Wednesday, 16th January 2008

INFO BOX

SMS Junkies

Malaysia recorded the third highest number of SMSes sent in Asia Pacific, after Philippines and Indonesia, during the 2007/8 new year period, according to Acision. Acision also found worldwide phone users sent 43 billion text messages, a 30% increase from last year. SMS traffic is expected to reach trillions this year. "The surge in SMS traffic during this festive season is a clear indication that the service continues to be a favourite method of communication for the millions of people in Asia Pacific, and will remain so as we move into 2008," Boudewijn Pesch, managing director of Acision Asia Pacific, said. Number of SMSs sent during the festive period over 2007/8:

* Phillipines - 1.39 billion SMS (50 million subscribers)
* Indonesia - 990 million
* Malaysia - 951 million
* Taiwan - 200 million
* Singapore - 180 million
* Thailand - 113 million
Marketing Interactive, 15th Jan 2008


WHAT’S THE BUZZ?

Oprah Winfrey Gets Own TV Network

Oprah Winfrey is getting her own TV network. OWN — for Oprah Winfrey Network — will debut next year in nearly 70 million homes with cable and satellite, part of a deal announced Tuesday with Discovery Communications. It will replace the Discovery Health network. The announcement builds a media empire that already includes the top-rated TV talk show, a magazine, a satellite radio network, a Web site and TV movies made under her banner. "This is an evolution of what I've been able to do every day," Winfrey said. "I will now have the opportunity to do this 24 hours a day on a platform that goes on forever."

She will be chairwoman of the network, owned 50-50 by Discovery and her company, Harpo Productions Inc. In return for taking over a network already operated by Discovery, Winfrey gives half ownership of the Oprah.com Web site. Winfrey envisions the programming dealing with issues such as money, health, weight, relationships and raising children. Some of the stable of in-house experts she uses on "Oprah" and the XM satellite radio station might be expected to contribute. Yahoo, B&C, 15th Jan 2008


SPORTS SHORTS

* India’s Zee Television wants mobile TV in India to wait until the government has allocated third-generation spectrum in order to prevent current mobile operators from getting an unfair advantage. In its submission to India’s telecoms regulator Trai, Zee argues that if Trai’s recommendation that mobile operators can launch mobile TV on second-generation networks goes ahead, it would give mobile operators a head-start on broadcasters, who must wait until licences for 3G networks are allocated. There is as yet no timetable for that to happen. Zee is also unhappy that there is no indication of what content will be allowed on mobile TV and whether mobile companies would be able to launch their own channels thereby becoming broadcasters, currently not able to be mobile TV operators or must buy in third-party services. Rapid TV News, 15th Jan 2008

* Golf’s Asian Tour has ended its dispute with the European Tour after reaching an agreement to co-sanction the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea. This follows a similar deal for the Indian Masters. The Asian Tour today confirmed its 2008 schedule and both tournaments are listed as co-sanctioned events. The European Tour was accused by the Asian Tour of ‘colonising’ Asia when it organised the Ballantine’s Championship and the Indian Masters without first consulting its counterpart. However, in December, the European Tour, Asian Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India reached an agreement to co-sanction the $2.5-million Indian Masters, which will take place at Delhi Golf Club in February. The Ballantine’s Championship will have a purse of $2.9 million, making it the most lucrative golf event in South Korea. Pinx Golf Club on Jeju Island will act as host in March. Sportcal, 15th Jan 2008

* More than a half-billion homes will be broadband enabled by 2011, says Strategy Analytics. It’s a totally staggering figure, but Strategy Analytics say the growth of DSL-based broadband is helping fuel massive expansion. DSL connections represent more than half of the 536m projections. Over the next five years, however, it will be fibre and WiMAX that boosts growth even further. Revenues could pass $150 billion in 2011, with the healthiest regions being Europe, Asia and North America. All in all the growth represents a 13% annual growth rate, says David Mercer, a senior analyst at Strategy Analytics. Rapid TV News, 15th Jan 2008

* However, another report from Point Topic, talks about broadband’s growth slowing. At Q3/2007, says Point Topic, there were 328.8m broadband subscribers worldwide, an increase of 4.72% on the previous quarter, and down from 5.16% increase reported in Q2. Although the percentage increase in South and East Asia was down on Q207 (6.14% in Q2 and 6.04% in Q3) the region reported the highest number of net adds with 3.9 million. With 3.5 million new broadband users, China accounted for 90% of the growth. Rapid TV News, 15th Jan 2008


MORE NEWS

WWE: Offer of HD Programming

World Wrestling Entertainment will begin delivering several shows on various networks in HD, beginning January 21. The shows to begin broadcasting in HD include WWE’s Monday Night RAW and A.M. RAW on USA, ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling on SCI FI Channel, and Friday Night SmackDown on The CW. In addition, WWE will also broadcast its pay-per-views in HD, starting with Royal Rumble on January 27.

WWE has built new sets for RAW and SmackDown for their HD debuts. The switch to HD comes after a series of upgrades to the company’s television studios in Stamford, Connecticut, including $20 million in renovations. The WWE also worked with NEP Supershooters to build two new production trucks, and will lease a custom transmission truck designed for HD transmission. “The move to high-definition programming is another step in WWE’s ongoing mission to provide fans with the most engaging, exciting product possible, and our programs look spectacular in HD,” said Mike Grossman, the senior VP of television operations at WWE. “This upgrade will be the first of many technological advances for our brand in 2008.” Worldscreen, 15th Jan 2008

India/Rights: Sony Covets Exclusivity in Indian Premier League Deal

Sony Entertainment Television is confident that its 10-year deal rights deal for the Indian Premier League, the country’s new Twenty20 competition, will entail exclusivity in the domestic market. The Indian broadcaster yesterday secured the rights in an agreement worth in excess of $1 billion, a massive show of support for the short format event. SET chief executive Kunal Dasgupta said that the 59 matches in the inaugural competition, which starts in April, will be televised ‘exclusively’ on SET Max.

Lalit Modi, the chairman and commissioner of the IPL, does not believes that state broadcaster Doordarshan will seek access to the matches. Doordarshan currently has the right to show India’s home matches under legislation covering events of national importance, but it is not thought that the law stretches to the IPL. Modi, who is also the vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, told the Hindustan Times newspaper: ‘As of now, we haven't heard anything from them [Doordarshan]. And I don't think the question should arise because, till now, they have been interested only in international matches.’

It has emerged that Sony were effectively unopposed in the final stages of the race for the IPL rights. Nimbus Communications, the Indian sports marketing and media company which owns the rights to the national team's home international matches until 2010, declined to bid, believing the terms circulated by the IPL were too one-sided. Pan-Asian sports broadcaster ESPN Star Sports was turned away after it submitted a conditional bid, while the request by Network Solutions, a group led by television network NDTV, to delay the process by 48 hours was rejected by the BCCI.

Singapore-based sports agency World Sport Group, which supported SET’s successful bid for the IPL, has been rewarded with the task of distributing television rights and selling advertising space internationally. Dasgupta told the Business Standard newspaper: ‘WSG will explore the international market while Sony will cater to the [Indian] subcontinent.’ The first edition of the IPL, which will involve eight franchise teams, is due to commence on April 18 and feature a host of overseas stars, as well as the best Indian talent. Sportcal, Rapid TV News, 15th Jan 2008

India/Rights: Zee TV Gets Landing Rights in China

Zee TV has been permitted landing rights in China and local satellite operators can include this in their bouquets of channels in mainland China. Commerce minister Kamal Nath, who accompanied Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the latter’s first visit as PM to that country revealed this to newspersons in Beijing. Nath said India had given a similar permission to China Central Television's English channel, CCTV-9 more than a week ago. "This will help in enhancing interactions in the field of entertainment," Nath pointed out.

Nath had earlier discussed the downlinking of Indian broadcast channels in China with his Chinese counterpart Chen Deming. "I am hoping that this market access proposal will be accepted, and in turn, will strengthen our cultural understanding of each other. It will also open up the Chinese market for our content services, animation, gaming and special effects in the future," he had said. Zee had applied for landing rights permission in September 2006. The downlink approval clears the way for Zee to now be able to offer a 24-hour, tailor-made product for the Chinese market. Indiantelevision.com, 15th Jan 2008

Japan/Rights: Jidou Breaks into Japan & European TV Markets in 2008

After Hong Kong, Indonesia and the Philippines, Jidou is breaking into Multiple TV Markets including Japan, Spain, Greece and Cyprus with its Award-Winning Animation series Jidougames. With a track record in setting industry milestones, Jidou has taken Hong Kong Independent Digital Entertainment industry to a whole new level in the competitive world of global animation.

Two major broadcasters in Japan, namely Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Limited (CBC), a TV & radio broadcaster in the Tokai region, and J-Sports, a broadcasting corporation dedicated to local & overseas sports programs, have recently closed a deal with TI ComNet, Jidougames’ exclusive animation representative in Japan. Such deal will see 26 episodes of Jidougames making its debut in Japan in 2008 through the platforms of Terrestrial TV, Mobile, Internet, DVD, Licensing and Merchandising.

Enjoy Licensing, Jidou’s exclusive agent in Spain, Portugal and Latin America, has also recently signed a TV deal with Euskal Irrati Telebista (EiTB), a leading media group in the Basque Country, Spain, for Jidougames. The animation is tentatively scheduled for broadcast in Spain during the Beijing Olympics ’08. With the help of Greek TV distributor White Fox S.A., Jidou has also sold Jidougames to Channel 9, a TV channel based in Athens that broadcasts in the region of Attica, Greece, and CNC Plus, a free-to-air national television channel in Cyprus. For Greece, the animation is scheduled for broadcast starting end of January 2008. Jidou, 14th Jan 2008

China/General: NBA China Attracts Five Strategic Partners

Five companies are investing in NBA China, the new Far East subsidiary of North America’s National Basketball Association. ESPN, the cable sports network owned by US entertainment giant Walt Disney, Bank of China, China Merchant Bank, Legend Holdings and a group owned by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing are paying $253 million to acquire 11 per cent of the company. The deal, which values NBA China at about $2.3 billion, will see Disney own 5 per cent and the four Chinese companies together own 6 per cent.

NBA China was formed to capitalise on the rising popularity of the league in the country. The league now employs 100 people in four offices in China and has partnerships with 51 broadcasters and 16 Chinese-based corporations and US-based multinationals in the country. In addition, exhibition games were held in China in 2004 and 2007. Television viewers and sponsors have been lured to the NBA by the performances of Chinese players Yao Ming, of the Houston Rockets, and Yi Jianlian, of the Milwaukee Bucks, and the league anticipates significant growth.

NBA China is headed up by Timothy Chen, the former chief executive of software giant Microsoft’s operations in the country. UPS, the US-based international delivery company, has today been unveiled as an official partner of China’s domestic CBA League and the men’s national team. The deal was negotiated by Infront Sports & Media, the exclusive marketing partner of the Chinese Basketball Association.

UPS will act as the official logistics and express service supplier for the CBA League and Team China and conduct various marketing initiatives to leverage the sponsorship. The company already has similar rights for this year’s Beijing Olympic Games. Meanwhile, Infront and new media company KongZhong have announced the launch of the official CBA mobile website. Users will have access to live CBA games, highlights and related content on the platform. Sportcal, Worldscreen, 15th Jan 2008

Elsewhere/Rights: Ugandan Broadcaster Questions Cost of Cup of Nations

Uganda's UBC has become the latest national broadcaster to complain about the rights fees being demanded to show soccer's forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations. UBC has joined broadcasters in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda in questioning the asking price quoted by LC2 Medias FA, the company contracted to sell the rights on behalf of Sportfive, the international sports marketing agency. Last month, LC2 reportedly demanded €610,000 ($908,941) from UBC for the rights to show the tournament, which kicks off in Ghana on January 20.

Having been unable to negotiate a significant reduction in the price, marketing executives at UBC are said to have given up hope of broadcasting the tournament, believing that the station cannot recoup the amount in advertising. The United Radio and Television Network of Africa, the now-disbanded umbrella body of national broadcasters, traditionally secured rights collectively, but the broadcasters are now forced to agree deals alone.

The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation has complained that the asking price is ‘prohibitive’ and out of its reach, while the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, the umbrella body of all channels in the country, said recently that the group could only afford to pay $1.8 million, less than half the amount being demanded. Millions of African soccer fans without access to pay-television broadcasters M-Net and GTV now face being deprived of the Cup of Nations. Sportcal, 15th Jan 2008

Global/Rights: Eurosport Nets Delayed Rights to Euro 2008

Eurosport, the pan-European cable and satellite broadcaster, has agreed a deal to show delayed coverage of all 31 matches at soccer’s 2008 European Championships. The deal allows Eurosport to broadcast the matches in full 24 hours after the final whistle and covers all of Eurosport's territories, with the exception of France, where different conditions apply.

Eurosport is to broadcast more than 200 hours of coverage from Euro 2008, which takes place in Austria and Switzerland from June 7 to 29, including three dedicated daily programmes at 5pm, 8pm and 11pm. Eurosport 2, the broadcaster’s secondary channel, will repeat key matches and feature press conferences in its tournament bulletins. urosport is yet to finalise its coverage in France, but the broadcaster told Sportcal.com that it will benefit from the live rights deal signed by its owner, the commercial broadcaster TF1.

TF1 and another commercial network M6 paid around €50 million ($74.3 million) each for the simultaneous live rights for all games, except for the second choice matches at the end of the group phase, which will shown by Eurosport France and M6 subsidiary W9. Sportcal, 15th Jan 2008

Elsewhere/New Media: ESPN Tries Again with MobileTV

A year after shuttering its mobile TV video service, ESPN has relaunched a new 24/7 TV channel for wireless devices.Available now, the ESPN MobileTV service replaces the sports cable network's first mobile video sports channel, which launched in July 2005 and closed down in December 2006 due to disappointing sign up rates.

The new service, which is not a simulcast of any ESPN channel, will be available on MobiTV and the MediaFLO mobile entertainment services.Content will include live, simulcast sports events, breaking sports news, mobile-exclusive programming and analysis, and real-time sports scores and game updates. By the end of January, ESPN says its MobileTV service will have offered more than 50 hours of coverage from the Australian Open Tennis Championships; an assortment of NBA and NCAA basketball games; Winter X Games; as well as the MLS draft. TelevisionBroadcast, 15th Jan 2008