value of Content in the Digital Age
By Jeffrey Soong, CEO of BNS Ltd published on IPTV-News, 19th August 2008
“Change” as a word and concept seems to be on everyone’s minds these days. But forgetting the ubiquitous Climate Change for a moment, the reason for this is that change is something that touches all parts of life, some in more obvious and some in more subtle ways. Content is of course no exception and of late has been particularly vulnerable to two major change agents: social change and technology advancements.
Arguing which one has more influence is a little like the chicken and egg question. But it’s undeniable that the recent surge in technology advancements has made content available over an unprecedented number of new platforms and has at the same time given people the means to re-produce it for free (legal or otherwise) and without quality loss - a fact that has been enthusiastically embraced by people from all walks of life around the world.
An example for technology being the enabler is social networking site Bebo whose founders have sold their venture for a cool US$850mn to AOL earlier this year, all on the back of user generated content that the users volunteered for free. So it seems that these days you don’t even have to own content to make money from it. But does this mean that content has lost its value?
Value…in the eye of the beholder
Value, as they say, lies in the eye of the beholder, but even if we perceive content to be “free” because we can watch it online and don’t have to pay for it, it still has a value, just like anything else. But today it is increasingly the context in which the content is displayed or accessed that defines the value of a particular piece of content.
Media companies and content owners nowadays understand that content distributed over multiple platforms creates more revenue opportunities, mostly well beyond traditional copyright protection - which doesn’t define content value anyway, but merely asserts the right to its value. These companies also understand that monetising content and giving it value is more about enabling access than restricting access. In other words: the value of content is only as high as the quality of the engine or service managing it.
Is Conduit the real King?
Content owners and regulators may not openly admit it, but behind closed doors it seems that the industry has come to an understanding that fighting piracy with conventional methods of deter and punish is a futile exercise. Content owners understand they must find other avenues to preserve the value of their content assets. But in a world rife with piracy, content is only as valuable as the service that makes it useful and accessible. The obvious conclusion is that Conduit, not Content may be the true King in creating value for their owners.
Consider the explosive acceleration in program content over the past few years. How will people find what they are looking for, across multiple platforms and in light of the diminishing influence of channel brands, which are the traditional conduit for people to find the content they are after? Search engines, video portals, social networking sites and the likes are set to be the Conduits of the future for viewers to find the content they want to watch. So for content owners it is paramount to maximise the possibilities of each platform to retain customer loyalty towards their assets.
Smart EPGs will lead the way
This also puts the spotlight on the operator and the importance to create an intuitive user interface. A smart Electronic User Guide (EPG) should be at the heart of every service as the one-stop-shop that guarantees viewers will find the content they are looking for, across platforms and without spending a lot of time searching. Apple’s iPhone illustrates this perfectly. According to a study conducted shortly after the first generation iPhone was launched last year showed that 95% of iPhone owners regularly surfed the web, even though 30% had never done so prior to owning an iPhone. The obvious conclusion is that the intuitive and easy to use interface played a major role in turning phone users into multimedia users.
But since today we are not only dealing with one or two, but multiple platforms, service providers need to strive for a unified, simple interface on each platform to increase customer usage, satisfaction, loyalty and revenue. This role of platform “blender” can only be performed by powerful backend technology, so service providers need to plan and build their networks from the perspective of services, applications and a great user experience. They need to position their services to be attractive for both end users and content owners to be successful.
Building bridges more important than ever
As I have said many times before, the only way forward for service providers and content owners is to build a bridge across their very diverse industries and become collaborators in order to tackle the challenges of an increasingly fragmented media landscape. But whereas only a short while ago that catch cry was “Content is King’ it is increasingly obvious that there is a much more level playing field emerging that will pull all parties together to work closely to preserve their assets.
To paraphrase a content owner who spoke at a panel discussion I moderated recently: content alone won’t cut the mustard anymore. We need to be able to offer it in a fun and exciting way to continue to engage people and attract them to our content. So to conclude, change is not only inevitable, but the stakeholders in the media and communications industries have to understand that their future depends on it. It may not be easy, but with the risk of showing my age, let me leave you with some stuttered wisdom David Bowie parted with some time ago: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes (turn and face the strain).
* Digital animation outfit Inspidea has licensed its Mustang Mama characters to promote the Olympics on Yahoo! Southeast Asia’s regional portals. The Mustang Mama characters have been chosen to animate the Yahoo! logo in various sports activities, and will appear on the search engine’s websites in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. Inspidea is also launching Mustang Mama Die Hard Sports Fan, the follow-up season to Mustang Mama Football Fever, which has been broadcast on Cartoon Network Japan, Nickelodeon Italy, Animax, TFOU, MBC3, Bonsai TV and AXN Central Europe. The series follows the adventures of Mustang Mama, an eccentric senior citizen who, when not taking care of her grandson, attempts a range of high-impact sports. Worldscreen, 19th Aug 2008
* NBC, is under pressure from advertisers to broadcast the Olympic 100 metres final at peak time in the US, raising prospects that the 2012 event will take place after midnight London time. On Saturday, Usain Bolt led the fastest 100m in history at 10.30pm Beijing time, but NBC held back its telecast by 12 hours before releasing it to viewers. At the time of the race, the broadcaster was showing a basketball match between Spain and the US. A spokeswoman for London 2012 said schedules will not be arranged for two years but admitted that "rights holders want to maximise viewership; we will work this so everyone has the best opportunity to watch." NBC did not comment on whether it wants a post-midnight 100m final. Sport Business, 19th Aug 2008
New Sports Pledge Star Attractions for Spot in Games
From stroke play with Phil Mickelson to squash's all-round glass court, seven sports are pulling all the stops to impress the International Olympic Committee and win a spot on the 2016 Games programme. The IOC will decide next year whether up to two new sports will be included for 2016 and golf, squash, rugby, karate, baseball, softball and rollersports are in full election mode. Baseball and softball will be pushing for a comeback after they were voted off the 2012 London Games programme some three years ago.
The IOC is eager to refresh its programme as younger viewers turn away in greater numbers at every edition and the pattern of viewing is changing considerably, with new media taking a foothold among teens. But for some sports, including baseball and golf, questions remain whether the top players are willing to take part.
"I think (Spanish golfer) Sergio Garcia will have noticed the tear in Rafael Nadal's eye at the tennis medals ceremony the other day," International Golf Federation's Head of Programme Ty Votaw told reporters. "I think the players will support golf for 2016." New world number one Nadal, from Spain, won gold in Beijing.
All of the sports present at a conference organised by Olympics-related website Around the Rings pledged to add value to the Games. "We have 100 million athletes," International Karate Federation General Secretary-George Yerolimpos told Reuters. "Its appeal is just tremendous and we can bring that to the Games. It is exciting, fast and spectacular." Rugby has also been tipped as one of the frontrunners for inclusion, with the rugby sevens format, following its successful World Cup last year.
World Squash Federation President Jahangir Khan, arguably the greatest athlete to ever grace the sport, said squash had worked hard to create a more audience-friendly image with portable glass courts that could be placed anywhere, inside or outside. "You can have the court in the middle, set up temporary stands and have 10,000 people watching it," Khan said. "We have worked on becoming more viewer-friendly and will bring an exciting sport to the Games."
The inclusion of up to two new sports will be decided in October 2009 during the IOC session in Copenhagen. The sports programme for any Olympic Games is decided seven years in advance. Sports City, 19th Aug 2008
(Related…) Boxing will press for introduction of women fighters at the London 2012 Olympics. Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) president, Wu Ching-Kuo, said. The introduction of a new sport into the Olympic schedule must be configured into the bid made by a winning city seven years in advance. The women's boxing competition would include 11 weight classes –same as the men’s competition - and bouts would be over four two-minute rounds. Existing world and continental championships would be used as qualifiers. The AIBA said that it expects a decision from the IOC by December 2008. Sport Business, 19th Aug 2008
DATA BOX
SmarTone in Hong Kong to Register Highest ARPU in 2010
Hong Kong Mobile Forecast by The Office of Telecommunications Authority published on Wireless Federation, 19th August 2008
Hong Kong has built one of the sophisticated markets in the world. Mobile operators are CSL/New World, Hutchison, SmarTone, Sunday, and People. It has one of the world’s highest penetrations in mobiles, Internet and telephones generally. The Office of the Telecommunications Authority, has played a major role in developing the telecom sector.
Notable highlights of Hong Kong Mobile Forecast include:
* The wireless penetration level in Hong Kong will be 131.3% in 2010.
* Market shares (by subscribers) of major operators in Hong Kong will remain fairly stable during the forecast period. In 2010, our model is forecasting market shares of 30.7%, 26.3%, 12.8% and 11.7% for CSL/New World, Hutchison, SmarTone, and Sunday respectively.
* In 2010, EBITDA margins in Hong Kong will continue to be some of the lowest in East Asia. In our view, although CSL/New World will continue to have the largest subscriber base, its competitors such as Hutchison, Sunday and SmarTone will provide increased competition that should see Hong Kong operators EBITDA margins slide over the forecast period.
* The average ARPU in Hong Kong will continue increasing to reach $22.17 per month in 2010. Among the operators, SmarTone will register the highest ARPU at $35.15 per month in 2010.
Ringback Tones Drive Mobile Premium Content Market
Market research by MultiMedia Intelligence published on MobileTech News, 19th August 2008
Ringback tones are on track to become the most attractive mobile content category by 2012, according to new market research from MultiMedia Intelligence. With worldwide revenue nearly tripling to $4.7 billion, ringback tones will fall just short of mobile gaming revenue in capturing the largest share of the mobile premium content market (not including mobile video and mobile TV).
Overall, the global retail market for mobile premium is projected to reach $29 billion by 2012, according to MultiMedia Intelligence. Developed markets, such as Japan and Korea, have seen dramatic growth in premium content, with some operators seeing data revenue exceed 30% of total service revenue. As key Asian markets continue to evolve, growth has shifted to Europe and then the Americas.
Other findings from MultiMedia Intelligence:
* Realtone ringtones are displacing polyphonic ringtones in all regional markets. * Retail mobile music is nearly a mature market in South Korea, but an expanding market in Japan. By 2012, the mobile music market in Japan, for example, will be over 7 times the size of the mobile music market in South Korea.
* Streaming mobile music is growing; however, it does not yet have the market scale compared to other mobile music categories. Mobile games and adult content are continuing to grow, but at gradually slowing rates.
SPORTS SHORTS
* Real Madrid has reached a deal to open a football academy for youngsters in the Colombian capital Bogota. The Real Madrid Foundation Academy will also be a focal point for a number of social regeneration projects. Columbia’s President Alvaro Uribe welcomed Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster and players Michel Salgado, Raul and Guti to a ceremony in Bogota to mark the partnership ahead of the Spanish champion’s 2-1 friendly victory over Santa Fe earlier this month. At the ceremony, Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon signed an agreement for the football academy and associated social projects with Carlos Salazar, president of the local foundation. Sport Briefing, 19th Aug 2008
* StarHub is launching an on-demand service for its digital customers. Subscribers can opt for one-off purchases or pay monthly subscription for unlimited access to the on-demand channel. Single programs include Barclays Premier League matches, WWE monthly specials, features from Hollywood, Bollywood and Indonesia, and TV series such as CSI and Numb3rs from CBS. From September, the latest seasons of these popular series will be available to StarHub as early as 24 hours after their U.S. releases. In addition, viewers can choose to catch up on past seasons of selected CBS series on Video-On-Demand. StarHub has also lined up deals to deliver Taiwanese, Korean and Cantonese dramas. Worldscreen, Rapid TV News, 19th Aug 2008
* MP & Silva (MPS) has agreed a five-year deal with Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG Inc.) to be the exclusive worldwide media rights partner from 2009 to 2013. MP & Silva acquires the international distribution rights (except Japan, South Korea, and the United States of America) to events organised by FEG Inc., including K-1 and DREAM, a mixed martial arts (MMA) series. The agreement marks the second time that MPS has teamed up with FEG Inc. after the agency helped K-1 and FEG’s previous MMA series, PRIDE, establish and expand its international footprint to over 135 countries. Sport Business, 19th Aug 2008
* Bennett Media Worldwide has inked international agreements totaling more than 300 hours in five new markets for The MEN7 Show. New deals for MEN7 are ABS-CBN in the Philippines, Dogan TV in Turkey, Canada’s Global/Unified Entertainment, Zee TV in India and Viasat in Bulgaria, Hungary and Denmark. This brings the total of territories the male-skewing series has been licensed in to 34. Hosted by Tava Smiley and Hoyt Christopher, The MEN7 Show looks at areas such as entertainment, tech, action, self and women. The show is launching in the U.S. on ION Networks on September 4. Worldscreen, 19th Aug 2008
* The Indian telecom watchdog said the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), set up by advertisers last September, should oversee TV audience measurement and broadcast ratings for broadcasters. "BARC can have two nominees from the ministry of information and broadcasting on its board, and be responsible for audience measurement rating of television programmes," Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said in an official statement. BARC is an umbrella organisation formed by leading industry associations of the advertising sector in September last year to oversee and control the television audience measurement system in India. News.WebIndia123, 19th August 2008
* TAC, Thailand’s second-largest mobile phone operator, is expected to launch 3G mobile service by Q1 2009. According to the company’s executive Sigve Brekke, the company also expects the number of new subscribers added in the second half of this year to be close to the 1.8 million of the first half. Wireless Federation, 19th August 2008
* China Unicom Ltd said subscribers for its global system for mobile (GSM) services rose to 128.55 mln at the end of July from 127.60 mln at end-June. The company said billed GSM users rose by 3.69 mln in the first seven months to 66.16 mln, while prepaid users were up by 4.30 mln at 62.39 mln. Hemscott, 20th August 2008
* The Premier League has confirmed that the first transfer deadline of the season will be extended to midnight on September 1. The window is usually scheduled to close 24 hours earlier but has been put back because August 31 falls on a Sunday, following normal league guidelines. The move has been agreed between the Premier League, Football League and the Football Association. When the window closes on the first day of September, teams will then have to wait until January to sign players. Sport Briefing, 19th Aug 2008
* Snooker promoter Matchroom’s Barry Hearn has hit out at the scheduling of a new world-ranking event in Bahrain, which clashes with fixtures of the existing Premier League, promoted by Matchroom. The new event will be held in Manama, Bahrain on November 8 to 15 and according to World Snooker, will feature the top 16 players in the world rankings. However, four of these were already scheduled to take part in the Premier League on November 13. Hearn said that, as the Premier League is to be televised by British Sky Broadcasting, and the league would stick to its dates. Matchroom would insist that the four players honour their contracts. Sportcal, 19th Aug 2008
MORE NEWS
Malaysia/New Media: 1 first out of WiMAX traps in Malaysia
Packet One (P1), a 2.3GHz mobile WiMAX licence holder in Peninsular Malaysia, has become the first operator in the country to launch commercial WiMAX services. The initial promotional offer is RM99 ($30) per month for customers signing up to a 12-month contract for a 1.2Mbps service. A 2.4Mbps service is available at RM299 ($89) per month for a one-year contract. P1's WiMAX tariffs are pitched just below the combined price of an equivalent-speed ADSL service and PSTN connection offered by Telekom Malaysia.
Green Packet, which owns Packet One, has invested around RM300m (just under $100m) in its WiMAX operations to date. According to analysts at local investment firm Aseambankers, P1 will need at least 350,000 subscribers paying an average of about RM92 ($27.5) over the course of five years before it can break even. P1 is aiming to acquire 100,000 subscribers over the next 12 months.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the country's regulator, has stipulated that all four 2.3GHz WiMAX licence holders - the other three are Redtone (for East Malaysia), Bizsurf and Asiaspace (both serving Peninsular Malaysia) - should have 25 percent population coverage of their respective WiMAX licence areas by the end of 2008. P1 has said it will meet that target and subsequently increase its population coverage to 35 percent and 46 percent in 2009 and 2010 respectively to meet MCMC requirements.
At first glance, Malaysia looks a promising place for WiMAX to make an impact. Broadband penetration is low (around five percent at the end of 2007) and GDP per capita is reasonably high at around $6,500. One potential drawback, however, is that the regulator has awarded WiMAX licences in the 2.3GHz frequency band, which does not enjoy the same level of vendor support as 2.5GHz and 3.5GHz. Lack of economies of scale, of course, pushes up prices.
Although WiBro in Korea uses 2.3GHz and is supported by local vendors such as Samsung, the system is based on 8.75MHz channels. WiMAX operators in Malaysia use 5MHz and 10MHz channels, which means they can't turn to the Korean vendors to supply kit.
According to a recent report in '3G Wireless Broadband', a newsletter published by Informa Telecoms & Media, MCMC has not ruled out issuing WiMAX licences in the 2.5GHz frequency band. Spectrum at 2.5Ghz was originally handed over to several triallists for pre-WiMAX technology in 2003, but not much progress has been made. If WiMAX licence awards did happen at 2.5GHz, it would clearly put the 2.3GHz business case under more strain. Earlier this year, Intel invested RM50m ($15m) in Green Packet with a view to speeding up WiMAX development in Malaysia. Telecoms, Telecomasia, 19th August 2008
Vietnam/General: Ministry Drafting Sports Betting Decree
Vietnam’s government is drafting a decree that would legalise betting on football matches as well as horse and dog races. The Finance Ministry is drafting the decree on sports betting, which it estimates could earn the state at least US$2 billion a year. That figure compares to just $10 million of betting on the country’s current two legal horseracing games.
An official in the ministry’s finance and banking department says it is seeking opinions from several ministries before submitting for government approval. If approved, the decree would allow a planned horse racetrack in northern Vietnam to go ahead and fully legalise betting at existing horse and dog racetracks in southern Vietnam.
Gambling has long been officially regarded as a social evil in Vietnam, but betting on sporting events, and particularly football matches, is widespread. According to the Ministry of Public Security, illegal gambling activities began increasing in 1996, and in the period of 2001-05 alone, the police discovered 495 cases of gambling involving 4,187 people, with more than $250,000 seized. Sport Briefing, 19th Aug 2008
Elsewhere/General: Nigeria to Bid for 2018 Commonwealth Games
Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, Chairman of the People's Democratic Party, told local media that Nigeria won't be deterred by its failed bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and will make a bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Ogbulafor said hosting major international sports competitions like the Olympics contributes to the development of the hosing nations.
He said, "the gain of hosting major international games cannot be quantified. The benefits are in chains. They include infrastructural development, trade and business opportunities". He added, "sports is now used the world over to build nations. It has gone beyond the more recreation and entertainment. It is now used for international politics, promotion of international image of the nations and development of the economy. "Nigeria as a nation has the capacity and ability to bid and host the 2018 Olympic Games". Sports-City, 19th August 2008
ARTICLES/ COMMENTS
DVB-H Punched in Nose Again
Just days ago Germany’s intentions as regards DVB-H became very cloudy given that the TV-to-mobile project’s backers (publishing houses Burda and Holtzbrinck together with South African media company Naspers) appeared to be on the verge of folding (see our July 30 story). Now comes news that Norway’s major broadcasters have selected another system, T-DMB (as originally adopted by the British Telecom-backed, and now defunct, Movio system).
However, the Norwegian news is a major blow to the European Union’s wish to have a common mobile TV standard across Europe. A consortium comprising three of Norway's largest broadcasters (public broadcaster NRK and commercial outfits TV2 and Modern Times Group) are planning a nine-channel line-up plus on demand content and related services in time for a launch later this year. One of the obvious appeals for a DMB system is its instant compatibility with DAB radio transmissions.
Gunnar Garfors, NRK’s development director, stressed that the Norwegian scheme was not about pay-TV but free-to-air broadcasting to mobile phones “and other devices”. This does not mean that DVB-H is dead in the water, far from it. There are excellent services up and running in Italy, Austria, France, Finland (naturally as the home of Nokia, which firmly backs DVB-H) and Poland is also planning a launch, same with Russia and elsewhere. It is not impossible for some markets to sustain DVB-H as well as MediaFLO (or DMB, or DMB-T) in a competitive cellular environment. It is already known that Qualcomm’s rival MediaFLO system is likely to launch in the UK.
In less than three weeks the giant IBC broadcasting show takes place in Amsterdam and no doubt positive news will then emerge from each of the assorted backers to the rival delivery systems. But it is now clear that DVB-H, for a number of reasons, has not yet won universal favour across Europe and this is a major challenge to the EU’s stated aim of making cross-border handset functionality a reality for consumers. RapidTVnews, 19th August 2008
The Changing Value of Content in the Digital Age
By Jeffrey Soong, CEO of BNS Ltd published on IPTV-News, 19th August 2008
“Change” as a word and concept seems to be on everyone’s minds these days. But forgetting the ubiquitous Climate Change for a moment, the reason for this is that change is something that touches all parts of life, some in more obvious and some in more subtle ways. Content is of course no exception and of late has been particularly vulnerable to two major change agents: social change and technology advancements.
Arguing which one has more influence is a little like the chicken and egg question. But it’s undeniable that the recent surge in technology advancements has made content available over an unprecedented number of new platforms and has at the same time given people the means to re-produce it for free (legal or otherwise) and without quality loss - a fact that has been enthusiastically embraced by people from all walks of life around the world.
An example for technology being the enabler is social networking site Bebo whose founders have sold their venture for a cool US$850mn to AOL earlier this year, all on the back of user generated content that the users volunteered for free. So it seems that these days you don’t even have to own content to make money from it. But does this mean that content has lost its value?
Value…in the eye of the beholder
Value, as they say, lies in the eye of the beholder, but even if we perceive content to be “free” because we can watch it online and don’t have to pay for it, it still has a value, just like anything else. But today it is increasingly the context in which the content is displayed or accessed that defines the value of a particular piece of content.
Media companies and content owners nowadays understand that content distributed over multiple platforms creates more revenue opportunities, mostly well beyond traditional copyright protection - which doesn’t define content value anyway, but merely asserts the right to its value. These companies also understand that monetising content and giving it value is more about enabling access than restricting access. In other words: the value of content is only as high as the quality of the engine or service managing it.
Is Conduit the real King?
Content owners and regulators may not openly admit it, but behind closed doors it seems that the industry has come to an understanding that fighting piracy with conventional methods of deter and punish is a futile exercise. Content owners understand they must find other avenues to preserve the value of their content assets. But in a world rife with piracy, content is only as valuable as the service that makes it useful and accessible. The obvious conclusion is that Conduit, not Content may be the true King in creating value for their owners.
Consider the explosive acceleration in program content over the past few years. How will people find what they are looking for, across multiple platforms and in light of the diminishing influence of channel brands, which are the traditional conduit for people to find the content they are after? Search engines, video portals, social networking sites and the likes are set to be the Conduits of the future for viewers to find the content they want to watch. So for content owners it is paramount to maximise the possibilities of each platform to retain customer loyalty towards their assets.
Smart EPGs will lead the way
This also puts the spotlight on the operator and the importance to create an intuitive user interface. A smart Electronic User Guide (EPG) should be at the heart of every service as the one-stop-shop that guarantees viewers will find the content they are looking for, across platforms and without spending a lot of time searching. Apple’s iPhone illustrates this perfectly. According to a study conducted shortly after the first generation iPhone was launched last year showed that 95% of iPhone owners regularly surfed the web, even though 30% had never done so prior to owning an iPhone. The obvious conclusion is that the intuitive and easy to use interface played a major role in turning phone users into multimedia users.
But since today we are not only dealing with one or two, but multiple platforms, service providers need to strive for a unified, simple interface on each platform to increase customer usage, satisfaction, loyalty and revenue. This role of platform “blender” can only be performed by powerful backend technology, so service providers need to plan and build their networks from the perspective of services, applications and a great user experience. They need to position their services to be attractive for both end users and content owners to be successful.
Building bridges more important than ever
As I have said many times before, the only way forward for service providers and content owners is to build a bridge across their very diverse industries and become collaborators in order to tackle the challenges of an increasingly fragmented media landscape. But whereas only a short while ago that catch cry was “Content is King’ it is increasingly obvious that there is a much more level playing field emerging that will pull all parties together to work closely to preserve their assets.
To paraphrase a content owner who spoke at a panel discussion I moderated recently: content alone won’t cut the mustard anymore. We need to be able to offer it in a fun and exciting way to continue to engage people and attract them to our content. So to conclude, change is not only inevitable, but the stakeholders in the media and communications industries have to understand that their future depends on it. It may not be easy, but with the risk of showing my age, let me leave you with some stuttered wisdom David Bowie parted with some time ago: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes (turn and face the strain).
Tuesday, 19th August 2008
OLYMPIC BITS
* London 2012 organisers are facing calls to cut the length of the opening ceremony after athletes in Beijing spent up to six hours on their feet. Coe acknowledged the concerns, but said the ceremony remained a key part of the Olympic experience for many athletes. He said: “I never went to an opening ceremony when I was running - I was confronted with seven races in nine days and thought that standing around for six or seven hours and being bussed halfway around the city was not something conducive with the previous 10 years’ preparation. We will look at it for London and I will do what I can to make sure that the opening ceremony reflects an athletes’ parade with the most benign circumstances for them.” Sport Briefing, 18th Aug 2008
* The Chinese Customs Office has enlisted the help of top film star Jackie Chan in an effort to stop the sale of unauthorised Olympic Games goods. A public service advertising campaign called “Say no to fake, say no to pirating” has been aired on a number of airlines since the start of August. Unofficial clothes, shoes, bags, bicycles and souvenirs have been confiscated in China and a stock of nearly 37,000 shirts with “Beijine2008” on the front. 227 batches of goods, including 630,000 individual products that infringe Olympic Games copyrights, have been found so far. The confiscated goods have a street value of several hundred thousand US dollars. Sport Briefing, 18th Aug 2008
* An injury to China’s biggest athletics star, Liu Xiang has halted his defence of the 110m hurdles Olympic title before it even started, leaving a large roster of sponsors without their day in the sun. The Athens 2004 hurdles champion hurt his Achilles tendon during a false start by another athlete, pulling up after just a few metres and hobbling from the track in front of a capacity crowd stunned into silence. As the Games face of Nike, Coca-Cola, Visa, China Mobile and Yili, Liu earned a reported 163.2 million yuan (US$23.9 million) in 2007, propelling him to third on Forbes’ Famous Chinese People list. However, his failure on the track will limit the amount of exposure these sponsors gain. Brand Republic Asia, 18th Aug 2008
Olympics Proves a Hit in Southeast Asia - Except Indonesia
The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics saw a spike in TV ratings in Singapore and Malaysia - but flopped in Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest TV market. In Singapore, TV viewership for the Olympics opening ceremony showed a marked increase on the Athens Olympics, with the biggest spike registered by 25 to 44-year-old men, according to TNS. The highest ratings were registered among children aged four to 14, while teens and young adults aged between 15 and 24 had the lowest ratings. Channel 5 was a clear winner, registering 47% audience share.
In Malaysia, a survey by ACNielsen showed a dramatic increase in ratings and channel share for the terrestrial station RTM1, on which the opening ceremony was telecast. RTM1’s channel share shot up from six per cent to 32% during the opening ceremony. All other channels, including the most popular, TV3, lost viewers to RTM1. Viewership data for pay-TV channel Astro was not available, but it is expected to have enjoyed similar increases in audience.
Meanwhile, in Indonesia, only 242,000 people tuned in to watch the opening ceremony on national network TVRI. The channel's share was a paltry 2.4%. The Athens Olympics registered better ratings since they were shown on a commercial terrestrial network. TVRI is the non-commercial government-run network in Indonesia and typically attracts small audiences. Brand Republic Asia, 18th Aug 2008
Doordashan Fails to Capture Key Moments
The entire country has been rejoicing the victory of Abhinav Bindra's Olympic gold, but there has been considerable displeasure from several quarters of viewers in India. Reason? They have been unable to witness some key moments in the ongoing Olympic Games, which has been broadcasted by Doordarshan in India.
Baskaran, the former captain of the Indian hockey team that won the gold in 1980 Moscow Olympics, who has been following the Beijing games closely since it began, says, "The coverage given by Doordarshan to the Indian sportspersons is inadequate. For the first time in so many years, we won a gold medal but the publicity from the official broadcaster was pathetic."
Adam Sinclair, a hockey player from Coimbatore and an Olympian who participated in the Athens 2004 says, "The Olympics is without a doubt, the biggest sporting event in the world. You need able commentators who can grab the attention of the viewers and keep them riveted to the game. I have been able to detect several technical mistakes when the commentators speak about any given game."
Sinclair adds, "DD's coverage of sports relevant to India leaves a lot to be desired. Moreover, on the first day of the Games, they telecast a cycling race for about 30 minutes and just a few minutes before the finale, they switched to a different segment of another sport. I found this frustrating as the last minutes are the most exciting in any game. Doordarshan should have co-ordinated the proceedings better." When Televisionpoint.com, tried to contact Doordarshan, we were told that the officials concerned with the Olympics were in Beijing and were not available for comment.
However, a source who did not wish to be identified said, "I feel very strongly about this issue. It's purely lack of co-ordination among the powers that be. We missed out on giving proper coverage to Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore at the Olympics this year. A big contingent from Doordarshan has gone to Beijing, sadly it's not showing in the quality of broadcast that's coming to India." Televisionpoint, 18th August 2008
Study Criticises IOC Sponsorship Policies
Ads running on NBC's coverage of the Beijing Games tout Coca-Cola's 80-year association with the Olympics. McDonald's ads say it has been an Olympic sponsor for 40 years. But if public interest group Commercial Alert had its way, both companies, among others, including Anheuser-Busch, one of three beer sponsors at this year's Games, would be barred from all marketing ties to the Olympics. Washington D.C.-based Commercial Alert teamed with Multinational Monitor, which tracks the activities of big corporations, on a new study called "The Commercial Games." The study is highly critical of the sponsorship and advertising policies of the International Olympic Committee and the various sports federations and national committees under its auspices.
The groups argue that the marketing of junk foods, sodas, fast-food chains and alcoholic beverages should be eliminated from the Games. Their reasoning: such products conflict with the stated purpose of the Olympics, which they say is to "celebrate healthful living." Promoting such products in the widely watched Olympics, the study says, is "unhealthful," and particularly inappropriate "for an event with enormous appeal to children."
Others took issue with the report, including McDonald's, which objected to the study's labeling of its product as "unhealthy." A rep said the company had gone to great lengths over the last five or six years to offer balanced meals that include fruits and vegetables and other healthy edibles. He also said sponsorship deals like McDonald's help make the Games possible (along, of course, with lucrative TV rights deals).
Brand consultant Robert Passikoff, CEO of New York-based Brandkeys, agreed with one assertion in the report: that the Games, with a total of 63 "official" sponsors, are probably over-commercialized. That said, he added: "The question is why should they cut back? They're making an awful lot of money on it. Why should anyone other than the consumers and the marketing folks be the arbiter of what's right and wrong? No research group should have the right to tell them who to do business with; who put them in charge?"
It is true that the Olympics attracts a huge audience of both adults and children. Nielsen ratings for the first five days of coverage showed an average audience of 31.3 million total viewers. Last Tuesday, about 1.3 million kids aged 6 to 11 tuned in to NBC's prime-time coverage, according to Nielsen estimates.
The study, released Aug. 6, also chastises the IOC for what the groups believe is its lack of concern that some companies with marketing ties to the Games rely on so-called "sweatshops" that offer substandard wages and working conditions to produce goods. It specifically cited Nike and Adidas as companies that haven't taken effective steps to eliminate sweatshop conditions within their supply chains. Nike and Adidas did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
The study also criticizes the IOC for awarding "monopolies" to sponsors such as Visa and Coke that limit spectator choices at the Games themselves. Only non-alcoholic beverages marketed by Coca-Cola are available at the Olympics, and Visa is the only credit card accepted there. The study characterizes Coca-Cola and McDonald's as companies that "run businesses centered around unhealthy food." Each company paid about $70 million for its current sponsorship rights, the study estimates. Arguing that both agreements are inappropriate, it concludes, "Junk foods contribute to obesity, a major public health problem not just in the United States but in many countries around the world including China. . . . The Olympics should not lend its name and aura to help promote more consumption of these unhealthy products."
Neither the IOC nor Coke responded to requests for comment. But McDonald's strongly protested being labeled by the study as a purveyor of unhealthy foods and argued that it has a proper role as an Olympic sponsor. "It makes the games possible," a McDonald's rep told Adweek. "The organizers and the athletes recognize that we have wide choices and variety across our menu to design a very well-balanced meal." The rep agreed that "millions of kids see our ads," which he argued convey appropriate messages. One of the ads airing during NBC's coverage of the Beijing Games features children playing soccer and then being treated to Happy Meals with chicken, apples and milk. (The apples come with an optional "low-fat" caramel dipping sauce.)
The IOC does ban sponsorships with liquor brands -- a prohibition that Commercial Alert and Multinational Monitor argue should be extended to all alcoholic products, including beer and wine. Their study quotes George Hacker, director of the Washington-based Alcohol Policies Project, a unit of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Sports, he said, "is a fundamental building block of character building and of youth development. . . . These values are fundamentally hijacked by beer companies when they get closely associated with sports, be they Olympic or college or even professional. It belies the true value of sports." Anheuser-Busch, an Olympic sponsor since 1984, did not immediately respond to calls for comment.
The study also concluded that the Olympics, with a record 63 sponsors this year, are over-commercialized: "The Olympic ideals of promoting authentic culture and education have been drowned beneath a sea of sponsorship and marketing arrangements." It recommended that the IOC undertake its own examination of its sponsorship policies with the objective of scaling back the overall number. Sports City, Sport Business, Adweek, 18th Aug 2008
Nike and adidas Battle for Multibillion-Dollar Prize
When China's biggest sports star takes to the starting blocks this week, the nation will pray for him to end the race with a gold medal around his neck. But executives are more worried about the rest of Liu Xiang's attire. He will cross the finishing line of the 100 metres hurdles with a swoosh on his shoes - but if he makes it to the podium, he will have three stripes on his sleeve.
Never mind the athletics. The real battle in Beijing is not the struggle to top the medal table, but the multibillion-dollar fight between two giant brands intent on conquering the fastest-growing sportswear market in the world. Adidas and Nike have invested unprecedented sums in wooing Chinese consumers during the Olympics. The German firm is estimated to have spent $190m (£100m) on sponsorship and associated marketing; its US rival has stumped up close to $150m.
Adidas is sponsoring the games itself and the Chinese Olympic committee. Torchbearers, officials and volunteers are all clad in the brand; so too are Chinese champions. "Every single Chinese athlete winning a medal will be in Adidas on the podium," says Paul Pi, vice-president of marketing for Adidas China. But Nike has fought back by sponsoring the Chinese teams in 22 of 28 Olympic sports. "The moment for Chinese fans is when the gun goes off and when he crosses the finish line. If Liu's in first place, the whole nation will go completely insane with excitement - and he will be wearing swooshes," says Nike spokesman Charlie Brookes.
At the root of this rivalry is a market a fraction the size of the US - but growing at 30% annually for the past five years. Pi concluded, "If you want to lead globally, you have to lead in China." Nike says it passed the $1bn sales mark this spring, a year ahead of schedule. Adidas says it has leapfrogged its rival in becoming market leader by the start of the games, with sales up 60% in the first half of 2008 - though its claim is based on factors such as brand image. It is "on course" to reach $1.5bn by 2010.
Meanwhile, Nike's "Courage" spots emphasise individual achievement. "For us, it's about connecting with athletes: we make products that make them perform better and then build on the excitement that creates," says Brookes, citing the ultralight Hyperdunk shoe for Kobe Bryant or Asafa Powell's Zoom Aerofly. He pointed out that ordinary consumers benefit from the the same technology.
The real race is outside the Olympic zone. Adidas, which is opening stores at the rate of two a day, will have 5,000 shops in China by the end of the year. Its new store in Sanlitun - several miles away from the Bird's Nest stadium - opened last month and is the largest in the world, with 3,170 sq m of retail space over four floors. There is a rooftop basketball court, a smoothie bar, computer terminals to customise trainers and exercise stations. A gallery showcases the footwear Adidas has made for the games, from boxing boots to slides for divers - all presented in glass cases and lit with artistic reverence.
Nike has slightly fewer outlets, and its main store is a mere 1,208 sq m, but its Wangfujing location is one of Beijing's premier shopping hubs. It also boasts a gallery in the 798 art district, where the current exhibition traces the brand's development - and not a single item is for sale.
Meanwhile, the two companies face competition from sporting icon turned entrepreneur Li Ning. The three-time gold medallist demonstrated his gymnastic flair as he "ran" around the top of the Bird's Nest Stadium before lighting the Olympic cauldron - albeit dressed in Adidas. But to many young Chinese people he is as well known for his eponymous sportswear brand: sales reached $750bn last year. After his appearance, his Hong Kong-listed stock rose 3.5%.
But its appeal may be flagging for shoppers like Yang Yang, who visited Sanlitun's Adidas store shod in Nike trainers this week. "I do wear some Chinese brands - mostly Li Ning," said the 26-year-old sports teacher. "They're a lot cheaper, but the style and technology of Adidas and Nike are better. I usually buy Nike for running, but a lot of the Adidas casualwear looks really good." Rhoads believes that consumers like Yang will leave both Adidas and Nike winners for many years to come. "This market is phenomenal," he said. "China has 400 million under-20s who are watching the Olympics and falling in love with sports. Most people in China still are not playing sport. When it does catch up - wow!" Sports City, 18th Aug 2008
DATA BOX
IPTV Equipment Posts Strong Q2 Growth
Report by Synergy Research published on Advanced-Television, 19th August 2008
Synergy Research’s Q2 2008 IPTV Market Share report shows the overall IPTV equipment market growing 30.3% year over year. The fastest growing IPTV market segment was Core Router IPTV, which grew 37.9% year over year. The Synergy report finds that IPTV equipment sales continue to be driven by upgrades to Carrier networks, especially at the Edge, handling the surge in subscriber and traffic growth. Synergy anticipates Worldwide IPTV subscribers are set to increase substantially over the next two years and approach close to 40 million by 2010. Synergy research further finds that IPTV deployments in China and South Korea are developing at an accelerated pace. In Europe, Service Providers continue to heavily invest in IPTV deployments.
Percentage of Foreign Players on the Rise in Europe
Annual Review of Euro Football Players’ Labour Market published on Sport Briefing, 18th Aug 2008
The percentage of foreign footballers playing for clubs in the top flight of each of the five main European leagues is continuing to increase, according to the third Annual Review of the European Football Players’ Labour Market. The report, which is the result of a partnership between the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) and the University of Franche-Comté in France, found that foreigners made up 42.4% of all players employed by English, Spanish, Italian, German and French top-tier clubs during the 2007-08 season. The percentage represents a 3.5% increase over the previous season.
The Barclays (sponsor) Premier League in England had the highest percentage of foreign players (59.5%), with the figure reaching an average of 52.6% among the top five clubs in each of the leagues. Interestingly, more than half of the strikers (50.5%) are foreign across the five leagues, which explains why foreign players scored more than half of the total number of goals (51.9%). Non-European players now represent 50% of the total number of foreign players, whereas this percentage was only around 30% before the introduction of freedom of movement in European football. The study from the Professional Football Players Observatory (PFPO) also found that the percentage of locally trained players on clubs’ books has continued to decrease - something which FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been keen to point out with his 'six plus five' overseas player quota proposal.
According to the study, the average age of players employed by the clubs has remained from the 2006-07 season. The league with the oldest players is Italy’s Serie A TIM (sponsor) with an average age of 26.5 years, while the clubs with the youngest players are found in France’s Ligue 1 Orange (sponsor) with an average age of 24.7 years. Le Mans in France had the youngest squad of all of those studied with an average age of 22.6 years.
DID YOU KNOW?
The gold medals awarded at the Beijing Olympics are mostly made of silver, the Games' organising committee admitted Monday. Each medal contains only six percent pure gold, committe secretary-general Wang Wei said. The rest is silver, he added. Wang dismissed as "a joke" claims made by internet bloggers that the medals contained lead. The raw materials for the medals came from Australia and were vetted by a state-approved testing authority to ensure they were indeed precious metals, Wang said. News.WebIndia123, 18th August 2008
SPORTS SHORTS
* Time Broadband Services Pvt Ltd (TBSL) has announced that it will launch a slew of TV channels on GPRS-enabled mobile phone. By the end of this month, TBSL will introduce 15 free-to-air, digital entertainment and news channels on cellular phones. TBSL has plans to expand its digital bouquet to 99 mobile TV channels of varied content with interactive games and value added services. TBSL is funded by Dubai Ventures and has achieved the financial closure via second round of foreign direct investment for pan-India IPTV rollout. Indiantelevision, 18th August 2008
* Pakistan's PTCL has launched Smart TV, an IPTV service available to broadband and telephony subscribers in a bundled package. The service will initially be available to households in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad and will be extended to other cities and towns over time. Features of the TV services include time-shifting, parental controls and video-on-demand, as well as a wide range of music, sports, news, entertainment and children's channels. Three bundles are available: 0.5 Mbps for PKR 1,499, 1 Mbps for PKR 2,299 and 2 Mbps for 5,299. Customers can buy a set-top box upfront for PKR 9,995 or pay in installments of PKR 500 over 24 months. The first five on-demand videos are offered free, and additional titles cost PLR 50 each. Telecompaper, 18th August 2008
* Mobile advertising took a big hit at China’s Focus Media when it agreed to ban mobile ad spam-- slashing expected 2008 mobile revenue by $40 million. In the release, the company says it has disposed of or is discontinuing nine subsidiaries focused on the “push based mobile advertising business.” Revenue for those operations dropped to $400,000 in Q2 from $11.3 million in Q1. MocoNews.net, 17th August 2008
* Bharti Airtel, revealed that it’s subscriber base crossed the 75 million mark and became the fourth largest in-country mobile operator in the world. The company is following China Mobile, China Unicom and American AT&T in terms of subscriber base. Bharti Airtel CEO and Joint Managing Director Manoj Kohli said, “We are happy to have achieved this milestone of being the largest integrated telco in the country, in customer terms. For us, the benchmark of real leadership is customer delight and would like to thank all our customers for placing their faith in us.” The company has also become one of fastest growing telecom company. Wireless Federation, 18th August 2008
* Dialog Telekom, Sri Lanka, posted it’s subscriber base growth which grew by 31% to reach 4.8 million subscribers at the end of June 2008. In the H1, consolidated group revenue rose by 13% year-on-year to LKR18.27 billion (USD179 million), with growth restricted by tariff reductions and other affordability strategies implemented in late 2007. EBITDA, in H1, represented a decline of 26% compared to the LKR7.24 billion. H1 net income was impacted even harder by the rising costs, falling 66% year-on-year to LKR1.64 billion. Wireless Federation, 18th August 2008
* Qtel, Qatar, gave it’s 3G subscribers a new surprise by launching an offer called Unlimited Live TV. This offers an unlimited access to mobile TV broadcasts for 24 hours for fee of QAR5 (USD1.37). The Mozaic 3G Live TV service now has four of Qatar’s most popular channels - Al Jazeera, Cartoon Network, Al Jazeera and Al Kaas. Wireless Federation, 18th August 2008
* Nasim Ashraf has stepped down as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board following the resignation today of the country’s president Pervez Musharraf. Ashraf, who owed his position to the president, said he felt duty bound to stand aside in the circumstances. Musharraf appointed Ashraf in September 2006. He offered to step down when Pakistan were knocked out in the first round of the 2007 Cricket World Cup, but Musharraf refused to accept his resignation. Ashraf insisted that his own resignation would not affect the ICC Champions Trophy, the one-day international tournament which is due to take place in Pakistan next month. Sportcal, Sports City, 18th Aug 2008
* Manchester United has agreed a partnership with Saudi Telecom thought to be one of the most lucrative non-shirt sponsorship agreements in British football. The five-year deal with Saudi Arabia's largest telecommunications company was announced at Old Trafford on Sunday as the Barclays Premier League champion kicked off the defence of its title with a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United. The deal is reportedly worth US$18.6 million to United, whose main sponsor AIG pays $27.4 million per season for the right to have its logo emblazoned across the club’s shirt. Further details of the Saudi Telecom agreement are expected to be revealed at a news conference today. Sport Briefing, Sport Business, Sportcal, Sports City, News.WebIndia123, 18th Aug 2008
* The World Golf League (WGL) Million Dollar Shootout will be broadcast in 11 European countries this autumn thanks to an agreement between WGL Entertainment Holdings and European television network America Unleashed. Golf enthusiasts in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Denmark, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro will be able to enjoy the show, which features teams of club golfers playing for a prize of US$1 million with help from famous golf names including Fred Funk and Mark Calcavecchia, over a seven-week period. Sport Briefing, 18th Aug 2008
* The German Football League (DFL) has entered into a partnership with the German Sports Foundation (Sporthilfe) that is designed to use the Bundesliga’s expertise to benefit all sports in the country. The two parties have signed an initial agreement through to 2010, with the partnership being sealed at a press conference in Beijing. Professional football will now seek to support the elite athletes in German sport as part of a co-operation which will also place a heavy emphasis on the media sector. Sport Briefing, 18th Aug 2008
* Premier League’s Richard Scudamore remains convinced the worldwide interest in the English top flight has sufficient life in it for the much-discussed international dimension to be worth further investigation. Stunned at the antagonism towards the ‘39th game’ proposal for a round of fixtures to be played overseas, Scudamore is now looking at alternatives. One idea is to play a round of friendly matches during a winter break, although a disappointing crowd for the recent friendly between Manchester United and Portsmouth in Nigeria proves work still needs to be done on ticket pricing. Scudamore even feels an extra match overseas would generate increased competition within the League as a whole. “ Sport Briefing, 18th Aug 2008
* The International Cycling Union (UCI) has announced an initiative which should end its three-year conflict with the Tour de France organisers over its ProTour series. UCI told that development followed talks requested by the owners of the Tour de France, the Amaury Group, under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the mediation of former ski champion Jean-Claude Killy. Under the new plan, the current road cycling calendar will be retained, with the UCI Pro Tour on the one hand and on the other the Historical Calendar, which regroups the monuments of cycling like the big Tours and the oldest one-day classics. Results in both calendars will award points in a new ranking system, which will be used from 2011 onwards to determine the 17 teams automatically qualifying to take part in the Tour de France. Sport Business, Sportcal, Sports City, 18th Aug 2008
* Chengdu in China and Cairo in Egypt will host the Modern Pentathlon World Championships in 2010 and 2011, respectively, the UIPM, the sport’s world governing body, has announced. The decision was taken at an extraordinary meeting of the UIPM executive board, held in Beijing today. Sportcal, 18th Aug 2008
* Private equity venture SEACOM said a fibre optic undersea cable linking east Africa to Europe and Asia would be launched in June 2009, in time for the 2010 soccer World Cup. It said in a statement it would start laying the $650-million cable, which is needed to provide high-speed Internet access and spur investment, in October. The 15 000 km cable will wind around the east of the continent between South Africa and Egypt, then on to Mumbai in India and Marseille in France. The group will start connecting sections of the cable in April 2009. The cable will provide 1.28 terabits per second of broadband capacity to enable high definition TV and provide inexpensive bandwidth. Sports City, 18th Aug 2008
* Spaniard Rafael Nadal dethroned Roger Federer from the top billing, ending his record four-and-half-year reign as the top tennis star. Nadal had to wait for three consecutive years on the second pedestal to unseat the Swiss champion. Nadal had a spectacular season this year, winning the French Open followed by Wimbledon and then Sunday an Olympic gold medal. Federer, on the other hand, is yet to win any major title. News.WebIndia123, 18th August 2008
* Fantasy football will cost U.S. employers $9.2 billion in lost work time this season, a private research group said. Researchers Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Monday the 17-week National Football League schedule will subtract 1.19 hours of productivity per week from about 17 million Americans who participate. Most employers understand that not every minute of the day is dedicated to work. In fact, in today's 24-7 global economy, it is likely that work bleeds into our personal lives, said Chief Executive Officer John Challenger. Clearly, 17 million workers sacked is unlikely, but Challenger advocated for leaving well enough alone. Managers should only crack down on those whose work is clearly suffering from the added distraction. An across-the-board ban on all fantasy football or sports Web sites could backfire in the form of reduced morale and loyalty, he said. News.WebIndia123, 18th August 2008
* London 2012 organisers are facing calls to cut the length of the opening ceremony after athletes in Beijing spent up to six hours on their feet. Coe acknowledged the concerns, but said the ceremony remained a key part of the Olympic experience for many athletes. He said: “I never went to an opening ceremony when I was running - I was confronted with seven races in nine days and thought that standing around for six or seven hours and being bussed halfway around the city was not something conducive with the previous 10 years’ preparation. We will look at it for London and I will do what I can to make sure that the opening ceremony reflects an athletes’ parade with the most benign circumstances for them.” Sport Briefing, 18th Aug 2008
* The Chinese Customs Office has enlisted the help of top film star Jackie Chan in an effort to stop the sale of unauthorised Olympic Games goods. A public service advertising campaign called “Say no to fake, say no to pirating” has been aired on a number of airlines since the start of August. Unofficial clothes, shoes, bags, bicycles and souvenirs have been confiscated in China and a stock of nearly 37,000 shirts with “Beijine2008” on the front. 227 batches of goods, including 630,000 individual products that infringe Olympic Games copyrights, have been found so far. The confiscated goods have a street value of several hundred thousand US dollars. Sport Briefing, 18th Aug 2008
* An injury to China’s biggest athletics star, Liu Xiang has halted his defence of the 110m hurdles Olympic title before it even started, leaving a large roster of sponsors without their day in the sun. The Athens 2004 hurdles champion hurt his Achilles tendon during a false start by another athlete, pulling up after just a few metres and hobbling from the track in front of a capacity crowd stunned into silence. As the Games face of Nike, Coca-Cola, Visa, China Mobile and Yili, Liu earned a reported 163.2 million yuan (US$23.9 million) in 2007, propelling him to third on Forbes’ Famous Chinese People list. However, his failure on the track will limit the amount of exposure these sponsors gain. Brand Republic Asia, 18th Aug 2008
Olympics Proves a Hit in Southeast Asia - Except Indonesia
The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics saw a spike in TV ratings in Singapore and Malaysia - but flopped in Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest TV market. In Singapore, TV viewership for the Olympics opening ceremony showed a marked increase on the Athens Olympics, with the biggest spike registered by 25 to 44-year-old men, according to TNS. The highest ratings were registered among children aged four to 14, while teens and young adults aged between 15 and 24 had the lowest ratings. Channel 5 was a clear winner, registering 47% audience share.
In Malaysia, a survey by ACNielsen showed a dramatic increase in ratings and channel share for the terrestrial station RTM1, on which the opening ceremony was telecast. RTM1’s channel share shot up from six per cent to 32% during the opening ceremony. All other channels, including the most popular, TV3, lost viewers to RTM1. Viewership data for pay-TV channel Astro was not available, but it is expected to have enjoyed similar increases in audience.
Meanwhile, in Indonesia, only 242,000 people tuned in to watch the opening ceremony on national network TVRI. The channel's share was a paltry 2.4%. The Athens Olympics registered better ratings since they were shown on a commercial terrestrial network. TVRI is the non-commercial government-run network in Indonesia and typically attracts small audiences. Brand Republic Asia, 18th Aug 2008
Doordashan Fails to Capture Key Moments
The entire country has been rejoicing the victory of Abhinav Bindra's Olympic gold, but there has been considerable displeasure from several quarters of viewers in India. Reason? They have been unable to witness some key moments in the ongoing Olympic Games, which has been broadcasted by Doordarshan in India.
Baskaran, the former captain of the Indian hockey team that won the gold in 1980 Moscow Olympics, who has been following the Beijing games closely since it began, says, "The coverage given by Doordarshan to the Indian sportspersons is inadequate. For the first time in so many years, we won a gold medal but the publicity from the official broadcaster was pathetic."
Adam Sinclair, a hockey player from Coimbatore and an Olympian who participated in the Athens 2004 says, "The Olympics is without a doubt, the biggest sporting event in the world. You need able commentators who can grab the attention of the viewers and keep them riveted to the game. I have been able to detect several technical mistakes when the commentators speak about any given game."
Sinclair adds, "DD's coverage of sports relevant to India leaves a lot to be desired. Moreover, on the first day of the Games, they telecast a cycling race for about 30 minutes and just a few minutes before the finale, they switched to a different segment of another sport. I found this frustrating as the last minutes are the most exciting in any game. Doordarshan should have co-ordinated the proceedings better." When Televisionpoint.com, tried to contact Doordarshan, we were told that the officials concerned with the Olympics were in Beijing and were not available for comment.
However, a source who did not wish to be identified said, "I feel very strongly about this issue. It's purely lack of co-ordination among the powers that be. We missed out on giving proper coverage to Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore at the Olympics this year. A big contingent from Doordarshan has gone to Beijing, sadly it's not showing in the quality of broadcast that's coming to India." Televisionpoint, 18th August 2008
Study Criticises IOC Sponsorship Policies
Ads running on NBC's coverage of the Beijing Games tout Coca-Cola's 80-year association with the Olympics. McDonald's ads say it has been an Olympic sponsor for 40 years. But if public interest group Commercial Alert had its way, both companies, among others, including Anheuser-Busch, one of three beer sponsors at this year's Games, would be barred from all marketing ties to the Olympics. Washington D.C.-based Commercial Alert teamed with Multinational Monitor, which tracks the activities of big corporations, on a new study called "The Commercial Games." The study is highly critical of the sponsorship and advertising policies of the International Olympic Committee and the various sports federations and national committees under its auspices.
The groups argue that the marketing of junk foods, sodas, fast-food chains and alcoholic beverages should be eliminated from the Games. Their reasoning: such products conflict with the stated purpose of the Olympics, which they say is to "celebrate healthful living." Promoting such products in the widely watched Olympics, the study says, is "unhealthful," and particularly inappropriate "for an event with enormous appeal to children."
Others took issue with the report, including McDonald's, which objected to the study's labeling of its product as "unhealthy." A rep said the company had gone to great lengths over the last five or six years to offer balanced meals that include fruits and vegetables and other healthy edibles. He also said sponsorship deals like McDonald's help make the Games possible (along, of course, with lucrative TV rights deals).
Brand consultant Robert Passikoff, CEO of New York-based Brandkeys, agreed with one assertion in the report: that the Games, with a total of 63 "official" sponsors, are probably over-commercialized. That said, he added: "The question is why should they cut back? They're making an awful lot of money on it. Why should anyone other than the consumers and the marketing folks be the arbiter of what's right and wrong? No research group should have the right to tell them who to do business with; who put them in charge?"
It is true that the Olympics attracts a huge audience of both adults and children. Nielsen ratings for the first five days of coverage showed an average audience of 31.3 million total viewers. Last Tuesday, about 1.3 million kids aged 6 to 11 tuned in to NBC's prime-time coverage, according to Nielsen estimates.
The study, released Aug. 6, also chastises the IOC for what the groups believe is its lack of concern that some companies with marketing ties to the Games rely on so-called "sweatshops" that offer substandard wages and working conditions to produce goods. It specifically cited Nike and Adidas as companies that haven't taken effective steps to eliminate sweatshop conditions within their supply chains. Nike and Adidas did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
The study also criticizes the IOC for awarding "monopolies" to sponsors such as Visa and Coke that limit spectator choices at the Games themselves. Only non-alcoholic beverages marketed by Coca-Cola are available at the Olympics, and Visa is the only credit card accepted there. The study characterizes Coca-Cola and McDonald's as companies that "run businesses centered around unhealthy food." Each company paid about $70 million for its current sponsorship rights, the study estimates. Arguing that both agreements are inappropriate, it concludes, "Junk foods contribute to obesity, a major public health problem not just in the United States but in many countries around the world including China. . . . The Olympics should not lend its name and aura to help promote more consumption of these unhealthy products."
Neither the IOC nor Coke responded to requests for comment. But McDonald's strongly protested being labeled by the study as a purveyor of unhealthy foods and argued that it has a proper role as an Olympic sponsor. "It makes the games possible," a McDonald's rep told Adweek. "The organizers and the athletes recognize that we have wide choices and variety across our menu to design a very well-balanced meal." The rep agreed that "millions of kids see our ads," which he argued convey appropriate messages. One of the ads airing during NBC's coverage of the Beijing Games features children playing soccer and then being treated to Happy Meals with chicken, apples and milk. (The apples come with an optional "low-fat" caramel dipping sauce.)
The IOC does ban sponsorships with liquor brands -- a prohibition that Commercial Alert and Multinational Monitor argue should be extended to all alcoholic products, including beer and wine. Their study quotes George Hacker, director of the Washington-based Alcohol Policies Project, a unit of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Sports, he said, "is a fundamental building block of character building and of youth development. . . . These values are fundamentally hijacked by beer companies when they get closely associated with sports, be they Olympic or college or even professional. It belies the true value of sports." Anheuser-Busch, an Olympic sponsor since 1984, did not immediately respond to calls for comment.
The study also concluded that the Olympics, with a record 63 sponsors this year, are over-commercialized: "The Olympic ideals of promoting authentic culture and education have been drowned beneath a sea of sponsorship and marketing arrangements." It recommended that the IOC undertake its own examination of its sponsorship policies with the objective of scaling back the overall number. Sports City, Sport Business, Adweek, 18th Aug 2008
Nike and adidas Battle for Multibillion-Dollar Prize
When China's biggest sports star takes to the starting blocks this week, the nation will pray for him to end the race with a gold medal around his neck. But executives are more worried about the rest of Liu Xiang's attire. He will cross the finishing line of the 100 metres hurdles with a swoosh on his shoes - but if he makes it to the podium, he will have three stripes on his sleeve.
Never mind the athletics. The real battle in Beijing is not the struggle to top the medal table, but the multibillion-dollar fight between two giant brands intent on conquering the fastest-growing sportswear market in the world. Adidas and Nike have invested unprecedented sums in wooing Chinese consumers during the Olympics. The German firm is estimated to have spent $190m (£100m) on sponsorship and associated marketing; its US rival has stumped up close to $150m.
Adidas is sponsoring the games itself and the Chinese Olympic committee. Torchbearers, officials and volunteers are all clad in the brand; so too are Chinese champions. "Every single Chinese athlete winning a medal will be in Adidas on the podium," says Paul Pi, vice-president of marketing for Adidas China. But Nike has fought back by sponsoring the Chinese teams in 22 of 28 Olympic sports. "The moment for Chinese fans is when the gun goes off and when he crosses the finish line. If Liu's in first place, the whole nation will go completely insane with excitement - and he will be wearing swooshes," says Nike spokesman Charlie Brookes.
At the root of this rivalry is a market a fraction the size of the US - but growing at 30% annually for the past five years. Pi concluded, "If you want to lead globally, you have to lead in China." Nike says it passed the $1bn sales mark this spring, a year ahead of schedule. Adidas says it has leapfrogged its rival in becoming market leader by the start of the games, with sales up 60% in the first half of 2008 - though its claim is based on factors such as brand image. It is "on course" to reach $1.5bn by 2010.
Meanwhile, Nike's "Courage" spots emphasise individual achievement. "For us, it's about connecting with athletes: we make products that make them perform better and then build on the excitement that creates," says Brookes, citing the ultralight Hyperdunk shoe for Kobe Bryant or Asafa Powell's Zoom Aerofly. He pointed out that ordinary consumers benefit from the the same technology.
The real race is outside the Olympic zone. Adidas, which is opening stores at the rate of two a day, will have 5,000 shops in China by the end of the year. Its new store in Sanlitun - several miles away from the Bird's Nest stadium - opened last month and is the largest in the world, with 3,170 sq m of retail space over four floors. There is a rooftop basketball court, a smoothie bar, computer terminals to customise trainers and exercise stations. A gallery showcases the footwear Adidas has made for the games, from boxing boots to slides for divers - all presented in glass cases and lit with artistic reverence.
Nike has slightly fewer outlets, and its main store is a mere 1,208 sq m, but its Wangfujing location is one of Beijing's premier shopping hubs. It also boasts a gallery in the 798 art district, where the current exhibition traces the brand's development - and not a single item is for sale.
Meanwhile, the two companies face competition from sporting icon turned entrepreneur Li Ning. The three-time gold medallist demonstrated his gymnastic flair as he "ran" around the top of the Bird's Nest Stadium before lighting the Olympic cauldron - albeit dressed in Adidas. But to many young Chinese people he is as well known for his eponymous sportswear brand: sales reached $750bn last year. After his appearance, his Hong Kong-listed stock rose 3.5%.
But its appeal may be flagging for shoppers like Yang Yang, who visited Sanlitun's Adidas store shod in Nike trainers this week. "I do wear some Chinese brands - mostly Li Ning," said the 26-year-old sports teacher. "They're a lot cheaper, but the style and technology of Adidas and Nike are better. I usually buy Nike for running, but a lot of the Adidas casualwear looks really good." Rhoads believes that consumers like Yang will leave both Adidas and Nike winners for many years to come. "This market is phenomenal," he said. "China has 400 million under-20s who are watching the Olympics and falling in love with sports. Most people in China still are not playing sport. When it does catch up - wow!" Sports City, 18th Aug 2008
DATA BOX
IPTV Equipment Posts Strong Q2 Growth
Report by Synergy Research published on Advanced-Television, 19th August 2008
Synergy Research’s Q2 2008 IPTV Market Share report shows the overall IPTV equipment market growing 30.3% year over year. The fastest growing IPTV market segment was Core Router IPTV, which grew 37.9% year over year. The Synergy report finds that IPTV equipment sales continue to be driven by upgrades to Carrier networks, especially at the Edge, handling the surge in subscriber and traffic growth. Synergy anticipates Worldwide IPTV subscribers are set to increase substantially over the next two years and approach close to 40 million by 2010. Synergy research further finds that IPTV deployments in China and South Korea are developing at an accelerated pace. In Europe, Service Providers continue to heavily invest in IPTV deployments.
Percentage of Foreign Players on the Rise in Europe
Annual Review of Euro Football Players’ Labour Market published on Sport Briefing, 18th Aug 2008
The percentage of foreign footballers playing for clubs in the top flight of each of the five main European leagues is continuing to increase, according to the third Annual Review of the European Football Players’ Labour Market. The report, which is the result of a partnership between the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) and the University of Franche-Comté in France, found that foreigners made up 42.4% of all players employed by English, Spanish, Italian, German and French top-tier clubs during the 2007-08 season. The percentage represents a 3.5% increase over the previous season.
The Barclays (sponsor) Premier League in England had the highest percentage of foreign players (59.5%), with the figure reaching an average of 52.6% among the top five clubs in each of the leagues. Interestingly, more than half of the strikers (50.5%) are foreign across the five leagues, which explains why foreign players scored more than half of the total number of goals (51.9%). Non-European players now represent 50% of the total number of foreign players, whereas this percentage was only around 30% before the introduction of freedom of movement in European football. The study from the Professional Football Players Observatory (PFPO) also found that the percentage of locally trained players on clubs’ books has continued to decrease - something which FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been keen to point out with his 'six plus five' overseas player quota proposal.
According to the study, the average age of players employed by the clubs has remained from the 2006-07 season. The league with the oldest players is Italy’s Serie A TIM (sponsor) with an average age of 26.5 years, while the clubs with the youngest players are found in France’s Ligue 1 Orange (sponsor) with an average age of 24.7 years. Le Mans in France had the youngest squad of all of those studied with an average age of 22.6 years.
DID YOU KNOW?
The gold medals awarded at the Beijing Olympics are mostly made of silver, the Games' organising committee admitted Monday. Each medal contains only six percent pure gold, committe secretary-general Wang Wei said. The rest is silver, he added. Wang dismissed as "a joke" claims made by internet bloggers that the medals contained lead. The raw materials for the medals came from Australia and were vetted by a state-approved testing authority to ensure they were indeed precious metals, Wang said. News.WebIndia123, 18th August 2008
SPORTS SHORTS
* Time Broadband Services Pvt Ltd (TBSL) has announced that it will launch a slew of TV channels on GPRS-enabled mobile phone. By the end of this month, TBSL will introduce 15 free-to-air, digital entertainment and news channels on cellular phones. TBSL has plans to expand its digital bouquet to 99 mobile TV channels of varied content with interactive games and value added services. TBSL is funded by Dubai Ventures and has achieved the financial closure via second round of foreign direct investment for pan-India IPTV rollout. Indiantelevision, 18th August 2008
* Pakistan's PTCL has launched Smart TV, an IPTV service available to broadband and telephony subscribers in a bundled package. The service will initially be available to households in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad and will be extended to other cities and towns over time. Features of the TV services include time-shifting, parental controls and video-on-demand, as well as a wide range of music, sports, news, entertainment and children's channels. Three bundles are available: 0.5 Mbps for PKR 1,499, 1 Mbps for PKR 2,299 and 2 Mbps for 5,299. Customers can buy a set-top box upfront for PKR 9,995 or pay in installments of PKR 500 over 24 months. The first five on-demand videos are offered free, and additional titles cost PLR 50 each. Telecompaper, 18th August 2008
* Mobile advertising took a big hit at China’s Focus Media when it agreed to ban mobile ad spam-- slashing expected 2008 mobile revenue by $40 million. In the release, the company says it has disposed of or is discontinuing nine subsidiaries focused on the “push based mobile advertising business.” Revenue for those operations dropped to $400,000 in Q2 from $11.3 million in Q1. MocoNews.net, 17th August 2008
* Bharti Airtel, revealed that it’s subscriber base crossed the 75 million mark and became the fourth largest in-country mobile operator in the world. The company is following China Mobile, China Unicom and American AT&T in terms of subscriber base. Bharti Airtel CEO and Joint Managing Director Manoj Kohli said, “We are happy to have achieved this milestone of being the largest integrated telco in the country, in customer terms. For us, the benchmark of real leadership is customer delight and would like to thank all our customers for placing their faith in us.” The company has also become one of fastest growing telecom company. Wireless Federation, 18th August 2008
* Dialog Telekom, Sri Lanka, posted it’s subscriber base growth which grew by 31% to reach 4.8 million subscribers at the end of June 2008. In the H1, consolidated group revenue rose by 13% year-on-year to LKR18.27 billion (USD179 million), with growth restricted by tariff reductions and other affordability strategies implemented in late 2007. EBITDA, in H1, represented a decline of 26% compared to the LKR7.24 billion. H1 net income was impacted even harder by the rising costs, falling 66% year-on-year to LKR1.64 billion. Wireless Federation, 18th August 2008
* Qtel, Qatar, gave it’s 3G subscribers a new surprise by launching an offer called Unlimited Live TV. This offers an unlimited access to mobile TV broadcasts for 24 hours for fee of QAR5 (USD1.37). The Mozaic 3G Live TV service now has four of Qatar’s most popular channels - Al Jazeera, Cartoon Network, Al Jazeera and Al Kaas. Wireless Federation, 18th August 2008
* Nasim Ashraf has stepped down as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board following the resignation today of the country’s president Pervez Musharraf. Ashraf, who owed his position to the president, said he felt duty bound to stand aside in the circumstances. Musharraf appointed Ashraf in September 2006. He offered to step down when Pakistan were knocked out in the first round of the 2007 Cricket World Cup, but Musharraf refused to accept his resignation. Ashraf insisted that his own resignation would not affect the ICC Champions Trophy, the one-day international tournament which is due to take place in Pakistan next month. Sportcal, Sports City, 18th Aug 2008
* Manchester United has agreed a partnership with Saudi Telecom thought to be one of the most lucrative non-shirt sponsorship agreements in British football. The five-year deal with Saudi Arabia's largest telecommunications company was announced at Old Trafford on Sunday as the Barclays Premier League champion kicked off the defence of its title with a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United. The deal is reportedly worth US$18.6 million to United, whose main sponsor AIG pays $27.4 million per season for the right to have its logo emblazoned across the club’s shirt. Further details of the Saudi Telecom agreement are expected to be revealed at a news conference today. Sport Briefing, Sport Business, Sportcal, Sports City, News.WebIndia123, 18th Aug 2008
* The World Golf League (WGL) Million Dollar Shootout will be broadcast in 11 European countries this autumn thanks to an agreement between WGL Entertainment Holdings and European television network America Unleashed. Golf enthusiasts in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Denmark, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro will be able to enjoy the show, which features teams of club golfers playing for a prize of US$1 million with help from famous golf names including Fred Funk and Mark Calcavecchia, over a seven-week period. Sport Briefing, 18th Aug 2008
* The German Football League (DFL) has entered into a partnership with the German Sports Foundation (Sporthilfe) that is designed to use the Bundesliga’s expertise to benefit all sports in the country. The two parties have signed an initial agreement through to 2010, with the partnership being sealed at a press conference in Beijing. Professional football will now seek to support the elite athletes in German sport as part of a co-operation which will also place a heavy emphasis on the media sector. Sport Briefing, 18th Aug 2008
* Premier League’s Richard Scudamore remains convinced the worldwide interest in the English top flight has sufficient life in it for the much-discussed international dimension to be worth further investigation. Stunned at the antagonism towards the ‘39th game’ proposal for a round of fixtures to be played overseas, Scudamore is now looking at alternatives. One idea is to play a round of friendly matches during a winter break, although a disappointing crowd for the recent friendly between Manchester United and Portsmouth in Nigeria proves work still needs to be done on ticket pricing. Scudamore even feels an extra match overseas would generate increased competition within the League as a whole. “ Sport Briefing, 18th Aug 2008
* The International Cycling Union (UCI) has announced an initiative which should end its three-year conflict with the Tour de France organisers over its ProTour series. UCI told that development followed talks requested by the owners of the Tour de France, the Amaury Group, under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the mediation of former ski champion Jean-Claude Killy. Under the new plan, the current road cycling calendar will be retained, with the UCI Pro Tour on the one hand and on the other the Historical Calendar, which regroups the monuments of cycling like the big Tours and the oldest one-day classics. Results in both calendars will award points in a new ranking system, which will be used from 2011 onwards to determine the 17 teams automatically qualifying to take part in the Tour de France. Sport Business, Sportcal, Sports City, 18th Aug 2008
* Chengdu in China and Cairo in Egypt will host the Modern Pentathlon World Championships in 2010 and 2011, respectively, the UIPM, the sport’s world governing body, has announced. The decision was taken at an extraordinary meeting of the UIPM executive board, held in Beijing today. Sportcal, 18th Aug 2008
* Private equity venture SEACOM said a fibre optic undersea cable linking east Africa to Europe and Asia would be launched in June 2009, in time for the 2010 soccer World Cup. It said in a statement it would start laying the $650-million cable, which is needed to provide high-speed Internet access and spur investment, in October. The 15 000 km cable will wind around the east of the continent between South Africa and Egypt, then on to Mumbai in India and Marseille in France. The group will start connecting sections of the cable in April 2009. The cable will provide 1.28 terabits per second of broadband capacity to enable high definition TV and provide inexpensive bandwidth. Sports City, 18th Aug 2008
* Spaniard Rafael Nadal dethroned Roger Federer from the top billing, ending his record four-and-half-year reign as the top tennis star. Nadal had to wait for three consecutive years on the second pedestal to unseat the Swiss champion. Nadal had a spectacular season this year, winning the French Open followed by Wimbledon and then Sunday an Olympic gold medal. Federer, on the other hand, is yet to win any major title. News.WebIndia123, 18th August 2008
* Fantasy football will cost U.S. employers $9.2 billion in lost work time this season, a private research group said. Researchers Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Monday the 17-week National Football League schedule will subtract 1.19 hours of productivity per week from about 17 million Americans who participate. Most employers understand that not every minute of the day is dedicated to work. In fact, in today's 24-7 global economy, it is likely that work bleeds into our personal lives, said Chief Executive Officer John Challenger. Clearly, 17 million workers sacked is unlikely, but Challenger advocated for leaving well enough alone. Managers should only crack down on those whose work is clearly suffering from the added distraction. An across-the-board ban on all fantasy football or sports Web sites could backfire in the form of reduced morale and loyalty, he said. News.WebIndia123, 18th August 2008