SPORTS SHORTS
* Media Prima will be appointing TV3's CEO Farid Ridzuan as CEO of MPB Fund Management Company which runs a media fund spearheading investments in media assets in SEA and other Asian emerging markets. Ridzuan has a strong and proven track record, having transformed TV3 into the leading TV station in Malaysia as well as being instrumental in the successful turn arounds of 8TV, ntv7 and more recently TV9. He remains as Group CEO of MPB Television Networks that comprises TV3, 8TV, ntv7 and TV9. Amrin Awaluddin, the current CEO of ntv7 will replace Ridzuan as CEO of TV3, and Anthony Firdauz Bujang will replace Awaluddin. Bujang was formerly director of operations at TV3. The media fund is expected to raise and invest between US$100-150 million (RM319.46-RM479.19 million) with an investment horizon of five to seven years. Its first strategic partnership will be with ABC5, a TV network in the Philippines. Marketing Interactive, 27th Mar 2008
* Media Prima, via its subsidiary MPB Primedia, is expected to enter into a long-term block airtime and consultancy agreement with the ABC5, a TV network in the Philippines. Primedia will provide content and manage the sale of airtime of ABC5. At the same time, ABC5 will undertake its repositioning and launch exercise as well as transmission quality upgrade, which Primedia will assist under the agreement. According to Media Prima, ABC5 represents a high growth potential with TV penetration in the Philippines currently at 72.7% and total ad expenditure reported at US$2.8 billion (RM8.94 billion) in 2006 - with TV having more than 75% share. According to Media Prima, Primedia will be announcing soon its new CEO, a local Filipino with extensive experience working in a multinational company within the creative industry. Marketing Interactive, 27th Mar 2008
* Japan's Fuji TV will launch Fuji On-Demand, its new on-demand TV service on the Internet on April 1, 2008, extending the service to mobile from April 7, 2008. Targeting to meet changing demands of viewers, Fuji TV initiated the service to replace its earlier collaborative efforts with Internet service providers to offer webcasts. Fuji On-Demand is offering some 30 programmes including professional baseball and horse racing, and will premiere new shows including 24, anime Skullman adapted from Shotaro Ishinomori’s manga, and talk show Shopan. Content is being charged on pay-per-view and on monthly subscription, with selected shows available free. Television Asia, 31st Mar 2008
* Korean telecom firms are to invest around 1.57 trillion won (€9.9bn) on IPTV services this year according to the Broadcasting and Communications Commission (BCC). KT, the country’s dominant telephone and broadband Internet service provider, alone plans to spend 1.3 trillion won, and LG Dacom and Hanarotelecom respectively allotted 146.4 billion won and 122.1 billion won for the Internet TV business. A large part of the money will be used in expanding and improving Internet networks. Purchasing TV content is another big expenditure. "By enriching the content of its Mega TV service, KT will endeavor to narrow the information gap between rich and poor people," said KT. ATV, Rapid TV 31st March 2008
* Australia's Macquarie Group and private equity house MBK Partners have completed a $2 billion joint acquisition of South Korea's number 2 cable TV operator C&M. The deal made the unlisted company the first Korean cable TV operator owned by private equity funds. The country's adoption of digital and broadband TV services raise hopes for further revenue growth. ATV, telecomasia.net, 31st March 2008
* BabyFirst, the global TV channel for babies, toddlers and their parents, has completed a deal with Hong Kong Cable which will see the Asian network airing the ad-free channel from March 31. BabyFirst TV will be carried on Hong Kong Cable TV's Channel 138 and will be included as part of its Happy Kids Pack. The channel runs 24/7. Hong Kong Cable executive director Benjamin Tong said: "BabyFirst provides our subscribers the highest quality in child development and education content. We are proud to offer a unique channel like BabyFirst and look forward to a long and successful association with this outstanding programming service." C21 Media, 28th Mar 2008
* China's main mobile phone company will launch trial service of the homegrown Chinese next-generation standard next week, possibly moving the huge market closer to the long-anticipated rollout of new services. Companies expect a multibillion-dollar wave of spending on equipment once China awards licenses for 3G service. But Beijing has delayed a decision while it tries to develop its own system to compete with global standards. China has the world's biggest population of mobile phone users, with some 520 million subscribers, and standards decisions could have a far-reaching impact on the equipment market. Beijing has been trying to create its own standard since 2001, hoping to create opportunities for its telecoms companies and reduce the need to pay license fees to developers of the global standards, known as W-CDMA and cdma2000. China also has approved those standards for use. Telecomasia.net, Central Daily, World Screen, 31st Mar 2008
* The US-India Business Council (USIBC) has released a study showing huge job and revenue losses to the Indian economy as a result of piracy in India’s burgeoning entertainment industry. The study - prepared for USIBC by Ernst & Young India, shows as much as Rs.16,000 (E253m) are lost each year due to piracy. As many as 800,000 direct jobs are also lost as a result of theft and piracy, afflicting India's entertainment industry. ATV, 31st March 2008
* Neo Sports, the Nimbus-owned Indian sports channel which shows the national cricket team’s home matches, is reported to be targeting Rs700 million ($17.5 million) in advertising sales from the current test series against South Africa. It is thought that between Rs260 million and Rs280 million will come from the deals with broadcast sponsors Coca-Cola, Airtel, Nivea, Asian Paints, Pidilite, Tata Motors, Hero Honda and Nike. Doordarshan, the Indian state broadcaster, is not showing the three tests, enabling Neo Sports to demand higher rates from advertisers. Sportcal.com, 28th Mar 2008
* Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) becomes the first Saudi mobile operator to launch in-flight calls aboard select airlines. Mobily customers can now call and text messages as they travel aboard select Emirates Airline flights, through a landmark agreement with AeroMobile. Telecomasia.net, 31st Mar 2008
* Vietnam will host a group of the World Women’s Volleyball Grand Prix at the northern province of Vinh Phuc’s Gymnasium on June 26-28. The Viet Nam Volleyball Federation made the announcement after meeting with the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) chairman of the Sports Events Council, Shanrit Nongprasert, on Tuesday. As scheduled, four teams Brazil, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Germany will compete in group B, hosted by Vietnam for the first time in history. The Grand Prix draws 12 top teams from Asia, Europe and America to compete in three groups with the five best going to the final round in Yokohama, Japan with a total prize of US$2 million. In Vietnam, volleyball was the second sport (after football) to enter the professional arena three years ago. VNS, 28th Mar 2008
* Online gaming company, bwin, has renewed its sponsorship deal with MotoGP, for the seasons 2008 and 2009. bwin will become the title sponsor of two races: Jerez, Spain (March 30) and Estoril, Portugal (April 13). The company will also provide trackside signage at the Brno circuit. In addition to its interest in MotoGP, bwin sponsors Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and AC Milan. It is also the official partner of the bwin Liga Portugal and is stadium advertising sponsor at German national football games. As global sponsor of FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, bwin will be also partner of the FIBA Euro Basket Poland in 2009 and the FIBA World Championship in Turkey the following year. Sport Business, 28th Mar 2008
MORE NEWS
Global/General: A1's International Growth
A1GP's struggles to crack the terrestrial market mask what has been a period of impressive growth for a series in only its third year, writes Jamie Strickland. India, Singapore, Malaysia, Pakistan, China and Lebanon are among the countries representing the emerging motorsport markets of Asia and the Middle East on the track, and A1GP's broadcasting and media general manager Richard Dorfman has found that more and more countries are eager to secure broadcast rights for the series. Dorfman told Sports Media : "The coverage has gone from in the first year having roughly 120 countries to now approaching 200 countries. It seems every year we get new countries coming on from all over the place.
"The third season of A1GP is a pivotal one for Dorfman, with a number of contracts up for renewal, but he is bullish over the series' ability to retain its existing broadcast partners. "What happened in the first season was that we did all our big deals as three-year deals," he said. "Sky in the UK was a three-year deal, ESPN was a three-year-deal, Sky Italy was a three-year deal. So now we're going into the renewal cycle. When we've done a year-to-year deal we've never had a broadcaster drop out, so the footprint is expanding. All of the people that we originally started with are still with us, so that tells me there's an acceptance by the broadcaster, which means there must be an acceptance by the audience." Sports Media, 28th Mar 2008
Friday, 28th March 2008
DID YOU KNOW?
Former world champion Michael Schumacher is among the management committee members for the FIA’s newly-formed Motor Sport Safety Development Fund, the body which will distribute $60 million from McLaren’s ‘spy scandal’ fine, for the benefit of motorsport worldwide. The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council announced Schumacher’s appointment on Wednesday, along with those of FIA President Max Mosley (like Schumacher, a trustee of the FIA Foundation which will administer the Fund), Nick Craw, President of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States (representing National Sporting Associations), Jean Todt and Norbert Haug (from Ferrari and Mercedes as the manufacturers involved in the incident that gave rise to the original fine). The intention is to disperse the Fund over the next five years and to concentrate activities on a Young Driver Safety Scholarship Programme, an Officials Skills Safety Training Programme and a Facility Safety Improvement Consultancy Programme. McLaren were fined a total of $100 million last year, and excluded from the 2007 constructors’ championship, after it was decided they had exploited confidential technical information obtained from Ferrari. Formula 1, 26th Mar 2008
SPORTS SHORTS
* Premier League club Chelsea will play a Malaysian all-star team in Kuala Lumpur in July as part of a two-match Asian tour. The London club will play a side comprised of the best players from the Malaysian Super League on July 29 in the Malaysian capital, the club said in a statement. Details of the second Asian match will be announced shortly. The tour will be the first time Chelsea have played in Asia since May 2005 when their opponents were the Suwon Blue Wings, the K-League team owned by club sponsor Samsung. Sport Business, The Star, 27th Mar 2008
* Initial statistics for 2007 on the number of Chinese IPTV subscribers shows that by the end of 2007, Shanghai had 240,000 IPTV subscribers and that after large-scale promotion in January, this figure is now at 300,000 – the highest in the country. As a whole the country now has 1.2 million IPTV subscribers. Currently, over 90 per cent of provinces in mainland China have IPTV systems. However, coverage is not as complete in some provinces as in others, and some provinces are still undergoing trials before commercialising the service. ATV, 28th Mar 2008
* Japan’s giant public broadcaster NHK is following the BBC’s lead, but with a major difference. Helped by a revision in Japan’s broadcasting laws about to come into force, NHK Japan is to start offering some of its most popular programmes on the internet, and using MSO Jupiter Telecom as its distribution partner. The main difference between NHK and the BBC distribution model, however, is that NHK will be charging users to access its content. The programming, including drama, will be available for up to 10 days after initial transmission, while the total available archive will comprise 1000 older shows. The service will go live later this year. Rapid TV News, 27th Mar 2008
* The LFP, France’s professional soccer league, is set to generate an additional €10 million ($15.6 million) a season from the tender for the distribution of international broadcast rights for Ligue 1, the top-tier French soccer league. The league is set to generate a minimum of €10 million more a year than it presently receives from IMG Media, who is thought to have paid €22.5 million for the four-year deal from 2004-05 to 2007-08, including a minimum guarantee of €6.5 million for the present season. Sportcal, 25th Mar 2008
* Four bidders are competing to acquire the international broadcast distribution rights for Ligue 1, French soccer’s top-tier division, from next season, as rights are split up into several geographical zones. They are: incumbent worldwide rights holder IMG, Sportfive, Canal Plus Events and Eurosport. The LFP has divided the rights into four regions – Europe, Asia, Africa/Middle East and the Caribbean – with the four companies being candidates to acquire the rights for four seasons from 2008-09 onwards.It is not clear which rights packages each bidder has targeted. Sportcal, 26th Mar 2008
* The invitation to tender for domestic broadcast rights to the Jupiler League, Belgian soccer’s top-tier league, has been launched. Belgacom is the current live rights holder, paying €36 million ($56.7 million) per season, while RTBF and VRT, respectively the French and Flemish public service broadcasters, show highlights through a sublicensing deal with the company. RTBF is thought to have been paying €3.2 million a season for the highlights rights from 2005-06 to 2007-08. Sportcal, 26th Mar 2008
* Australian telecommunications provider, Telstra, agreed a $9 million deal with the Seven Media Group to show exclusive live coverage of the Beijing Olympics on its BigPond mobile service. Under the deal, Telstra’s Next G network will become one of four media partners for the Games along with Seven, its internet arm Yahoo7, and SBS. It will also become one of four Olympic broadcast partners, which will run ads on Seven, Yahoo7 and SBS. The packages are worth a reported $8.4 million, but it's understood the two parties have also struck a revenue-sharing arrangement that will vary depending on how many BigPond Olympics subscription packages are sold. Sport Business, 27th Mar 2008
* Online broadcaster MediaZone has launched IndyCar Race Control, a new online portal offering live coverage around the world of the 2008 IndyCar Series. The portal, which has been launched by MediaZone in partnership with the North American Series itself, ESPN and SportVision, allows a range of customisation and interactive features. The All Access Pass, priced at US$39.99, includes 15 races from IndyCar Race Control live featuring in-car cameras, plus 28 total races from the on-demand main race feed. The 2008 IndyCar Series season will get underway this coming weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Sports Media, 27th Mar 2008
* ASO, organiser of cycling’s Tour de France, has finally admitted what was first reported several weeks ago: it is in negotiations to acquire a stake in Unipublic, organiser of the Vuelta a Espana, another of the sport’s three annual ‘Grand Tours.’ The move looks set to strengthen ASO in its bitter power struggle with the UCI, the sport’s world governing body. ASO is already helping Unipublic with its media rights sales, introducing the Spanish organiser to its own broadcast partners, but sources at Unipublic and ASO had previously played down or refused to confirm ownership talks. The Grand Tours, which also include the Giro d’Italia organised by RCS, are embroiled in a long-running power struggle with the UCI, with ASO having controversially broken away to organise the early-season Paris-Nice race without the sanction of the UCI. Sportcal, 27th Mar 2008
* Almost one in three people in the developed world goes running or jogging at least once a week, yet this high level of participation is failing to arrest a long decline in interest in athletics, according to a major research study carried out by the International Association of Athletics Federations. The survey found that 31% of respondents jog or go running at least once a week, while 11% had taken part in a charity or fun run in the previous 12 months and 10% had taken part in a city marathon. The survey took place against a background of falling television ratings for athletics suggesting a serious disconnect between levels of participation and interest in watching the sport. Only 28% of respondents in the survey of 16 markets carried out by Sponsorship Intelligence classified themselves as ‘non-fans’ of athletics with 28% in the category of ‘casuals’, 20% ‘fans’ and 24% ‘max fans.’ Sportcal, 27th Mar 2008
MORE NEWS
Asia/General: Growth of Sponsorship in Asia Tops 50%
Sponsorship growth in Asia rose by 54 per cent in 2007, with net spend of $643 million, according to IVCast, Asia’s sponsorship monitor by OgilvyAction. IVCast monitors sponsorship throughout Asia and the latest results show an unprecedented rise in sponsorship activity in the region during 2007, driven in part by the Beijing Olympics. “This shows that last year’s growth wasn’t a flash in the pan. Asia is the continent that is driving the global average, quoted at 14 per cent,” said Ben Heyhoe Flint, OgilvyAction Sports & Entertainment’s General Manager.
“There’s no doubt that the Beijing Olympics is helping this as we’ve seen a lot of brands investing in 2007 to secure a long-term toehold for the Games this year, for example. $38.7 million has been spent on Chinese national teams - allowing them to activate with long lead times and also block competitors. But it’s not just the Olympics that’s swelling the numbers; we’ve recorded a large rise in the sheer number of deals being done in other Asian countries, 2,233 in 2007 versus 1,624 in 2006, showing that the popularity and relevance of sponsorship is infectious.”
The forecast for 2008 is currently showing a small decline of 9.5 per cent reflecting the unknown continuation of deals recorded in 2007. Flint said: “2008 will still be a solid year for sponsorship, but I think we could see a slowdown after the Olympic year.” Sport Business, Sportcal, 27th Mar 2008
India/General: Piracy Causes Huge Losses to Indian Economy
A new study from the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) has found that theft and piracy in India's entertainment industry are affecting the country’s economy, resulting in the loss of as many as 800,000 direct jobs and about $4 billion each year. The study, The Effects of Counterfeiting and Piracy on India's Entertainment Industry, was commissioned as part of the USIBC-FICCI Bollywood-Hollywood Initiative, which covers film, music, television and video games, and has been funded by the Global Intellectual Property Center of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The initiative involves the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The study was prepared for the USIBC by Ernst & Young India.
Ron Somers, the president of USIBC, commented: "This study is only the beginning. Now that we have documented the job and revenue losses to the Indian entertainment industry from piracy, we intend to continue fighting piracy across the board. We will strive to bring these findings to the attention of the average person in India. We will attempt to enlist more effectively the U.S. and Indian governments to cooperate in fighting the scourge of piracy in India, as well as in the U.S. and worldwide. We strongly support passage by India of optical disc legislation that will thwart piracy in this important industry. We are pleased to stand shoulder to shoulder with counterparts in India to help protect jobs and revenues that are now being needlessly lost to piracy."
Added FICCI’s secretary general, Dr. Amit Mitra, "This study shows that the best way to make the boom in the Indian entertainment bigger is to stop the affliction of piracy. For the average Indian who wants to increase his or her chances for being employed in Bollywood and associated industries, fighting piracy is a place where all our collective efforts must start. The media and entertainment industry in India is an industry of the future. India's entertainment industry already generates more than $11 billion annually for the country, growing at a combined annual rate of over 18 percent. If we can stop piracy, these industries will grow even faster and employ more Indian workers.” The U.S.-India Business Council, formed in 1975 at the request of the government of India and the U.S. government to advance U.S.-India commercial ties, is hosted under the aegis of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. World Screen, 27th Mar 2008
Elsewhere/General: A1GP Aims for More Terrestrial Coverage
The man charged with selling A1GP to the world's broadcasters admits that while the burgeoning series is a hit with viewers, the terrestrial marketplace in Europe may remain a closed door to the 'World Cup of Motorsport' for some time to come, writes Jamie Strickland . Richard Dorfman, A1GP's broadcasting and media general manager, has been with the series from its inception in 2004, in which time he has brokered deals to broadcast the sport on a number of leading satellite platforms, including Sky Sports in the UK. While the series enjoys 52% terrestrial coverage globally, it is in the influential European market that A1GP has struggled to secure a free-to-air deal, and Dorfman concedes that the reach of the series is being restricted as a result.
"The next big step is to get more free-to-air coverage - that's where the viewing figures are going to spike," Dorfman told Sports Media . "When you are on the BBC or ITV or whatever, you are exposed to a lot more of your universe. Viewership in the UK is 28 million - Sky's got eight million. (Terrestrial coverage) was always explored from the beginning of the series. It's about 52% terrestrial and 48% 'other' at the moment. Most of the terrestrial coverage originates in Asia and the Middle East. It's very, very hard to get terrestrial coverage in Europe, simply because the amount of available airtime devoted to sport for terrestrial broadcasters is very limited. It's much more prevalent in Asia than it is in Europe just because of airtime considerations.
"Dorfman added that A1GP's role as a winter series means that it finds itself fighting a futile battle with football for live airtime, meaning that the series has had to resort to highlights packages to reach its non-paying audience. "What tends to happen is terrestrial broadcasters like ITV or RAI (in Italy) or RTÉ (in Ireland) tend to pretty much use those hours in the fall and winter for football," he continued. So it's tough breaking into terrestrial TV for Europe. What we have been able to do in the UK, for example, is have a live or delayed broadcast on Sky and then have a highlights package later in the week on Five. That's really the way it's developing terrestrially in Europe." Sports Media, 27th Mar 2008
Former world champion Michael Schumacher is among the management committee members for the FIA’s newly-formed Motor Sport Safety Development Fund, the body which will distribute $60 million from McLaren’s ‘spy scandal’ fine, for the benefit of motorsport worldwide. The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council announced Schumacher’s appointment on Wednesday, along with those of FIA President Max Mosley (like Schumacher, a trustee of the FIA Foundation which will administer the Fund), Nick Craw, President of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States (representing National Sporting Associations), Jean Todt and Norbert Haug (from Ferrari and Mercedes as the manufacturers involved in the incident that gave rise to the original fine). The intention is to disperse the Fund over the next five years and to concentrate activities on a Young Driver Safety Scholarship Programme, an Officials Skills Safety Training Programme and a Facility Safety Improvement Consultancy Programme. McLaren were fined a total of $100 million last year, and excluded from the 2007 constructors’ championship, after it was decided they had exploited confidential technical information obtained from Ferrari. Formula 1, 26th Mar 2008
SPORTS SHORTS
* Premier League club Chelsea will play a Malaysian all-star team in Kuala Lumpur in July as part of a two-match Asian tour. The London club will play a side comprised of the best players from the Malaysian Super League on July 29 in the Malaysian capital, the club said in a statement. Details of the second Asian match will be announced shortly. The tour will be the first time Chelsea have played in Asia since May 2005 when their opponents were the Suwon Blue Wings, the K-League team owned by club sponsor Samsung. Sport Business, The Star, 27th Mar 2008
* Initial statistics for 2007 on the number of Chinese IPTV subscribers shows that by the end of 2007, Shanghai had 240,000 IPTV subscribers and that after large-scale promotion in January, this figure is now at 300,000 – the highest in the country. As a whole the country now has 1.2 million IPTV subscribers. Currently, over 90 per cent of provinces in mainland China have IPTV systems. However, coverage is not as complete in some provinces as in others, and some provinces are still undergoing trials before commercialising the service. ATV, 28th Mar 2008
* Japan’s giant public broadcaster NHK is following the BBC’s lead, but with a major difference. Helped by a revision in Japan’s broadcasting laws about to come into force, NHK Japan is to start offering some of its most popular programmes on the internet, and using MSO Jupiter Telecom as its distribution partner. The main difference between NHK and the BBC distribution model, however, is that NHK will be charging users to access its content. The programming, including drama, will be available for up to 10 days after initial transmission, while the total available archive will comprise 1000 older shows. The service will go live later this year. Rapid TV News, 27th Mar 2008
* The LFP, France’s professional soccer league, is set to generate an additional €10 million ($15.6 million) a season from the tender for the distribution of international broadcast rights for Ligue 1, the top-tier French soccer league. The league is set to generate a minimum of €10 million more a year than it presently receives from IMG Media, who is thought to have paid €22.5 million for the four-year deal from 2004-05 to 2007-08, including a minimum guarantee of €6.5 million for the present season. Sportcal, 25th Mar 2008
* Four bidders are competing to acquire the international broadcast distribution rights for Ligue 1, French soccer’s top-tier division, from next season, as rights are split up into several geographical zones. They are: incumbent worldwide rights holder IMG, Sportfive, Canal Plus Events and Eurosport. The LFP has divided the rights into four regions – Europe, Asia, Africa/Middle East and the Caribbean – with the four companies being candidates to acquire the rights for four seasons from 2008-09 onwards.It is not clear which rights packages each bidder has targeted. Sportcal, 26th Mar 2008
* The invitation to tender for domestic broadcast rights to the Jupiler League, Belgian soccer’s top-tier league, has been launched. Belgacom is the current live rights holder, paying €36 million ($56.7 million) per season, while RTBF and VRT, respectively the French and Flemish public service broadcasters, show highlights through a sublicensing deal with the company. RTBF is thought to have been paying €3.2 million a season for the highlights rights from 2005-06 to 2007-08. Sportcal, 26th Mar 2008
* Australian telecommunications provider, Telstra, agreed a $9 million deal with the Seven Media Group to show exclusive live coverage of the Beijing Olympics on its BigPond mobile service. Under the deal, Telstra’s Next G network will become one of four media partners for the Games along with Seven, its internet arm Yahoo7, and SBS. It will also become one of four Olympic broadcast partners, which will run ads on Seven, Yahoo7 and SBS. The packages are worth a reported $8.4 million, but it's understood the two parties have also struck a revenue-sharing arrangement that will vary depending on how many BigPond Olympics subscription packages are sold. Sport Business, 27th Mar 2008
* Online broadcaster MediaZone has launched IndyCar Race Control, a new online portal offering live coverage around the world of the 2008 IndyCar Series. The portal, which has been launched by MediaZone in partnership with the North American Series itself, ESPN and SportVision, allows a range of customisation and interactive features. The All Access Pass, priced at US$39.99, includes 15 races from IndyCar Race Control live featuring in-car cameras, plus 28 total races from the on-demand main race feed. The 2008 IndyCar Series season will get underway this coming weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Sports Media, 27th Mar 2008
* ASO, organiser of cycling’s Tour de France, has finally admitted what was first reported several weeks ago: it is in negotiations to acquire a stake in Unipublic, organiser of the Vuelta a Espana, another of the sport’s three annual ‘Grand Tours.’ The move looks set to strengthen ASO in its bitter power struggle with the UCI, the sport’s world governing body. ASO is already helping Unipublic with its media rights sales, introducing the Spanish organiser to its own broadcast partners, but sources at Unipublic and ASO had previously played down or refused to confirm ownership talks. The Grand Tours, which also include the Giro d’Italia organised by RCS, are embroiled in a long-running power struggle with the UCI, with ASO having controversially broken away to organise the early-season Paris-Nice race without the sanction of the UCI. Sportcal, 27th Mar 2008
* Almost one in three people in the developed world goes running or jogging at least once a week, yet this high level of participation is failing to arrest a long decline in interest in athletics, according to a major research study carried out by the International Association of Athletics Federations. The survey found that 31% of respondents jog or go running at least once a week, while 11% had taken part in a charity or fun run in the previous 12 months and 10% had taken part in a city marathon. The survey took place against a background of falling television ratings for athletics suggesting a serious disconnect between levels of participation and interest in watching the sport. Only 28% of respondents in the survey of 16 markets carried out by Sponsorship Intelligence classified themselves as ‘non-fans’ of athletics with 28% in the category of ‘casuals’, 20% ‘fans’ and 24% ‘max fans.’ Sportcal, 27th Mar 2008
MORE NEWS
Asia/General: Growth of Sponsorship in Asia Tops 50%
Sponsorship growth in Asia rose by 54 per cent in 2007, with net spend of $643 million, according to IVCast, Asia’s sponsorship monitor by OgilvyAction. IVCast monitors sponsorship throughout Asia and the latest results show an unprecedented rise in sponsorship activity in the region during 2007, driven in part by the Beijing Olympics. “This shows that last year’s growth wasn’t a flash in the pan. Asia is the continent that is driving the global average, quoted at 14 per cent,” said Ben Heyhoe Flint, OgilvyAction Sports & Entertainment’s General Manager.
“There’s no doubt that the Beijing Olympics is helping this as we’ve seen a lot of brands investing in 2007 to secure a long-term toehold for the Games this year, for example. $38.7 million has been spent on Chinese national teams - allowing them to activate with long lead times and also block competitors. But it’s not just the Olympics that’s swelling the numbers; we’ve recorded a large rise in the sheer number of deals being done in other Asian countries, 2,233 in 2007 versus 1,624 in 2006, showing that the popularity and relevance of sponsorship is infectious.”
The forecast for 2008 is currently showing a small decline of 9.5 per cent reflecting the unknown continuation of deals recorded in 2007. Flint said: “2008 will still be a solid year for sponsorship, but I think we could see a slowdown after the Olympic year.” Sport Business, Sportcal, 27th Mar 2008
India/General: Piracy Causes Huge Losses to Indian Economy
A new study from the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) has found that theft and piracy in India's entertainment industry are affecting the country’s economy, resulting in the loss of as many as 800,000 direct jobs and about $4 billion each year. The study, The Effects of Counterfeiting and Piracy on India's Entertainment Industry, was commissioned as part of the USIBC-FICCI Bollywood-Hollywood Initiative, which covers film, music, television and video games, and has been funded by the Global Intellectual Property Center of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The initiative involves the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The study was prepared for the USIBC by Ernst & Young India.
Ron Somers, the president of USIBC, commented: "This study is only the beginning. Now that we have documented the job and revenue losses to the Indian entertainment industry from piracy, we intend to continue fighting piracy across the board. We will strive to bring these findings to the attention of the average person in India. We will attempt to enlist more effectively the U.S. and Indian governments to cooperate in fighting the scourge of piracy in India, as well as in the U.S. and worldwide. We strongly support passage by India of optical disc legislation that will thwart piracy in this important industry. We are pleased to stand shoulder to shoulder with counterparts in India to help protect jobs and revenues that are now being needlessly lost to piracy."
Added FICCI’s secretary general, Dr. Amit Mitra, "This study shows that the best way to make the boom in the Indian entertainment bigger is to stop the affliction of piracy. For the average Indian who wants to increase his or her chances for being employed in Bollywood and associated industries, fighting piracy is a place where all our collective efforts must start. The media and entertainment industry in India is an industry of the future. India's entertainment industry already generates more than $11 billion annually for the country, growing at a combined annual rate of over 18 percent. If we can stop piracy, these industries will grow even faster and employ more Indian workers.” The U.S.-India Business Council, formed in 1975 at the request of the government of India and the U.S. government to advance U.S.-India commercial ties, is hosted under the aegis of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. World Screen, 27th Mar 2008
Elsewhere/General: A1GP Aims for More Terrestrial Coverage
The man charged with selling A1GP to the world's broadcasters admits that while the burgeoning series is a hit with viewers, the terrestrial marketplace in Europe may remain a closed door to the 'World Cup of Motorsport' for some time to come, writes Jamie Strickland . Richard Dorfman, A1GP's broadcasting and media general manager, has been with the series from its inception in 2004, in which time he has brokered deals to broadcast the sport on a number of leading satellite platforms, including Sky Sports in the UK. While the series enjoys 52% terrestrial coverage globally, it is in the influential European market that A1GP has struggled to secure a free-to-air deal, and Dorfman concedes that the reach of the series is being restricted as a result.
"The next big step is to get more free-to-air coverage - that's where the viewing figures are going to spike," Dorfman told Sports Media . "When you are on the BBC or ITV or whatever, you are exposed to a lot more of your universe. Viewership in the UK is 28 million - Sky's got eight million. (Terrestrial coverage) was always explored from the beginning of the series. It's about 52% terrestrial and 48% 'other' at the moment. Most of the terrestrial coverage originates in Asia and the Middle East. It's very, very hard to get terrestrial coverage in Europe, simply because the amount of available airtime devoted to sport for terrestrial broadcasters is very limited. It's much more prevalent in Asia than it is in Europe just because of airtime considerations.
"Dorfman added that A1GP's role as a winter series means that it finds itself fighting a futile battle with football for live airtime, meaning that the series has had to resort to highlights packages to reach its non-paying audience. "What tends to happen is terrestrial broadcasters like ITV or RAI (in Italy) or RTÉ (in Ireland) tend to pretty much use those hours in the fall and winter for football," he continued. So it's tough breaking into terrestrial TV for Europe. What we have been able to do in the UK, for example, is have a live or delayed broadcast on Sky and then have a highlights package later in the week on Five. That's really the way it's developing terrestrially in Europe." Sports Media, 27th Mar 2008
Thursday, 27th March 2008
INFO BOX
Global Net TV Advertising
Info IQ, 25th Mar 2008
Global net TV advertising revenues will reach US$123 billion in 2008, up 5.8% on 2007, most of the improvements partly based on the positive impact of the Olympics, from the 3.5% global rise in 2007, according to Informa Telecoms & Media. From this 2008 total, net pay TV advertising will bring in US$18 billion, a figure which has doubled over the last five years. Pay TV will represent 15% of total TV advertising in 2008.
By 2012, forecasts show that global net TV advertising will equate to US$148 billion, up 21% on the 2008 figure. However, Net pay TV advertising will grow at a much faster rate - up 39% over the same period - to reach US$25 billion by 2012, or 17% of total TV advertising. This is the first time that TV advertising forecasts for this many countries have been homogenised and reflect only the revenues received by the channels and networks. The US still has considerable influence over the global market, bringing in US$43.2 billion in 2007 - or 35% of the world's total. Japan, the world's second largest market but home to a sluggish economy, is more or less stagnant, with net TV advertising growing only 12% between 2007 and 2012. The fastest growing territories are Russia and Romania, which are forecast to double their totals. More rapid growth is expected in India and Indonesia, which will both rise by about 70%. The global average for net television advertising per TV household is running at more than US$100. The US will be highest at US$380 in 2008 and the lowest China, only US$10, and India, US$11.
It is sometimes easy to forget just how large a market total TV advertising is. Pay TV, albeit a new sector in many countries, only accounts for 15% of the total. It is only expected to grow to 17% of the 2012 total, even though pay TV advertising will increase by US$7 billion. The UK will boast the highest proportion of pay TV advertising as a proportion of total TV advertising, at about a third in 2008. Korea and Canada will follow at 30%. Korean pay TV advertising will grow quickly, given the weak FTA sector, to half the total by 2012. The proportions in China (heavy government control) and Japan (competitive FTA environment) will be low.
SPORTS SHORTS
* The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) will stage the 15th CASBAA Convention in Hong Kong from October 28 to 30 with the theme Subscribe to the Future—All Eyes are on Asia. The three-day confab will spotlight digital cable, high-speed broadband and mobile-TV services. It will also provide in-depth looks at Japan, Korea and Australia, as well as examine developments in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. In addition, there are sessions scheduled on the new face of China pay TV after the Beijing Olympics and the latest developments in the India market. World Screen, 26th Mar 2008
* Around April 10, India will officially push the USA down one place in the mobile league table, and achieve second position after China. India’s telecom regulator TRAI said on March 25 that India now has more than 250m active mobile subscribers, having added 8.53m subs in February. January’s number was 8.77m. The end-February overall mobile subs base was 250.93m. The US has 256m subs (according to the CTIA) and adds about 2-3m subs a month, while China adds around 6-7m subs a month. India’s monthly subscriber growth is already the largest in the world, and the statisticians predict that India will pass the USA’s total early in April to become the world’s second-largest cellular community. Rapid TV, telecomasia.net, 27th Mar 2008
* The International Skating Union (ISU) has teamed up with the Japan Skating Federation (JSF) and TV Asahi Corporation to hold an international Team Figure Skating Competition in the Japanese capital of Tokyo for the first time. The first ISU World Team Trophy in Japan will take place from April 16-19, 2009, and a second such event will be held in the same country during the 2010-11 season. The competition will involve representative teams from the six highest-ranked ISU members, including the host ISU Member. Each team will include two men single skaters, two lady single skaters, one skating couple and one ice dance couple. TV Asahi has acquired the television broadcast rights covering Japan for both events. Sport Insider, 26th Mar 2008
* The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has ruled out bidding for footballers in the same way that the Indian Premier League will bid for cricketers in the soon-to-be-launched star-studded league. "I wouldn't like to auction footballers as was done in cricket," AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said yesterday. Dasmunsi said that while football was a world game, cricket was less powerful globally. "Cricket is driven by market forces. But football will develop on its own." Dasmunsi said corporate bodies were already coming in good numbers to sponsor the game, highlighting Bharti Telecom which is sponsoring the AIFF's proposed academy in Goa. Soccer Investor, 26th Mar 2008
* Argentinian giant Boca Juniors will relaunch its official club television channel Boca TV in May, with Endemol Sudamericana taking responsibility for its production and content. Boca TV's return marks the Buenos Aires football club's second attempt to enter the now burgeoning world of club TV channels. The platform originally launched in 2003, but had to be cancelled two years later amid financial problems and poor audience figures. The new cable television channel will feature different kinds of programmes related to the club's activities and Boca officials are also in negotiations to broadcast the club's domestic matches and games in international tournaments. Sports Media, 26th Mar 2008
* The BBC has secured the rights to broadcast the Wimbledon tennis championship until 2014, in a five-year extension that incorporates TV, broadband and for the first time, BBC's iPlayer online catch-up player. Commenting on the deal, BBC's director of sport Roger Mosey, said: "The BBC is deeply proud of its historic ties with Wimbledon, but this new agreement is focused on delivering state-of-the-art digital services. This year the matches on Centre and Number One Courts will be shown on the BBC HD channel but the big innovation is in new media. Important games will be available on BBC iPlayer, allowing viewers to watch using their computers for up to a week after the original transmission. This expanded coverage also extends to mobile services, while broadband viewers will be able to watch extra programmes produced during the tournament using the red button. C21 Media, Rapid TV, 26th Mar 2008
MORE NEWS
BTCC: ITV Turns to O21 Television For Touring Car Championship
ITV Sport has handed a three-year British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) contract to outside broadcast company O21 Television. The deal will see O21 Television, which also provides ITV Sport with OB facilities for boxing, the UEFA Champions League and the Coca Cola (sponsor) Championship, supply Unit 6, the latest addition to its high definition fleet. The unit will operate as the presentation unit for ITV Sport, supported by Unit 3 which will produce the world feed.
ITV's director of news and sport, Mark Sharman, said: "The British Touring Car Championship is a significant undertaking for ITV Sport and I'm very pleased that we can rely on the expertise and resources of O21 Television as we expand our coverage of the event on ITV4." Ewen Hamilton, O21's managing director, added: "We are confident that our new units, equipped with the latest broadcast technology, will capture all of the excitement of this long standing ITV Sport tournament." The BTCC season starts this coming Saturday at Brands Hatch with ITV4 broadcasting up to five hours of coverage on Sunday afternoons throughout the season. Sports Media, 26th Mar 2008
China/Broadcast: Beijing Olympics Boosts China’s Cable Market
A major report says the upcoming Beijing Olympics will drive Chinese digital cable growth. Screen Digest, in a joint report with China’s media regulator SARFT, says the Olympic Games is driving China’s cable operators towards digital, and forecasts that this year will see domestic take up for digital TV grow from 18% at the end of last year to 24% by the end of 2008.
“China is the world’s biggest TV market,” says the study. “With 378m TV households and 152m cable TV households at the end of 2007, China is the world’s largest TV market. Its cable TV industry generated €3.4bn in revenue in 2007 and is expected to grow at over seven per cent year-on-year to be worth €4.8bn by 2012. Cable dominates the multi-channel industry as satellite reception is banned and IPTV is in its infancy. As a result 40% of all homes have cable TV, and it accounts for 99% of the pay TV market.”
“With significant investment in the technological infrastructure across the country, the cable industry is rapidly converting to digital in time for the planned analogue switch-off in 2015. The Olympics is acting as a catalyst for this – as the Beijing Olympics will be the first all-HD Olympic Games. Digitisation and a raft of interactive TV services will drive average revenue per subscriber up,” suggests Screen Digest.
As to the companies directly involved in the Chinese digital expansion, the report says “Leading international technology providers like Thomson, Tandberg, Kudelski, Harmonic, NDS, Scientific Atlanta, Miranda, Arris and Irdeto are among foreign companies already finding success in China. Others like European cable giant Liberty Global are seeking to enter the market.”
“Despite the restrictions on foreign investment in the media industry, ample opportunities exist for overseas technology providers. In particular, those that supply head-end and studio equipment, video-on-demand systems, last-mile components and conditional access should be examining the marketplace closely. Although local competition is tough, foreign companies that take the time to understand the intricacies of the market have the potential to reap substantial rewards from such a huge marketplace.”
Lingjie Wang, Screen Digest’s TV and Video Analyst and author of the report says: “The opportunities in China for those that understand the market are huge. But China operates like no other territory in the world. Media is central to government policy and as the primary form of multi-channel television distribution cable holds a key place within that policy. With the Beijing Olympics fast approaching, the rate of change currently being witnessed by cable operators is unprecedented. Digital and HD roll out are firmly on the policy agenda and the changes set in motion throughout 2007 and 2008 will continue to impact business for many years to come.” Rapid TV, 26th Mar 2008
India/Broadcast: Neo to Reap Rs70 Crore from India-South Africa Test Series
With Doordarshan opting out of the simultaneous coverage of the India-South Africa three-test match series, sports channel Neo Sports � the exclusive telecast rights holder for the series � hopes to rake in Rs 70 crore in advertising revenue. Neo Sports has eight on-air sponsors (two co-sponsors and six associate sponsors). Coca-Cola, Airtel, Hero Honda, Pidilite and Asian Paints [Get Quote] are putting about Rs 26-28 crore, while the remaining amount will come from spot selling.
Neo Sports is aiming to rake in around Rs 24 crore from each test match (about Rs 4.8 crore from each of the five days), roughly about the same as that earned by STAR Cricket, the cricket channel of ESPN Star Sports, from the recently concluded three-test series between India and Australia. According to industry sources, STAR Cricket generated about Rs 70-75 crore from the three-test matches. Nimbus (owner of Neo Sports) executives are upbeat about the exclusivity of the India-South Africa series now that Doordarshan has backed out of the mandatory sharing deal. This has helped the sports channel to demand higher rates from the advertisers.
According to Sunil Manocha, executive vice-president (ad sales), Neo Sports, a 10-second spot is now being sold for Rs 65,000-80,000 and companies such as Pepsi, Barcklays Bank, IBM and Bajaj Auto [Get Quote] have already booked spots. "We have about 4,500 seconds to sell on each of the 15 playing days. With a bulk of the inventory already booked between the fixed sponsors and other advertisers, only about 60-odd spots remain to be sold for each of the 15 playing days. All spots for the first test match beginning on Wednesday are sold," Manocha told Business Standard. "These rates are along the expected lines," he added.
Nimbus Communications, the parent company of Neo Sports and Neo Sports Plus, bagged the five-year telecast rights from BCCI in 2006 for all matches to be played in India. However, the downlinking guidelines issued by the ministry of information and broadcasting in November 2005 made it mandatory for all sports channels to share cricket matches involving India with Doordarshan on a 75:25 revenue sharing arrangement due to mass viewer interest.
The downlinking guidelines were supported by the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act 2007, which made it mandatory for all sports broadcasters to share any sporting event of national interest with Doordarshan. Under this Act, the government has to declare a sporting event to be of national interest. The I&B ministry has not classified the India-South Africa cricket series to be of national interest. Therefore, Neo Sports automatically gets the exclusive telecast rights for the three-test match series, generating interest among the advertisers. Rediff, 26th Mar 2008
Global Net TV Advertising
Info IQ, 25th Mar 2008
Global net TV advertising revenues will reach US$123 billion in 2008, up 5.8% on 2007, most of the improvements partly based on the positive impact of the Olympics, from the 3.5% global rise in 2007, according to Informa Telecoms & Media. From this 2008 total, net pay TV advertising will bring in US$18 billion, a figure which has doubled over the last five years. Pay TV will represent 15% of total TV advertising in 2008.
By 2012, forecasts show that global net TV advertising will equate to US$148 billion, up 21% on the 2008 figure. However, Net pay TV advertising will grow at a much faster rate - up 39% over the same period - to reach US$25 billion by 2012, or 17% of total TV advertising. This is the first time that TV advertising forecasts for this many countries have been homogenised and reflect only the revenues received by the channels and networks. The US still has considerable influence over the global market, bringing in US$43.2 billion in 2007 - or 35% of the world's total. Japan, the world's second largest market but home to a sluggish economy, is more or less stagnant, with net TV advertising growing only 12% between 2007 and 2012. The fastest growing territories are Russia and Romania, which are forecast to double their totals. More rapid growth is expected in India and Indonesia, which will both rise by about 70%. The global average for net television advertising per TV household is running at more than US$100. The US will be highest at US$380 in 2008 and the lowest China, only US$10, and India, US$11.
It is sometimes easy to forget just how large a market total TV advertising is. Pay TV, albeit a new sector in many countries, only accounts for 15% of the total. It is only expected to grow to 17% of the 2012 total, even though pay TV advertising will increase by US$7 billion. The UK will boast the highest proportion of pay TV advertising as a proportion of total TV advertising, at about a third in 2008. Korea and Canada will follow at 30%. Korean pay TV advertising will grow quickly, given the weak FTA sector, to half the total by 2012. The proportions in China (heavy government control) and Japan (competitive FTA environment) will be low.
SPORTS SHORTS
* The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) will stage the 15th CASBAA Convention in Hong Kong from October 28 to 30 with the theme Subscribe to the Future—All Eyes are on Asia. The three-day confab will spotlight digital cable, high-speed broadband and mobile-TV services. It will also provide in-depth looks at Japan, Korea and Australia, as well as examine developments in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. In addition, there are sessions scheduled on the new face of China pay TV after the Beijing Olympics and the latest developments in the India market. World Screen, 26th Mar 2008
* Around April 10, India will officially push the USA down one place in the mobile league table, and achieve second position after China. India’s telecom regulator TRAI said on March 25 that India now has more than 250m active mobile subscribers, having added 8.53m subs in February. January’s number was 8.77m. The end-February overall mobile subs base was 250.93m. The US has 256m subs (according to the CTIA) and adds about 2-3m subs a month, while China adds around 6-7m subs a month. India’s monthly subscriber growth is already the largest in the world, and the statisticians predict that India will pass the USA’s total early in April to become the world’s second-largest cellular community. Rapid TV, telecomasia.net, 27th Mar 2008
* The International Skating Union (ISU) has teamed up with the Japan Skating Federation (JSF) and TV Asahi Corporation to hold an international Team Figure Skating Competition in the Japanese capital of Tokyo for the first time. The first ISU World Team Trophy in Japan will take place from April 16-19, 2009, and a second such event will be held in the same country during the 2010-11 season. The competition will involve representative teams from the six highest-ranked ISU members, including the host ISU Member. Each team will include two men single skaters, two lady single skaters, one skating couple and one ice dance couple. TV Asahi has acquired the television broadcast rights covering Japan for both events. Sport Insider, 26th Mar 2008
* The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has ruled out bidding for footballers in the same way that the Indian Premier League will bid for cricketers in the soon-to-be-launched star-studded league. "I wouldn't like to auction footballers as was done in cricket," AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said yesterday. Dasmunsi said that while football was a world game, cricket was less powerful globally. "Cricket is driven by market forces. But football will develop on its own." Dasmunsi said corporate bodies were already coming in good numbers to sponsor the game, highlighting Bharti Telecom which is sponsoring the AIFF's proposed academy in Goa. Soccer Investor, 26th Mar 2008
* Argentinian giant Boca Juniors will relaunch its official club television channel Boca TV in May, with Endemol Sudamericana taking responsibility for its production and content. Boca TV's return marks the Buenos Aires football club's second attempt to enter the now burgeoning world of club TV channels. The platform originally launched in 2003, but had to be cancelled two years later amid financial problems and poor audience figures. The new cable television channel will feature different kinds of programmes related to the club's activities and Boca officials are also in negotiations to broadcast the club's domestic matches and games in international tournaments. Sports Media, 26th Mar 2008
* The BBC has secured the rights to broadcast the Wimbledon tennis championship until 2014, in a five-year extension that incorporates TV, broadband and for the first time, BBC's iPlayer online catch-up player. Commenting on the deal, BBC's director of sport Roger Mosey, said: "The BBC is deeply proud of its historic ties with Wimbledon, but this new agreement is focused on delivering state-of-the-art digital services. This year the matches on Centre and Number One Courts will be shown on the BBC HD channel but the big innovation is in new media. Important games will be available on BBC iPlayer, allowing viewers to watch using their computers for up to a week after the original transmission. This expanded coverage also extends to mobile services, while broadband viewers will be able to watch extra programmes produced during the tournament using the red button. C21 Media, Rapid TV, 26th Mar 2008
MORE NEWS
BTCC: ITV Turns to O21 Television For Touring Car Championship
ITV Sport has handed a three-year British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) contract to outside broadcast company O21 Television. The deal will see O21 Television, which also provides ITV Sport with OB facilities for boxing, the UEFA Champions League and the Coca Cola (sponsor) Championship, supply Unit 6, the latest addition to its high definition fleet. The unit will operate as the presentation unit for ITV Sport, supported by Unit 3 which will produce the world feed.
ITV's director of news and sport, Mark Sharman, said: "The British Touring Car Championship is a significant undertaking for ITV Sport and I'm very pleased that we can rely on the expertise and resources of O21 Television as we expand our coverage of the event on ITV4." Ewen Hamilton, O21's managing director, added: "We are confident that our new units, equipped with the latest broadcast technology, will capture all of the excitement of this long standing ITV Sport tournament." The BTCC season starts this coming Saturday at Brands Hatch with ITV4 broadcasting up to five hours of coverage on Sunday afternoons throughout the season. Sports Media, 26th Mar 2008
China/Broadcast: Beijing Olympics Boosts China’s Cable Market
A major report says the upcoming Beijing Olympics will drive Chinese digital cable growth. Screen Digest, in a joint report with China’s media regulator SARFT, says the Olympic Games is driving China’s cable operators towards digital, and forecasts that this year will see domestic take up for digital TV grow from 18% at the end of last year to 24% by the end of 2008.
“China is the world’s biggest TV market,” says the study. “With 378m TV households and 152m cable TV households at the end of 2007, China is the world’s largest TV market. Its cable TV industry generated €3.4bn in revenue in 2007 and is expected to grow at over seven per cent year-on-year to be worth €4.8bn by 2012. Cable dominates the multi-channel industry as satellite reception is banned and IPTV is in its infancy. As a result 40% of all homes have cable TV, and it accounts for 99% of the pay TV market.”
“With significant investment in the technological infrastructure across the country, the cable industry is rapidly converting to digital in time for the planned analogue switch-off in 2015. The Olympics is acting as a catalyst for this – as the Beijing Olympics will be the first all-HD Olympic Games. Digitisation and a raft of interactive TV services will drive average revenue per subscriber up,” suggests Screen Digest.
As to the companies directly involved in the Chinese digital expansion, the report says “Leading international technology providers like Thomson, Tandberg, Kudelski, Harmonic, NDS, Scientific Atlanta, Miranda, Arris and Irdeto are among foreign companies already finding success in China. Others like European cable giant Liberty Global are seeking to enter the market.”
“Despite the restrictions on foreign investment in the media industry, ample opportunities exist for overseas technology providers. In particular, those that supply head-end and studio equipment, video-on-demand systems, last-mile components and conditional access should be examining the marketplace closely. Although local competition is tough, foreign companies that take the time to understand the intricacies of the market have the potential to reap substantial rewards from such a huge marketplace.”
Lingjie Wang, Screen Digest’s TV and Video Analyst and author of the report says: “The opportunities in China for those that understand the market are huge. But China operates like no other territory in the world. Media is central to government policy and as the primary form of multi-channel television distribution cable holds a key place within that policy. With the Beijing Olympics fast approaching, the rate of change currently being witnessed by cable operators is unprecedented. Digital and HD roll out are firmly on the policy agenda and the changes set in motion throughout 2007 and 2008 will continue to impact business for many years to come.” Rapid TV, 26th Mar 2008
India/Broadcast: Neo to Reap Rs70 Crore from India-South Africa Test Series
With Doordarshan opting out of the simultaneous coverage of the India-South Africa three-test match series, sports channel Neo Sports � the exclusive telecast rights holder for the series � hopes to rake in Rs 70 crore in advertising revenue. Neo Sports has eight on-air sponsors (two co-sponsors and six associate sponsors). Coca-Cola, Airtel, Hero Honda, Pidilite and Asian Paints [Get Quote] are putting about Rs 26-28 crore, while the remaining amount will come from spot selling.
Neo Sports is aiming to rake in around Rs 24 crore from each test match (about Rs 4.8 crore from each of the five days), roughly about the same as that earned by STAR Cricket, the cricket channel of ESPN Star Sports, from the recently concluded three-test series between India and Australia. According to industry sources, STAR Cricket generated about Rs 70-75 crore from the three-test matches. Nimbus (owner of Neo Sports) executives are upbeat about the exclusivity of the India-South Africa series now that Doordarshan has backed out of the mandatory sharing deal. This has helped the sports channel to demand higher rates from the advertisers.
According to Sunil Manocha, executive vice-president (ad sales), Neo Sports, a 10-second spot is now being sold for Rs 65,000-80,000 and companies such as Pepsi, Barcklays Bank, IBM and Bajaj Auto [Get Quote] have already booked spots. "We have about 4,500 seconds to sell on each of the 15 playing days. With a bulk of the inventory already booked between the fixed sponsors and other advertisers, only about 60-odd spots remain to be sold for each of the 15 playing days. All spots for the first test match beginning on Wednesday are sold," Manocha told Business Standard. "These rates are along the expected lines," he added.
Nimbus Communications, the parent company of Neo Sports and Neo Sports Plus, bagged the five-year telecast rights from BCCI in 2006 for all matches to be played in India. However, the downlinking guidelines issued by the ministry of information and broadcasting in November 2005 made it mandatory for all sports channels to share cricket matches involving India with Doordarshan on a 75:25 revenue sharing arrangement due to mass viewer interest.
The downlinking guidelines were supported by the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act 2007, which made it mandatory for all sports broadcasters to share any sporting event of national interest with Doordarshan. Under this Act, the government has to declare a sporting event to be of national interest. The I&B ministry has not classified the India-South Africa cricket series to be of national interest. Therefore, Neo Sports automatically gets the exclusive telecast rights for the three-test match series, generating interest among the advertisers. Rediff, 26th Mar 2008
Wednesday, 26th March 2008
SPORTS SHORTS
* Singtel acquired the exclusive Champions League TV rights from 2009-2012 in Singapore. The company can exploit the rights through IPTV, internet and mobile for Champions League, as well as UEFA Cup and Super Cup matches. "We are excited at the prospect of working with a new partner in the form of Singtel," said UEFA. "The commitment they have made to acquire the media rights is evidence of the tremendous popularity of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup in Singapore. UEFA also thanks ESPN Star Sports and StarHub, for their excellent contribution to broadcasting the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup respectively." Sportbusiness, 25th Mar 2008
* As of February 2008, the number of subscribers to mobile TV service in Korea is 11 million including 9.69 million to terrestrial DMB and 1.31 million to satellite DMB. If the growth continues at this rate, terrestrial DMB users will pass the 10 million mark in March. According to the Broadcasting and Communications Commission and the Special Committee on Terrestrial DMB, over 520,000 T-DMB devices were sold and satellite DMB attracted 36,000 new subscribers during one month of February. ATV, 26th Mar 2008
* Sandvine Corp said that PT First Media Tbk, the largest broadband provider in Indonesia, has been using its products since June 2007 and has "aggressive goals" to ramp up its broadband subscriber uptake to 2009.The AIM-listed provider of broadband network products said First Media has been using its PTS 14000 and Intelligent Broadband Network Solutions to improve network visibility, deliver new services, and ensure fair use of network resources. First Media is planning to increase its broadband uptake from 18,000 subscribers in mid 2007 to 150,000 in 2008 and its overall subscriber base to 1 mln by 2009, said Sandvine. Sharewatch, 25th Mar 2008
* Broadcom has revealed the first high definition, personal video recording, set-top box, system-on-a-chip solution for China. The result of the collaboration between Broadcom and Coship, the first commercial high definition STB in China will provide advanced HD viewing, full 1080p support, improved picture quality, PVR functionality and interactive services all in anticipation of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. ATV, 26th Mar 2008
* Time Broadband Services and joint venture partner Stanton Technologies have launched their IPTV service over 2.5G mobile platform. The JV also announced the signing of contracts with DiGi in Malaysia and China Mobile and China Unicom in China. "Through an exclusive deal with the Chinese government owned entity, the Time-Stanton JV will have access to provide IPTV to over 500 million mobile subscribers in China," an official release said. ATV, 26th Mar 2008
* In a bid to capitalise on its portfolio of cricket internet rights, Nimbus Communication is planning to launch a cricket web portal that will offer streaming of live matches with claims to match the TV experience on the Net. The company claims this would be the first attempt in India to offer live streaming of cricket matches on the internet. Nimbus Communications is not the first broadcaster to get aggressive in the internet space. ESPN-Star Sports’ parent company ESPN International had last year bought cricket website cricinfo for an undisclosed amount. Sports broadcasters have been investing huge amounts to grab cricket rights. Industry players believe that internet could become lucrative revenue stream. The company has tied up with content distributor Akamai for the portal. India Times, Sportcal, 26th Mar 2008
* Japanese IPTV company The New Media Group (TNMG) is aiming itself at the Indian market, teaming with broadcast and IP systems integration company Shaf Broadcast. The resulting venture, TNMG Technologies, will license and manage TNMG’s World On-Demand internet television middleware platform in mid-Asia. The platform already operates elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan and Korea, offering access through multiple device options (TV, PC or mobile), with the platform centred around “communities”. There are linear channel, VOD and subscription on-demand bundles available. Capitalising on the growing services sector in India, the new company will also look for business handling outsourced operations such as content management from both content owners and IPTV platforms globally. Rapid TV, 25th Mar 2008
MORE NEWS
Taiwan/New Media: Soft-World to Operate e-Sports Webcast Service
Soft-World International, the largest developer/operator of online games in Taiwan, will operate an interactive platform to webcast online gaming contests (e-sports) to members of online game communities and allow viewers to comment on contests, according to company chairman and CEO Chin-pou Wang. Soft-World will have efun International, a subsidiary in which it has nearly an 80% stake, operate the webcast platform, according to industry sources.
Founded in October 2007 with initial paid-in capital of NT$50 million (US$1.64 million), efun has shifted its business operations from online audio/video services to mainly providing online games, the sources noted. The operation of the platform is in line with the establishment of Taiwan e-Sports League (TeSl), a platform of professional online gaming contests, mainly by Soft-World and three other developers and/or operators of online games in Taiwan, the sources pointed out. Digitimes, 25th Mar 2008
Global/General: NTT, AT&T Join Giant Trans-Pacific Cable Project
Telecom giants NTT and AT&T are joining a next-generation underwater cable project to speed up booming Internet traffic between Asia and North America, an AFP report said. The AFP report said the entrance of NTT Communications ensures that a branch of the "Trans-Pacific Express" fiber optic cable network will connect with Japan, Asia's largest economy.
The project, which already involves companies from China, Taiwan and AT&T's rival Verizon Communications, was originally estimated to cost some $500 million. In the first phase, a cable stretching 17,000 kilometers from China's east coast to the western US state of Oregon is set to go into service by August, in time to transmit high-speed data from the Beijing Olympics, the AFP report said.
The link is expected to have some 60 times the capacity of an existing one under the ocean. The new cable is expected to help avoid breakdowns in Internet traffic similar to what occurred following a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck the seabed near Taiwan in December 2006, snapping undersea telecom cables. NTT Communications said in a statement that the branch connecting Japan with other parts of Asia would be operational by the first quarter of 2009, with a Japan-US section finished by early 2010. Neither firm disclosed financial terms, but AT&T said its contribution would be part of $1 billion the company has budgeted this year to expand services for multinational companies. The companies already in the consortium are mainland Chinese companies China Telecom, China Netcom and China Unicom, as well as Korea Telecom, Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom and Verizon, the AFP report further said. telecomasia.net, 26th Mar 2008
ARTICLES, COMMENTS, INTERVIEWS & OPINIONS
Media Content Going Digital in a Big Way
Digital is the way forward. The pace at which digitalisation is moving across platforms, its different facets will dictate how you will be entertained in the future. Globally, the migration to digital formats is accelerating and this trend is likely to emerge in India too.
Distribution of entertainment and media content over digital and mobile platforms —online digital streaming, digital movie/TV downloads, video-on-demand, music downloaded from the internet, music downloaded to wireless phones, online advertising, online video games, wireless video games and online gaming — is likely to rise significantly in the next five years.
“Digitalisation is the future for most segments and companies have to adopt this revolution with appropriate infrastructure, relevant business models and technology upgradation along with associated costs. The pace of adoption will determine industry dynamics.” said Timmy Kandhari, executive director and leader TICE (technology, infocomm and entertainment & media) practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers in India. As digitisation sets in, it will lead to reduction in costs for content and delivery in the long run, shifting the emphasis on quality content, he added. India Times, 26th Mar 2008
* Singtel acquired the exclusive Champions League TV rights from 2009-2012 in Singapore. The company can exploit the rights through IPTV, internet and mobile for Champions League, as well as UEFA Cup and Super Cup matches. "We are excited at the prospect of working with a new partner in the form of Singtel," said UEFA. "The commitment they have made to acquire the media rights is evidence of the tremendous popularity of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup in Singapore. UEFA also thanks ESPN Star Sports and StarHub, for their excellent contribution to broadcasting the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup respectively." Sportbusiness, 25th Mar 2008
* As of February 2008, the number of subscribers to mobile TV service in Korea is 11 million including 9.69 million to terrestrial DMB and 1.31 million to satellite DMB. If the growth continues at this rate, terrestrial DMB users will pass the 10 million mark in March. According to the Broadcasting and Communications Commission and the Special Committee on Terrestrial DMB, over 520,000 T-DMB devices were sold and satellite DMB attracted 36,000 new subscribers during one month of February. ATV, 26th Mar 2008
* Sandvine Corp said that PT First Media Tbk, the largest broadband provider in Indonesia, has been using its products since June 2007 and has "aggressive goals" to ramp up its broadband subscriber uptake to 2009.The AIM-listed provider of broadband network products said First Media has been using its PTS 14000 and Intelligent Broadband Network Solutions to improve network visibility, deliver new services, and ensure fair use of network resources. First Media is planning to increase its broadband uptake from 18,000 subscribers in mid 2007 to 150,000 in 2008 and its overall subscriber base to 1 mln by 2009, said Sandvine. Sharewatch, 25th Mar 2008
* Broadcom has revealed the first high definition, personal video recording, set-top box, system-on-a-chip solution for China. The result of the collaboration between Broadcom and Coship, the first commercial high definition STB in China will provide advanced HD viewing, full 1080p support, improved picture quality, PVR functionality and interactive services all in anticipation of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. ATV, 26th Mar 2008
* Time Broadband Services and joint venture partner Stanton Technologies have launched their IPTV service over 2.5G mobile platform. The JV also announced the signing of contracts with DiGi in Malaysia and China Mobile and China Unicom in China. "Through an exclusive deal with the Chinese government owned entity, the Time-Stanton JV will have access to provide IPTV to over 500 million mobile subscribers in China," an official release said. ATV, 26th Mar 2008
* In a bid to capitalise on its portfolio of cricket internet rights, Nimbus Communication is planning to launch a cricket web portal that will offer streaming of live matches with claims to match the TV experience on the Net. The company claims this would be the first attempt in India to offer live streaming of cricket matches on the internet. Nimbus Communications is not the first broadcaster to get aggressive in the internet space. ESPN-Star Sports’ parent company ESPN International had last year bought cricket website cricinfo for an undisclosed amount. Sports broadcasters have been investing huge amounts to grab cricket rights. Industry players believe that internet could become lucrative revenue stream. The company has tied up with content distributor Akamai for the portal. India Times, Sportcal, 26th Mar 2008
* Japanese IPTV company The New Media Group (TNMG) is aiming itself at the Indian market, teaming with broadcast and IP systems integration company Shaf Broadcast. The resulting venture, TNMG Technologies, will license and manage TNMG’s World On-Demand internet television middleware platform in mid-Asia. The platform already operates elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan and Korea, offering access through multiple device options (TV, PC or mobile), with the platform centred around “communities”. There are linear channel, VOD and subscription on-demand bundles available. Capitalising on the growing services sector in India, the new company will also look for business handling outsourced operations such as content management from both content owners and IPTV platforms globally. Rapid TV, 25th Mar 2008
MORE NEWS
Taiwan/New Media: Soft-World to Operate e-Sports Webcast Service
Soft-World International, the largest developer/operator of online games in Taiwan, will operate an interactive platform to webcast online gaming contests (e-sports) to members of online game communities and allow viewers to comment on contests, according to company chairman and CEO Chin-pou Wang. Soft-World will have efun International, a subsidiary in which it has nearly an 80% stake, operate the webcast platform, according to industry sources.
Founded in October 2007 with initial paid-in capital of NT$50 million (US$1.64 million), efun has shifted its business operations from online audio/video services to mainly providing online games, the sources noted. The operation of the platform is in line with the establishment of Taiwan e-Sports League (TeSl), a platform of professional online gaming contests, mainly by Soft-World and three other developers and/or operators of online games in Taiwan, the sources pointed out. Digitimes, 25th Mar 2008
Global/General: NTT, AT&T Join Giant Trans-Pacific Cable Project
Telecom giants NTT and AT&T are joining a next-generation underwater cable project to speed up booming Internet traffic between Asia and North America, an AFP report said. The AFP report said the entrance of NTT Communications ensures that a branch of the "Trans-Pacific Express" fiber optic cable network will connect with Japan, Asia's largest economy.
The project, which already involves companies from China, Taiwan and AT&T's rival Verizon Communications, was originally estimated to cost some $500 million. In the first phase, a cable stretching 17,000 kilometers from China's east coast to the western US state of Oregon is set to go into service by August, in time to transmit high-speed data from the Beijing Olympics, the AFP report said.
The link is expected to have some 60 times the capacity of an existing one under the ocean. The new cable is expected to help avoid breakdowns in Internet traffic similar to what occurred following a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck the seabed near Taiwan in December 2006, snapping undersea telecom cables. NTT Communications said in a statement that the branch connecting Japan with other parts of Asia would be operational by the first quarter of 2009, with a Japan-US section finished by early 2010. Neither firm disclosed financial terms, but AT&T said its contribution would be part of $1 billion the company has budgeted this year to expand services for multinational companies. The companies already in the consortium are mainland Chinese companies China Telecom, China Netcom and China Unicom, as well as Korea Telecom, Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom and Verizon, the AFP report further said. telecomasia.net, 26th Mar 2008
ARTICLES, COMMENTS, INTERVIEWS & OPINIONS
Media Content Going Digital in a Big Way
Digital is the way forward. The pace at which digitalisation is moving across platforms, its different facets will dictate how you will be entertained in the future. Globally, the migration to digital formats is accelerating and this trend is likely to emerge in India too.
Distribution of entertainment and media content over digital and mobile platforms —online digital streaming, digital movie/TV downloads, video-on-demand, music downloaded from the internet, music downloaded to wireless phones, online advertising, online video games, wireless video games and online gaming — is likely to rise significantly in the next five years.
“Digitalisation is the future for most segments and companies have to adopt this revolution with appropriate infrastructure, relevant business models and technology upgradation along with associated costs. The pace of adoption will determine industry dynamics.” said Timmy Kandhari, executive director and leader TICE (technology, infocomm and entertainment & media) practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers in India. As digitisation sets in, it will lead to reduction in costs for content and delivery in the long run, shifting the emphasis on quality content, he added. India Times, 26th Mar 2008
Tuesday, 25th March 2008
SPORT SHORTS
* India is all set to become the world’s second largest wireless network next month, overtaking the U.S., thanks to the monthly addition of over 80-lakh mobile phone subscribers for the past few months. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), with the total mobile subscriber base crossing the 26-crore mark, India will have over 30-crore phone subscribers (wireless and wireline) in April. “The U.S. is adding about 20-30 lakh subscribers in a month whereas China is adding around 60-70 lakh subscribers a month. India’s monthly wireless subscriber addition is highest in the range of 80-90 lakh a month. Thus, India’s wireless subscriber base during the first half of April will surpass that of the U.S. and will become the second wireless network in the world,” it said. The Hindu, Web Media 123, 25th Mar 2008
* In order to push its up coming event Wrestlemania, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has announced a partnership with Habbo, the virtual community with more than eight million unique users in 31 countries around the world. The campaign called The Road to WrestleMania XXIV will kick-off today. It will challenge participants in Habbo to have their personal avatars compete against each other based on the themes of five anticipated WrestleMania matches, including The World Heavyweight Championship: Edge vs. The Undertaker and "The Biggest Battles The Best," which pits WWE's Big Show against welterweight boxing legend, Floyd 'Money' Mayweather. Indiantelevision.com, 24th Mar 2008
* The IMS Research study IPTV: A Global Market Analysis - 2008 Edition reveals that as a whole, an estimated 13.2 million households received IPTV service in 2007 with nearly 8.4 million IP-enabled set-top boxes shipping worldwide. IPTV households are forecast to grow 52.2 per cent annually though 2012. Shane Walker, research analyst and author of the study, states, "The increasingly competitive pay-TV landscape with proliferation of new content, triple/quadruple play offerings, and new Internet-based TV services is one of the main factors behind IPTV household growth. Another important factor is the rapid uptake of IPTV services in China and South Korea as governments relax regulations restricting deployment and as telcos become more involved with expanding IPTV services." ATV, 21st Mar 2008
* The combined IPTV and switched digital video (SDV) market is forecast to reach $9.8 billion worldwide, according to Infonetics Research’s IPTV and Switched Digital Video Equipment, Services, and Subscribers report. Said Jeff Heynen, analyst for IPTV at Infonetics Research, "buoyed by the success of rollouts by Orange, Free, Neuf, Fastweb, PCCW, Telefonica, and China Telecom, IPTV service providers continue to build out headends and spend on IP set-top boxes to aggressively court video subscribers. The report also highlights that total worldwide IPTV and SDV equipment revenue hit $1.1 billion in Q4 of 2007 and the number of IPTV subscribers is set to top 97 million worldwide by 2011. ATV, 21st Mar 2008
MORE NEWS
Singapore/Broadcaster: StarHub joins CTI's bid for Singapore NGN
Fixed and mobile operator StarHub has joined Hong Kong's City Telecom (CTI) and mobile firm M1 in bidding for Singapore’s next-gen broadband project. The trio will jointly submit a bid for the right to build the NGN network, for which contracts are expected to be awarded at the end of 2008. Previously, StarHub had planned to bid separately for the multi-billion dollar project.
The newly-enlarged consortium now comprises Singapore’s second and third-largest telcos and the owner of one of Hong Kong’s biggest broadband networks. “The proven expertise and experience that the partners bring to the consortium, backed by their knowledge of the local operating environment and conditions, will ensure a strong and resilient bid,” said M1 CEO Neil Montefiore. Eight other groups, including carriers SingTel, BT, NTT and vendors Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia Siemens, have registered to submit bids for the network project.Singapore’s Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) will separately sell the rights to operate the broadband services over the new network. telecomasia.net, 25th Mar 2008
* India is all set to become the world’s second largest wireless network next month, overtaking the U.S., thanks to the monthly addition of over 80-lakh mobile phone subscribers for the past few months. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), with the total mobile subscriber base crossing the 26-crore mark, India will have over 30-crore phone subscribers (wireless and wireline) in April. “The U.S. is adding about 20-30 lakh subscribers in a month whereas China is adding around 60-70 lakh subscribers a month. India’s monthly wireless subscriber addition is highest in the range of 80-90 lakh a month. Thus, India’s wireless subscriber base during the first half of April will surpass that of the U.S. and will become the second wireless network in the world,” it said. The Hindu, Web Media 123, 25th Mar 2008
* In order to push its up coming event Wrestlemania, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has announced a partnership with Habbo, the virtual community with more than eight million unique users in 31 countries around the world. The campaign called The Road to WrestleMania XXIV will kick-off today. It will challenge participants in Habbo to have their personal avatars compete against each other based on the themes of five anticipated WrestleMania matches, including The World Heavyweight Championship: Edge vs. The Undertaker and "The Biggest Battles The Best," which pits WWE's Big Show against welterweight boxing legend, Floyd 'Money' Mayweather. Indiantelevision.com, 24th Mar 2008
* The IMS Research study IPTV: A Global Market Analysis - 2008 Edition reveals that as a whole, an estimated 13.2 million households received IPTV service in 2007 with nearly 8.4 million IP-enabled set-top boxes shipping worldwide. IPTV households are forecast to grow 52.2 per cent annually though 2012. Shane Walker, research analyst and author of the study, states, "The increasingly competitive pay-TV landscape with proliferation of new content, triple/quadruple play offerings, and new Internet-based TV services is one of the main factors behind IPTV household growth. Another important factor is the rapid uptake of IPTV services in China and South Korea as governments relax regulations restricting deployment and as telcos become more involved with expanding IPTV services." ATV, 21st Mar 2008
* The combined IPTV and switched digital video (SDV) market is forecast to reach $9.8 billion worldwide, according to Infonetics Research’s IPTV and Switched Digital Video Equipment, Services, and Subscribers report. Said Jeff Heynen, analyst for IPTV at Infonetics Research, "buoyed by the success of rollouts by Orange, Free, Neuf, Fastweb, PCCW, Telefonica, and China Telecom, IPTV service providers continue to build out headends and spend on IP set-top boxes to aggressively court video subscribers. The report also highlights that total worldwide IPTV and SDV equipment revenue hit $1.1 billion in Q4 of 2007 and the number of IPTV subscribers is set to top 97 million worldwide by 2011. ATV, 21st Mar 2008
MORE NEWS
Singapore/Broadcaster: StarHub joins CTI's bid for Singapore NGN
Fixed and mobile operator StarHub has joined Hong Kong's City Telecom (CTI) and mobile firm M1 in bidding for Singapore’s next-gen broadband project. The trio will jointly submit a bid for the right to build the NGN network, for which contracts are expected to be awarded at the end of 2008. Previously, StarHub had planned to bid separately for the multi-billion dollar project.
The newly-enlarged consortium now comprises Singapore’s second and third-largest telcos and the owner of one of Hong Kong’s biggest broadband networks. “The proven expertise and experience that the partners bring to the consortium, backed by their knowledge of the local operating environment and conditions, will ensure a strong and resilient bid,” said M1 CEO Neil Montefiore. Eight other groups, including carriers SingTel, BT, NTT and vendors Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia Siemens, have registered to submit bids for the network project.Singapore’s Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) will separately sell the rights to operate the broadband services over the new network. telecomasia.net, 25th Mar 2008
Monday, 24th March 2008
DID YOU KNOW…?
With UEFA Euro 2008 now just around the corner, the Austrian Post Office has produced an innovative stamp to promote the tournament in the host country. A total of 490,000 special stamps have been produced, which not only bear the image of Adidas' official ball for the tournament but are also made of the same material - a synthetic mix with polyurethane. "Altogether, the Europass stamp is our most sophisticated stamp in terms of typography and fabric," head of philately at the Austrian Post Office, Erich Haas, told www.euro2008.uefa.com. The stamps can be purchased in Austria for Eur3.75 in all post office branches and online. Sports Media, 19th Mar 2008
SPORTS SHORTS
* Brand valuation consultancy company Brand Finance ranked Real Madrid as the most valuable brand ahead of Manchester United Football Club (MUFC) in a study on the top 20 European football club brands. Real Madrid's trademark value is £271 million (S$754.11 million), an increase of 7% from last year. This is largely due to bigger investment in top tier players and stronger growth in revenue from commercial and broadcasting deals. MUFC's brand is valued at £264 million (S$734.63 million), partly due to a lucrative sponsorship deal with AIG. Marketing Interactive, 20th Mar 2008
* The international BG Triathlon World Cup series has several new broadcasters this year, according to the International Triathlon Union, the sport’s world governing body. The ITU said that it had agreed new broadcasting deals in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the Middle East, Asia, Philippines, Africa and South Korea. In Asia and the Middle East, pay-television broadcasters Ten Sports and Zee Sports will show the series, while national broadcaster ABC-CBN will show it in the Philippines, in a deal agreed with the ITU’s international distribution partner, BBC Worldwide, while South Korea’s MBC will air the Tongyeong event live. Sportcal, 20th Mar 2008
* India looks set to relax its tough limits on foreign ownership and inward investment into DTH broadcasting, as recommended by regulator TRAI recently. Currently foreign players are limited to owning 49% of an investment in DTH broadcasting, pay-TV operations and including teleport Earth stations. Reports from India’s capital New Delhi state that these current limits will be raised to 74%. The same 74% ownership limit will also apply to satellite radio operators, potentially helping WorldSpace which has long sought to expand its presence in India. But cable TV foreign ownership limits will stay at 49% which has angered that sector. Cablers wanted limits raised to 74%, on a par with telecoms companies. Non-Indian ownership of news and current affairs TV channels stays even lower, at 26%. Rapid TV News, 20th Mar 2008
* According to China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the administrative agency responsible for internet affairs under the Ministry of Information Industry of the People's Republic of China, there are more than 200 million internet users and more than 500 million mobile users in China - representing the largest online and mobile population in the world. Excerpt from Sport Business, 20th Mar 2008
* Digitisation of China’s cable networks is continuing apace. China Digital TV, a provider of conditional access systems to China’s digital TV market, said that it now has three separate customers whose smart card shipments have surpassed 1 million. The latest operator is Dongguan Broadcasting Network and Media Development Corporation. Jianhua Zhu, CEO of China Digital TV called the third 1 million digital subscribers “a significant milestone in China’s fragmented operator market.” In 2007, China Digital TV shipped 7.3 million smartcards, up 85.5% from 2006. Revenues were US$55.8 million and net income rose 160% to US$33.8 million. For 2008, China Digital TV is expecting revenues of between US$79 million and US$84 million, year-on-year growth of 42.5%-51.5%. Rapid TV News, 19th Mar 2008
* A branch of Chinese broadcaster CCTV has moved into new headquarters in London ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games. The move, which has been facilitated in part by UK Trade & Investment and London's foreign direct investment organisation Think London, will "build on the business connections between China and London as both countries prepare to host the Olympic Games", according to the Trade and Investment Department. Football Insider, 20th Mar 2008
* Brazilian broadcasters Record have dropped out of the race for the rights to the Campeonato Brasileiro between 2009-2011, leaving Globo as the frontrunner in the terrestrial TV market. Sportv and ESPN are in the hunt for the rights on satellite television. The Clube dos 13 - Brazil’s group of elite clubs that is roughly equivalent to Europe’s G-14 - had set up a commission responsible for the negotiations surrounding the Campeonato Brasileiro TV rights which have been in the possession of Globo until this year. “We’re absolutely satisfed with the process,” said Clube dos 13 president Fabio Koff. “We were more rigorous. We have obeyed the principles that orientate contracts and we have managed to value our product accurately.” Soccer Investor, 19th Mar 2008
* Optimum Media Prime has agreed a deal with the Ghana Football Association for the broadcast rights to Ghana’s home qualifying matches for soccer’s 2010 World Cup. The deal, reportedly worth $390,000, gives OMP the free-to-air and pay-television rights and requires it to syndicate, cover and produce the television signal for Ghana’s home qualification matches. Broadcasters interested in showing Ghana’s home matches have been invited to negotiate conditions with OMP. After announcing the deal, GFA president Kwesi Nyantakyi revealed that the national association was still awaiting payments from some broadcasters for rights to home qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup. Nyantakyi told AllAfrica.com, the African news website, ‘It will amaze you to know that some TV stations are still owing us, and so they don’t have the moral rights to bid for the media rights.’ Sportcal, 19th Mar 2008
* Setanta, the pay-television broadcaster, is reported to be close to a deal to acquire the UK rights to broadcast a potentially crucial World Cup soccer qualifying match between Ukraine and England, scheduled for October 10, 2009. Setanta will have to pay as much as £4 million ($8.1 million) for the rights, according to the Daily Mail newspaper. The rights for England’s home matches, including World Cup qualifiers, are held by ITV, the commercial broadcaster, and Setanta in a deal worth £425 million covering a four-year period beginning in 2008-09. Sportcal, 19th Mar 2008
* South African pay-tv, Supersport, has acquired rights to the Nigerian under-23 soccer team’s Olympic qualifying match against South Africa on March 26. Supersport is to broadcast the match across Africa and ensure quality production for the territorial broadcasters wishing to air the match, said Musa Ahmedu, deputy secretary general of the Nigerian Football Association. Meanwhile, television production in Nigeria is to be handled by Green World Communications. Green World will pay a reported $43,500 for the rights after defeating a bid from Africa Independent Television, the Nigerian satellite channel available throughout Africa. Ahmedu said that domestic broadcasters interested in showing the key qualifier should contact Green World. Sportcal, 19th Mar 2008
* Formula 1 will return to the BBC, after the UK public-service broadcaster agreed a surprise 5-year media rights deal, ousting incumbent rights holder ITV. ITV’s deal was due to expire in 2010 but the BBC will now take over as the UK’s Formula 1 broadcaster from next season, having agreed a reported £200-million ($395.8-million) deal with Formula One Management, the series’ rights owner, for coverage across television, internet, mobile and radio. The BBC last broadcast Formula 1 in 1996 and the deal will be viewed as a massive coup for the broadcaster, after British driver Lewis Hamilton shot to prominence last season and gave ITV its best Formula 1 viewing figures in six years. ITV, which is believed to pay £30 million per season for the rights under the present contract, said that it had ‘decided to exit Formula 1 at the end of this season’ and that it was ‘a straightforward commercial decision.’ Sportcal, Sport Business, 20th Mar 2008
* Pub chain magnate Bruce Mathieson has terminated a deal with Foxtel reportedly worth more than A$5 million per year, which is likely to have an impact on pub-going Australian Football League (AFL) fans. Mathieson owns more than 260 pubs across Australia, but talks over a new deal to carry Foxtel in his establishments have broken down, according to the Herald Sun. Under the current AFL licence agreement, Fox Sports airs four games per week, and those free-to-air games will still be broadcast in Mathieson's outlets. However, Bruce Mathieson Jr., said that it had become too expensive for the chain to carry AFL clashes via pay-TV platform Foxtel. Sports Media, 19th Mar 2008
* The International World Games Association (IWGA) has announced that Duisberg and Dusseldorf have won the right to stage the Ninth World Games in 2013. Duisberg staged the Games in 2005 and Ron Froehlich, President of the IWGA, is convinced that the two German cities will host an even stronger event. The announcement has been made pending ratification by the IWGA's Annual General Meeting and subject to the signing of the corresponding host city contract in June. "We are pleased to have two strong candidates opting to host the games together, as one family. We celebrated magnificent World Games here in 2005: a true sports festival. But I'm convinced that Duisburg and Dusseldorf will be hosts to an even better event in 2013." Sport Insider, 19th Mar 2008
* The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) administration will impose a limit on the number of overseas players playing for a domestic club. The motion, which is set to be approved at the 31st FIVB World Congress in Dubai in June, seeks to reduce to three the number of foreign players allowed in a squad of 12, with just two permitted on the court simultaneously. The change is expected to be fully implemented in the game by 2011. Initially, the rule will limit to two the number of foreign players on court during the 2008-09 season with no cap on squad participation, but by 2009-10 only four foreign players can be in any one squad. Despite an apparent conflict with European Union law, the FIVB will make its case. Sport Insider, 19th Mar 2008
* The quotas on foreign players playing in Spain’s ACB basketball league will remain the same for the next four seasons, following an agreement between the Spanish basketball federation, the league and the Spanish professional basketball players association. Clubs will need to have at least four Spanish players in an 11-man squad or five Spanish players in a 12-man squad. They will be allowed at most two players from outside the European Union. The president of the basketball federation José Luis Sáez said the ‘four plus two plus five’ model is functioning well, and that it is a good system for the development of Spanish players. Sportcal, 19th Mar 2008
* Satellite distribution and media specialist Arqiva is providing Setanta with a dedicated transponder as well as multiplexing and uplinking services to support the pay-TV platform's future growth. Arqiva's service allows content to be delivered via a number of fibre sources and a dedicated multiplex capable of uplinking up to eight channels, thus boosting the broadcaster's capacity. Setanta currently offers channels such as Racing World, Racing UK, Setanta Commercial, NASN, Setanta Island, Liverpool TV and Arsenal TV. Setanta picked up two of the six live rights packages for the Barclays Premier League, starting with the current campaign, for £392 million over three years. Sports Media, 19th Mar 2008
* Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said discussions have begun on which sports should be made available to subscription broadcasters. Australia's anti-siphoning list currently protects some sporting events for free-to-air-channels. Conroy said that he was aware of concerns that rights to some sports were not being used by the free channels, yet were not available to pay-channels. He said the Government is considering some events should be removed from the list. "The Government unequivocally supports the principle of 'use it or lose it' in relation to anti-siphoning. The Government recognises that free-to-air broadcasters should not be able to hoard sport and deny viewers access." Sport Business, 19th Mar 2008
MORE NEWS
Beach Soccer: FIFA Beach Soccer Qualifiers Get Underway
Marseilles will host the finals of the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup from 17 to 27 July, the first time the tournament has been held outside Brazil. Qualifying tournaments are being held in the major Fifa Confederations, starting next week with the CAF tournament in Durban, South Africa (March 25-30). The AFC tournament will be in Dubai from May 6-10 while Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, hosts the Concacaf qualifier from April 16-02.
World champions Brazil must qualify through the Conmebol competition in Buenos Aires from May 23-27, while 24 European teams will fight for four available places in Benidorm form May 13-18. There is no qualifying competition in the Oceania group which has nominated The Solomon Islands as its representative. The final draw for the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup 2008 in Marseilles will take place in Benidorm after the last Uefa qualifying match on 18 May. Sport Business, 20th Mar 2008
Dance Sports: IDSF Joins Forces With IPDSC
The International DanceSport Federation (IDSF) has agreed what it terms to be a "important five-year co-operation and friendship agreement of mutual support" with the International Professional Dance Sport Council (IPDSC). The agreement provides that IDSF and IPDSC will promote, develop and organise DanceSport activities for professional athletes. The two bodies will also regularly exchange information and ideas about mutually beneficial market opportunities, technical co-operation, DanceSport competition dates, and other competition matters. Finally they will work co-operatively to develop, implement and enforce IDSF's and IDPSC's competition, disciplinary, and other rules, including complying with the World Anti-Doping Code.
Marco Sietas, IDSF General Secretary, said in a statement: "IDSF welcomes the opportunity to work more closely and in a more structured way with IPDSC to meet the legitimate aspirations and needs of professionals in the Dancesport community. IPDSC was established by many professionals who wanted to work together with IDSF in our aim to unify the Dancesport community under the recognition of the IOC (International Olympic Committee). This agreement illustrates the confidence of both organisations in that common initiative and in their working relationship, and provides clear directions for long-term co-operation and progress, on the basis of continuing mutual respect."
IDSF is the sole IOC-recognised DanceSport organisation, with members in 86 countries on six continents, comprising more than four million athletes. In 2007 IDSF announced the inauguration of the new World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) project to bring all competitive dance sports and sporting dance organisations together in a common worldwide Federation. Sports Insider, 19th Mar 2008
Hong Kong/Rights: ESPN Star Sports Loses out as I-Cable Grabs Top Uefa Rights
I-Cable Communications, the Hong Kong cable television and internet services provider, has won the broadcast rights in Hong Kong for European soccer’s top-tier Uefa Champions League and second-tier Uefa Cup, taking over from ESPN Star Sports, the pan-Asian sports broadcaster that is the incumbent rights-holder. I-Cable has agreed an exclusive deal in Hong Kong for three seasons from 2009-10 onwards for the centralised rights for the Champions League and Uefa Cup, European soccer’s second-tier clubs tournament.
ESPN Star Sports holds Champions League rights in Hong Kong and a wide range of other Asian territories for the present contract period of 2006-07 to 2008-09. Uefa, soccer’s European governing body, today said that it ‘wishes to thank ESPN Star Sports, who we regret will not be Uefa’s Champions League partner in Hong Kong from season 2009-10.’
Champions League and Uefa Cup matches from 2009 will be shared in Hong Kong by I-Cable’s Super Soccer and Cable Sports channels, and will also be broadcast live on the internet and on mobile phones. I-Cable presently holds the rights for the Uefa Cup from the quarter-final stage onwards, rights which are marketed centrally by Team Marketing, Uefa's exclusive marketing agency for the Champions League and Uefa Cup.
From 2009-10, centralised rights for the Champions League will for the first time include the final qualifying round before the group stages, while rights for the Uefa Cup are being marketed centrally from the first round onwards (including the group stage). I-Cable’s Champions League and Uefa Cup rights deal also includes the Uefa Super Cup, the annual match between the winners of the Champions League and the second-tier Uefa Cup competition. Sportcal, 19th Mar 2008
Singapore/Rights: Singtel Ousts ESPN Star Sports for Champions League
Singtel, the largest telecommunications group in Singapore, has won the exclusive rights for European soccer’s top-tier Uefa Champions League for three seasons from 2009-10 onwards, ousting incumbent rights holder ESPN Star Sports, the pan-Asian sports broadcaster. Singtel has completed a double deal for the Champions League and Uefa Cup, European soccer’s second-tier clubs tournament, across IPTV, internet and mobile platforms. The deal marks the second time in two days that ESPN Star Sports has lost Champions League rights in an Asian territory, after I-Cable Communications, the Hong Kong cable television and internet services provider, yesterday completed a deal for Champions League and Uefa Cup rights in Hong Kong from the 2009-10 season onwards.
Starhub, the Singapore telecommunications and cable television operator that holds centralised rights for the Uefa Cup for the present contract period of 2006-07 to 2008-09, also lost out to Singtel for the new period. From 2009-10, centralised rights for the Champions League will for the first time include the final qualifying round before the group stages, while rights for the Uefa Cup are being marketed centrally from the first round onwards for the first time. At present, only the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are centrally marketed.
Allen Lew, Singtel’s chief executive in Singapore, said that ‘mio TV,’ the company’s IPTV service, was ‘an integral part of the services that SingTel provides and what drives pay-TV take-up is the quality of content. Based on our research, sport is a key genre that drives pay-TV take-up, and European soccer is a significant driver for people who subscribe to sport content.’
Uefa, soccer’s European governing body, said that it was ‘excited at the prospect of working with a new partner in the form of Singtel.’ ‘The commitment they have made to acquire the media rights is evidence of the tremendous popularity of the Uefa Champions League and the Uefa Cup in Singapore.’ Singtel’s package of rights also includes live coverage of the Uefa Super Cup, the annual match between the winners of the Champions League and the second-tier Uefa Cup competition. Sportcal, Worldscreen, 20th Mar 2008
Elsewhere/Rights: Bidding Commences For Remaining Champions League Rights
Five organisations were expected to lobby for the UK broadcasting rights to the remaining UEFA Champions League games when the second round of bidding commenced at midday on Tuesday. The BBC, ITV, Five and pay stations Sky and Setanta were all believed to be in the reckoning to secure the first choice match played on Wednesday in each of the competitions from 2009 to 2012. It has been reported that UEFA president Michel Platini is keen to reserve at least one game for a free-to-air broadcaster after Sky splashed out a reported £240 million to land exclusive coverage of all live matches and highlights on Tuesdays and all matches on Wednesdays, with the exception of the first choice match.
Jeremy Darroch, chief executive of BSkyB, said: "We have secured an excellent rights package at a price which we believe reflects their value to our customers and which recognises the increasing attractiveness of this competition to our business. The Champions League as a competition is going from strength to strength, as is the performance and contribution of English and Scottish clubs." Under the deal, Sky will increase the number of matches it shows per season from 103 to 130, utilising its interactive service to show multiple games simultaneously. It will also broadcast them on the internet and mobile phones. The number of match nights will also increase, from 25 to 34, as matches from the final qualifying round are included and the first knockout round is spread across more nights.
Sky will have exclusive live rights to one semi-final and share the final, which will take place on a Saturday night, with the other successful bidder. "Sky Sports will be able to give our viewers more live matches and more of the giants of European football," said Sky Sports managing director Vic Wakeling. "We have used digital technology over the last five seasons to offer a menu of live games. It has worked superbly and given viewers choice; they can decide which game to watch and they appreciate that." Under the current deal, which runs until the end of the 2008-09 season, Sky Sports shows up to 14 exclusively live matches a week at the group stage with two live matches on ITV. The two broadcasters pay a combined £90 million per season. Sports Media, Sport Business, 19th Mar 2008
Global/General: FIFA Announce Confederations Cup Prize Fund
A US$17.6 million prize fund will be divided among the eight countries in next year’s Confederations Cup in South Africa, FIFA announced. The two-week tournament, featuring the world champions, six continental champions and hosts South Africa, is a test event for the 2010 World Cup. “It is an ideal test run for the organisers of the 2010 World Cup in terms of infrastructure, logistics and services,” FIFA President Sepp Blatter said. The winners will receive US$3.75 million and the runners-up US$3.25 million, while the team finishing third will get US$2.75 million with US$2.25-million going to the fourth-placed coutry. The other participants will each receive US$1.4 million.
Five countries have already qualified alongside the hosts - world champions Italy, Copa America winners Brazil, African Nations Cup holders Egypt, Asia Cup victors Iraq and CONCACAF Gold Cup champions the United States. The final two places will be taken by the winners of June’s European Championship in Austria and Switzerland and the Oceania Nations Cup to be decided later in the year. The Confederations Cup will take place from 14-28 June 2009 with the draw to be made on 22 November in Johannesburg. The tournament is set for five venues in South Africa but a final decision on Port Elizabeth will be made on 29 April. Construction of a new stadium in the coastal city has been delayed and it might not be ready in time, local officials said this month. Soccer Investor 20th Mar 2008
Global/New Media: IPTV homes to grow 52% annually
The world’s telcos are – at long last – seeing some positive traction from the IPTV investments. A study from IMS Research*, the Austin, Texas, technology research specialists, says that about 13.2m homes received IP-based TV services last year, with almost 8.4m IP-enabled set-top boxes shipping worldwide. But these next few years will be even better. IMS say that between 2007 and 2012 vendors and service providers will enjoy annual growth of some 52% for their IPTV services.
Shane Walker, research analyst and author of the study, states: “The increasingly competitive pay-TV landscape with proliferation of new content, triple/quadruple play offerings, and new internet-based TV services is one of the main factors behind IPTV household growth. Another important factor is the rapid uptake of IPTV services in China and South Korea as governments relax regulations restricting deployment and as telcos become more involved with expanding IPTV services.”
The multi-play offerings being rolled-out by telcos to gain a competitive advantage include a combination of IPTV, VoIP, Internet, mobile and premises security in addition to advanced services such as VOD. In addition to an analysis of current commercial and technological trends surrounding IPTV, the report provides forecasts through 2012 for IPTV households, IP STB shipments and IP STB revenues, says the study. Rapid TV News, 20th Mar 2008
Global/New Media: IPTV Has Major Risks for Advertisers
Delegates to the IPTV World Summit in London were told that IPTV is not so much about TV but about measurement, and clear rules were needed around advertising. “What IPTV can bring to television is measurement,” says Geoff Hutton from Pilat Media. “Measurement is fundamental to the future of advertising. For 50 years we have had advertising on TV and [only piece-meal] measurement of its effectiveness. It has been a very blunt instrument. IPTV changes that experience completely. IPTV gives advertisers the same data that the internet has been providing, and providing the sort of sophisticated data that’s never been available on TV before.”
Delegates heard that IPTV would amplify the messages that would go back to the creative community, permitting clever campaigns created almost ‘on the fly’. Ferdinand Mayer, MD at set-top box technologists Ruwido, and where the functionality includes finger-print identification potential on set-top boxes, said it was because the TV experience was so totally different from that of the PC, and this alone would drive the demand for more usable data and information from users. “If you can identify individuals we are absolutely sure that this will generate much more useful advertising.”
Jonathan Wilson, business director from RedBee Media says currently the IPTV world was like the “wild west” in that a broadcast channel that was selling space faced huge risks in the IPTV space. “What happens when a programme is replayed during a ‘catch up’ session,” he asked. “Who owns the ad space then? Is it the original broadcaster, or can the IPTV platform now re-playing the show get revenue? Is there an opportunity for the platform to re-sell some or all of the commercial breaks?” Rapid TV News, 19th Mar 2008
Elsewhere/General: ATP Faces Resistance to 500 Series Rights Centralisation Plan
The ATP, the men’s professional tennis association, is understood to be facing a battle to persuade all 10 of the tournaments that will host second-tier ‘500’ series events to agree to centralise their media rights, under a radical restructuring of its calendar beginning next year. The ATP is said to have held an initial meeting with some of the US and Asian tournaments in the new series at the Indian Wells tournament presently under way in California, at which it met resistance from some tournament organisers to the centralisation plan.
Those that are believed to have concerns include the two US tournaments in Memphis and Washington, along with those in China (Beijing) and Japan (Tokyo). All 10 of the tournaments presently market their television and sponsorship rights individually. European tournaments met separately last week, with at least one tournament director, Jan van Cliet of the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, saying that he was ‘very positive’ about the ATP’s plans, provided that the interests of the Rotterdam tournament’s title sponsor, the Dutch bank ABN Amro, were respected.
The cities that will host 500 series events under the restructuring are: Rotterdam (Netherlands); Dubai (United Arab Emirates); Acapulco (Mexico); Memphis (USA); Barcelona (Spain); Washington (USA); Beijing (China); Tokyo (Japan); Basel (Switzerland); Valencia (Spain). Hamburg, which is pursuing legal action in a bid to remain a top-tier event, could also join the list. Prize money for the series will rise to $20.7 million, a 118-per-cent increase on the prize money for the same events in 2008. Upgrades to the tournament facilities worth $200 million are also set to take place, according to the ATP.
Under the restructuring, the top-tier ATP Tennis Masters Series is to be replaced in 2009 with a new ‘1000’ series of eight events which top players must compete in or risk suspension from their most successful events if they withdraw from tournaments without good reason. The events, for which the winners will gain 1000 ranking points, are those in Indian Wells, Miami, Rome, Madrid, Cincinnati, Canada, Shanghai and Paris. The annual Monte Carlo event will have ‘1000’ status but will not be mandatory.
The existing Masters Series event in Hamburg has been downgraded and replaced by Shanghai, while Madrid is to switch from its present indoor slot in October to become a combined men’s and women’s outdoor event in May. Players who miss tournaments without a medical excuse risk being fined $100,000 and suspended from their most successful event on the following year’s calendar. The ATP Tour and event organisers have been trying to find a way of preventing player withdrawals after the present system of fines has been found to be ineffective. Sportcal, 19th Mar 2008
ARTICLES, COMMENTS, INTERVIEWS & OPINIONS
'Forgotten' Nations Offered Chance To Shine
This summer the elite of European football will arrive in Austria and Switzerland for UEFA Euro 2008, writes James Coldman . Over 23 days in June the likes of Portugal, France, Spain and Germany will battle it out and after 31 matches in locations such as Vienna, Geneva, Zurich and Basle the 2008 winner of the European Championship will be crowned in front of the world's media. But while the thoughts of many football fans will automatically turn to World Cup qualification in the weeks immediately following the event, over in Sweden football's 'forgotten' teams will get their chance to shine. Just over a week after the European Championships come to a close, a little-known tournament will be contested in Gallivare, Sweden.
Organised by the New Federation Board (NF-Board) for non-FIFA nations, the Viva World Cup 2008 is the brainchild of four men with a love for sport and a passion for involving the minnows. Sitting in a Brussels pub called La Mort Subite or 'The Sudden Death' some years ago, Luc Mission, Christian Michelis, Thierry Marcade and Jean Luc-Kit decided to create a new organisation that would work towards providing the world's unrecognised footballing nations with a prestigious tournament - in their own words "so that everyone can play".
"The tournament was created by a group of people who understood that outcasts existed within sport and this was something that should have never happened," George Wuethrich, the vice-president of the NF-Board, explained to PA Sport's Premier Football. "I spoke with Jean-Luc Kit in 2003 and he wanted to bring all these so called 'outcasts' together at a world tournament called Viva World Cup and I immediately agreed." Kit, one of the driving forces behind the creation of the tournament, explained how he conjured up the idea. "As a football historian since 1977, I was in contact with a lot of FAs that weren't affiliated to FIFA but who wanted to play. It was time to create an event for them," he said.
The inaugural event in 2006 was not without its teething problems, many of which still hamper the efforts of the organisers today. Initially planned for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the tournament was marred by disagreements with local authorities and when the NF-Board decided to shift the event to Occitania, the fact they could not pay the expenses of competitors meant many of those interested did not have the funds to take part. "Every team has to look for its own funds and the NF-Board officials use their own cash to travel and to stay in hotels," explained Wuethrich. "The NF-Board has more willpower than money so far and cannot pay for a lot of expenses."
Financial and logistical problems meant that in the end only four teams made it, and when South Cameroon's team were prevented from playing by work permit issues, their games had to result in walkovers. By the end of the week's competition, Sapmi (an area in Northern Europe encompassing parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia) had been crowned champion, scoring 42 goals in its three games, and beating Monaco 21-1 in the final. The challenge now is to build on those foundations.
Kit said: "If we had £2 million we could organise a big competition with 32 FAs, all travel paid, and it would include the likes of Tibet, Chagos, Chechnya, Australian Aboriginals, Maori, Indians of America, Easter Island, Falkland, St. Helena, Darfur, Western Sahara and Mapuche, who would like to participate but currently struggle to raise the funds." "We want to find sponsors," added Wuethrich. "The NF Board has recognised that sponsors are vital to most teams, many of which are in economical dire straits. In order to travel and pay for accommodation sponsors are needed. The pitfall of course is that the tournament could lose its spirit and also become financially driven."
Hosted by the FA of Sapmi, it is hoped the Viva World Cup 2008 will include the likes of Suryoye, Gozo, Padania, Kurdistan, Maasai, West Papua, Greenland, Syriacs and Zanzibar, Tibet and Somaliland. Under the shadow of the European Championships, it will probably not even register on the radar of most fans. For football's 'forgotten few', however, just playing at all represents a massive success. Football Insider, 20th Mar 2008