Tuesday, 19th February 2008

INFO BOX

13m+ US Households Not Ready for Digital

More than 13 million households with television sets that can only receive analogue broadcasts are currently unprepared for the transition to all digital broadcasting that is scheduled for February 18, 2009, according to the Nielsen Company. Another 6 million households have at least one television set that would no longer work after that date. Neilsen also reported that 10.1 per cent of all households would have no access to television signals if the transition occurred today. ATV, 19th Feb 2008


SPORTS SHORTS

* Bernama TV, Malaysia's and the regions news network delivering up to the minute news from all over Malaysia, Asia, and around the globe is set to meet its viewers by the first quarter of this year. It said the company is proposed to become Malaysias and the regions news network, delivering up-to-the-minute news from all over Malaysia, Asia and around the globe. "The news channel is proposed to be branded as Bernama TV (BRTV) to carry out 24-hours, seven days week news coverage," SRHB said. YahooNews, 18th Feb 2008

* Zee Network has written to the Information & Broadcasting ministry, stating that the Trai (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) regulation for mobile TV is discriminatory. Zee has demanded that any broadcasting company should be allowed to provide mobile TV services. Zee says that cross holding caps are not appropriate in these scenarios, and has warned that the regulation, if left untouched, would lead to engineering monopolistic control by some players. ATV, 19th Feb 2008

* The Olympics will be broadcast in Chinese and Korean for the first time ever in the US by US network NBC. Olympic broadcaster NBC and Multicultural Radio Broadcastings Inc. will co-produce the new language coverage, which will focus on team events such as football, baseball and basketball, as well as offering daily highlights in Korean, Mandarin and Cantonese. Sportsbusiness.com, 18th Feb 2008

* Uefa said today that it has awarded rights for the Champions League and Uefa Cup, the top-tier and second-tier European clubs competitions, to Al Jazeera in the Middle East and North Africa. The Doha-based Al Jazeera acquired the rights for the 2009-10 to 2011-12 seasons, taking over the Champions League rights from ART which holds them in the region at present. Al Jazeera already held Uefa Cup rights under the present contract. The broadcaster also acquired internet and mobile rights for the competitions. Sportcal.com, 18th Feb 2008

* Singapore’s bid team for the 2010 Youth Olympics has denied that its partnership with Visa, the international credit card firm, represents a conflict of interest and a breach of International Olympic Committee bidding rules. Visa is one of the IOC’s top-tier TOP sponsors and the firm sent out a press release on Friday declaring its support for Singapore’s bid. IOC bidding rules state that IOC sponsors are not allowed to simultaneously back a bid city because of a possible conflict of interest. It is understood that the IOC's concern is that its sponsors have privileged access to IOC members and could use this to lobby on a bid city's behalf. The IOC told Sportcal.com on Friday that it would 'look into the situation.' However, Singapore claims that Visa is not sponsoring its bid, only 'supporting' it, and therefore that it is not in breach of the rules. Sportcal.com, 18th Feb 2008

* FiteSelektor, Dubai's first Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) tournament makes its debut in Dubai next month and anticipates a turnout of 3,500 people. With the introduction of SMS voting, and Quatro Fite for the first time ever in the history of MMA, FiteSelektor is beyond doubt an innovation in martial arts. The tournament is scheduled to be held on Thursday, March 13, 2008 at the Dubai International and Convention Centre. With a total of eight fighters for FiteSelektor at the tournament and with no pre-arrangement of fighting bouts, the audience will decide the fights by text messaging. The fighter and opponent will be selected using the SMS votes for three fights and the final fight will be arranged through a process of elimination. Launching in Dubai, the tournament will then travel to other parts of Middle East and South Asia. The winner of the tournament will be awarded $75,000 in prize money. Ameinfo.com, 19th Feb 2008


MORE NEWS

Thailand/ New Media: Thailand Seeks to Issue 3G Licenses in May

Thailand's telecommunications regulator is expected to issue long-awaited licenses for the 3G mobile services to private operators in May, a Reuters report said. It was in a process of drafting qualification criteria for licenses by an advisor which should take about three months, National Telecommunication Commission chairman Choochart Promphrasid told Reuters. "In April, the draft should be launched, then we will hold a public hearing for one month. After that, the 3G licences should be issued in May," Choochart, quoted by the Reuters report, said.

Issuing 3G licenses, which would enable operators to tap new revenues by beefing up voices services with music, video, pictures and data, have been delayed for several years because the process has been strewn with political obstacles, the Reuters report said. Licensing is also a key step in reforming the sector because operators will pay license fees instead of paying a portion of their revenues to two state-owned firms for the right to operate networks they build and paid for, as they do now, the report said.

The two state companies are TOT and CAT Telecom. The top three mobile operators are AIS, DTAC and True Move, the report further said. telecomasia.net, 19th Feb 2008

Elsewhere/ General: F1's Advertising and Hospitality Business Faces Struggle

Formula 1 motor racing’s advertising and corporate hospitality business is $3 million in the red, according to the latest accounts. The figures, seen by the UK’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, show that CVC, the private equity firm which took control of the sport in 2006, paid $22.5 million in interest on loans of $334 million that were taken out to buy the 70 per cent interest from banks and promoter Bernie Ecclestone.

The deficit in advertising and hospitality is an indication of why Formula 1 is eager to reach out to new markets in Asia and the Middle East. This year’s grands prix in France and Canada do not yet have sponsors, raising questions about their future in the sport.

The accounts for CVC’s Beta Holdings, which include 11 of the 18 races held after May 31, 2006, when the European Commission cleared the sale, show turnover of $91 million and costs of $87 million. CVC paid $1.7 million for companies owning Formula 1’s commercial operations and has placed them under holding company Alpha Prema. Ecclestone and investment banks JP Morgan and Lehman Brothers still have stakes in the business. Sportcal.com, 18th Feb 2008

Elsewhere/ Rights: Competition Hots Up for Africa Cup of Nations Rights in France

Eurosport, the pan-European sports broadcaster, is facing competition from rival broadcasters in France as it bids to renew its rights to broadcast the Africa Cup of Nations in 2010. The broadcaster has already signalled its desire to renew the rights after announcing encouraging viewing figures for the recent 2008 edition, but could face competition from Canal Plus, the pay-television operator, M6, the commercial network, and France Télévisions, the public-service broadcaster.

Eurosport, which paid less than €10 million ($14.6 million) for the rights to the 2008 tournament, is continuing negotiations with Sportfive, the international sports marketing agency, regarding 2010, according to Le Parisien, the French newspaper. France Télévisions broadcast the final of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, along with Eurosport, and has a selection of channels at its disposal to exploit the rights.

Eurosport broadcast the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations across Europe, and also in the Asia-Pacific region. Sportcal.com, 18th Feb 2008

Elsewhere/ General: 2018 Bid Influences FA Thinking on Premier League's Global Plans

Concerns over the potential impact on England’s bid for soccer’s 2018 World Cup are among the considerations that have prompted the Football Association, the sport’s national ruling body, to express ‘serious reservations’ about the controversial proposal to stage top-tier Premier League games overseas in the future.

Last Thursday, Sepp Blatter, the president of Fifa, soccer’s international federation, warned that England’s bid would not get a favourable reception if the Premier League pushed ahead with plans for an annual ‘international round’ of fixtures from 2011 onwards. In a statement on Friday evening, the FA said that it did ‘not want the Premier League proposal to affect England’s 2018 World Cup bid in any way. At this time, due to the FA’s strong international relations, we do not believe it has.’

There has been heavy criticism of the Premier League’s proposal from continental and national associations, which are committed to protecting their own competitions, as well as the media and fan groups in England, who believe it is motivated by money, and John Madejski, the chairman of Reading, believes it is now ‘in tatters.’

Having acknowledged the widespread disapproval, the FA has decided to make its position clear and its new chairman Lord Triesman said: ‘I am determined that our international and domestic relations must be sustained at the highest level, and I will not countenance any damage to those relations.’

The FA, which would have to approve the plan for it to have chance of coming to fruition, said that it had been ‘made clear to Fifa that the FA has some serious reservations about the proposal.’ It added: ‘We have a responsibility to the whole of English football and we have to consider any wider consequences and implications that this proposal may create. As a national association we also recognise the authority of Fifa and its executive committee.’ The FA has still not seen any details of the Premier League plan but the issue will be discussed at its board meeting on Thursday. Sportcal.com, 18th Feb 2008