Thursday, 17th April 2008

SPORTS SHORTS

* Chinese Taipei has kicked off a promotional campaign ahead of this year's World University Archery Championship in May. Nearly 30 countries and more than 220 competitors and officials are expected to participate in Tainan County. "Chinese Taipei University Sports Federation wished to take advantage of this great opportunity at our National University Games to promote the 2008 World University Archery Championship," said Dr Shiang-Ming Wei, Secretary General of the Federation. "We made the banners and other promotional materials specifically for the Championship and they can be seen at every competition venue of the National University Games." Sport Insider, 16th Apr 2008

* IEC in Sports renewed its deals with three important ATP events: the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Estoril Open in Portugal and the BA-CA Tennis Trophy in Vienna. IEC represents more than 50 tennis events per year including the prestigious Grand Slam Ranked ARAG World Team Cup, ATP and WTA events as well as the Black Rock Senior Tour and a number of exhibition events like Kooyong Classic. IEC also agreed a deal to distribute 5 Nations Rugby, a new tournament launched by the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) to capitalise on the global popularity of the sport following the Rugby World Cup 2007. Kicking off on April 26th 2008, Asia’s top nations by IRB ranking, Japan, Korea, Arabian Gulf, Hong Kong and Kazakhstan will play each other on a home and away basis over 5 weeks. Sport Business, 16th Apr 2008

* The final of the DFB Pokal, German soccer’s top knockout clubs competition, is to be broadcast live in 149 countries. The match on Saturday night between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will therefore be available live in around 20% territories than last year. Broadcast rights for the competition are distributed internationally by SportA, the Germany-based sports marketing agency. Sportcal, 16th Apr 2008

* The Premier League launched a High Court action yesterday to blow the whistle on cheaper live televised matches. The League is seeking damages and a stop order for companies supplying equipment that enables British viewers to receive the games via a foreign broadcaster rather than the more expensive domestic broadcaster BSkyB. James Mellor QC, representing the Premier League, told Mr Justice Kitchin at the London court: "It is a good old-fashioned rip off." He said QC Leisure and AV Station are supplying domestic decoding cards from Greece and North Africa which allow British viewers access to broadcasting services to which they are not entitled. Football Insider, 16th Apr 2008

* FIFA president Sepp Blatter has pledged support to German football leaders as the country's cartel office continues to investigate the Deutsche Fussball Liga's (DFL) marketing model. Germany's anti-trust authorities launched the investigation after the DFL handed Leo Kirch's Sirius agency the broadcast marketing rights to the Bundesliga for 2009-15 in a deal worth well over €3 billion. The cartel office has the power to postpone the start of any tender process for the rights until it is happy with the deal in place, and Blatter is concerned that the dispute could "rock the very foundations of our sport". Football Insider, 16th Apr 2008

* Golf's bid to return to the Olympic schedule after an absence of more than a hundred years was boosted when the PGA Tour’s commissioner Tim Finchem announced his support for the idea. Writing on the PGA’s blog, Tim Finchem, said: “I see two very positive developments coming from including golf as an Olympic sport. One would be a significant boost to the popularity and perception of the game all around the world. The other major benefit is that it would further help bring the world of golf together to work on this major initiative". The earliest opportunity for golf to be added to the Olympic programme would be in 2016, with a decision set to be made in 2009. Sport Business, Sportcal, 16th Apr 2008

* The International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) have ruled that rankings points will be awarded to players contesting the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas from next year. The incentive, which comes on the back of Andy Murray's recent decision to rest during a Great Britain tie and could overcome Swiss star Roger Federer's ambivalence towards the competition, marks the first time that ranking points will be awarded for singles and doubles rubbers played in the elite World Group and World Group play-off round. However, points will only be awarded for live matches, meaning dead rubbers played after the best-of-five-set ties have been decided will not count toward the rankings. Sport Insider, 16th Apr 2008

* Football agent and entertainment group First Artist expects the sport to largely avoid the credit crisis that has struck the financial markets and is threatening to spread to the wider economy. The AIM-listed group's chief executive Jon Smith told the UK's Daily Telegraph that football remained "impervious" to fears of recession thanks to the lucrative broadcast rights deals currently in place. He added that the influx of foreign investment in the English game was good for First Artist because of its "solid reputation". He said: "Club owners know they can rely on us because we have been in the game since 1986 and we were the first signature on the new industry regulations." Football Insider, 16th Apr 2008

* Pan-African pay-TV satellite service GTV has pledged to invest "millions" into African football in the coming years. The network's general manager Kabutha Nduati, whose company recently announced a reduction in its subscription rates, explained its plan to plough money into the sport in a bid to improve the domestic game on the African continent. GTV operates G Sports 1 and G Sports 2, offering a range of local and international sporting competitions, including coverage of the domestic football top flights in England, Italy and Germany. Football Insider, 16th Apr 2008


MORE NEWS

Taiwan/Broadcast: Regulatory Changes Needed to Drive TV Market

According to a new study by the Cable Broadband Institute in Taiwan (CBIT) and Media Partners Asia (MPA), a healthy regulatory environment will be key to the growth of the Taiwanese pay-TV market, where an 80% digital TV penetration is possible by 2013. The report, Broadband Digital Convergence: The Role of Cable in Taiwan, is of the opinion that Taiwan’s current regulatory landscape is limiting product innovation, consumer choice, industry growth and investment. CBIT and MPA are calling for the centralization of cable TV regulatory systems, flexibility in the pricing and distribution of cable TV programming services, and a level playing field for competition with no limits on cable coverage and market share.

With the right environment, Taiwanese cable operators could potentially help drive digital TV penetration from 7% today to approximately 80% by 2013. This could generate $4 billion in revenues, with benefits to employment, content creation, infrastructural investment and consumer competition and choice. The report also notes that some 55% of television homes would receive digital video services through cable networks by 2013, while 25% would obtain access through alternative systems, including IPTV and DTH satellite. Developments in the market could also lead to 35% of homes subscribing to multi-play broadband digital services by 2013 versus 5% today, while 43% would adopt broadband Internet access at speeds between 10 and 100 Mbps.

“Bridging the digital divide means consumers could enjoy information and entertainment services at competitive prices and with greater choice,” said Bobby Chen, the CEO of CBIT. “New services would include standard and high definition digital television channels, personalized and on-demand television content, interactive television and next-generation broadband Internet access and telephony.”

“Progressive cable TV industry regulation will also bring economic benefit and national pride,” added Vivek Couto, the executive director of MPA. “The economic impact would be sizable as cable operators re-invest cash flows to create employment, acquire content and invest in technology.” Worldscreen, Variety Asia, 16th Apr 2008

Singapore/Broadcast: MDA Sees Media Growth

Singapore’s Media Development Authority has claimed that its bid to be a regional hub for media companies is working. In a statement, the MDA said: “The growth of media enterprises has been facilitated by the maturing of the media financing system in Singapore. There is currently over S$500 million worth of media funds available for media projects and companies, as a result of private capital injected by banks, financial institutions and strategic investors.”

From 2003 to 2007, the MDA seeded around S$190 million-worth of co-production deals. The MDA has gone to great lengths to attract investors, including exhibiting at major markets including MIP in Cannes, and producing TV ads encouraging investors. There are now 16 international cable and satellite networks uplinking from Singapore to regional audiences, including new additions BBC Worldwide and A&E Television Networks. Established companies such as CNBC Asia Pacific and ESPN Star Sports are extending production and reach of content into mobile TV and internet platforms.

Interactive digital media has been one area that the country has focused on for gowth, and the MDA said that Singapore had seen an “influx” of international companies including Lucasfilm, Electronic Arts and Southern Star. Lucasfilm has based its first 3D animation studio outside the US in Singapore. Rapid TV News, 16th Apr 2008

Elsewhere/Broadcast: War on Football Damages Spanish Pay-TV

Spain’s TV football war between producers Mediapro and Sogecable is having consequences for the country’s pay TV business.
In Q4 last year the number of pay-per-view matches bought went down in Spain 36% to 4.03 million buys, nearly 2.2 million fewer than in the same period the previous year.

According to the Telecommunications Market Comisión (CMT), an independent organization for the good run of Spain’s telecommunications market, Sogecable dominates the PPV business. The company had €409 million in revenues between October and December 2007, covering 77% of the market. In terms of subscribers Sogecable’s Digital+ also dominates the market. At the end of last year Digital+ had 2.065 million clients, 54% of Spanish pay-TV subscribers and nearly double those of cable operators and Telefónica’s DSL pay-TV operator Imagenio which at present counts 515,000 subscribers.

Nevertheless the conflict over televised football rights between Audiovisual Sport (Sogecable’s division for the national exploitation of these rights) and Mediapro gave way to the free-to-air broadcasts on Mediapro’s laSexta channel of those matches in principle contracted by Digital+ for its ppy service. Not only Sogecable was affected but also Spain’s biggest cable operator Ono, which some time ago bought some football rights from Audiovisual Sport. But in spite of the downturn in the number of buys in Q4, PPV income for all operators went up 13% reaching €69 million. One thing is obvious: in Q4 PPV film purchases went down 15% reaching 2.2 million buys. But conventional TV ­ says the Comisión - is also suffering this crisis, due to internet downloading.

On top of it now the National Competición Comission (CNC) has opened a fining file, threatening to fine companies televising football rights for exclusive deals. Companies under threat of fines include Sogecable and Audiovisual Sport, producer Mediaproducción, Catalan public broadcaster Televisió de Catalunya and its multimedia division TVC Multimedia, Valencia public broadcaster Televisión Autonómica Valenciana, Madrid public broadcaster Telemadrid Madrid bank Caja Madrid and 38 football clubs of First and Second Division. The Comission justifies this measure due to some contracts with the soccer clubs found restrictive to market competition by which they cede all televised rights to these broadcasters. Rapid TV News, 16th Apr 2008