Wednesday, 30th April 2008

SPORT SHORTS

* Malaysian media conglomerate Media Prima has launched a search for a chief executive to head up its new Philippines’ subsidiary, Primedia. The company says its ideal candidate will be “a person with extensive experience working in an MNC within the creative industry.” Primedia has a block airtime and consultancy agreement with free-TV network ABC5 TV. Media Prima’s interest in the Philippines is part of its regional expansion and investment, which will be driven by a US$100-million media fund, MPB Strategic Media Fund Limited Partnership, currently being set up. Content Asia, 28th Apr 2008

* Malaysia’s Astro is said to be exploring the possibility of expanding in the Philippines. There is no official confirmation from the Kuala Lumpur based direct-broadcast satellite network, which is still mired in unpleasantries over its DirectVision joint venture in Indonesia. DTH hasn’t so far been a hit in the Philippines, which suffers some of the region’s most serious piracy problems. But hope, clearly, springs eternal. Two more platforms, including one backed by the Philippines Long Distance Telephone company (PLDT), are said to be looking at joining Dream in the skies above these 7,017 islands. Content Asia, 29th Apr 2008

* Taiwan-based mobile communication service provider Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) on April 28 announced the launch of its FET Sports Channel to provide mobile sports news and commentary as well as FET Mobile TV to provide mobile audio/video streaming services, according to the company. FET is offering the 3.5G Nokia 6124 Classic in conjunction with the launch of Sports Channel, FET indicated. According to industry sources, the launch of the channel is FET's first step in a bid to provide peripheral services for a sports lottery in Taiwan, which will include mobile-based betting. A sports lottery in Taiwan is scheduled to kick off on May 2, the sources pointed out. FET is also offering the Sharp WX-T92 in conjunction with the FET Mobile TV service, the company indicated. The mobile TV platform can accommodate 80 channels with nine channels currently in operation, FET pointed out. Digitimes.com, 29th Apr 2008

* Malaysia's smallest mobile phone firm, DiGi.com , reported a 17.9% rise in first-quarter net profit on higher revenue driven by more subscribers and greater phone usage, a Reuters report said. DiGi, controlled by Norway's Telenor, posted net profit of 290.14 million ringgit ($92 million) for the three months ended March 31, compared with 246 million ringgit a year earlier, the Reuters report said. telecomasia.net, 30th Apr 2008

* The number of Internet users in the Chinese countryside surged 127.7% last year, thanks to double-digit economic growth and fast expanding rural network construction, state media said Friday. The number of rural Internet users, most of them boys in middle or high school, grew to 52.6 million in 2007, the Xinhua news agency said, citing the China Internet Network Information Centre, a government think-tank. Due to lower incomes and less education in the countryside, rural users still only make up a relatively small proportion of China's total online population. China now has 221 million people online, more than in the United States, according to recent reports in the local media. Among rural residents who have yet to go online, 53.3 percent do not know how to use computers or the Internet, while 23.1 percent lack Internet facilities, the centre said. Yehey.com, 29th Apr 2008

* The Korea Football Association (KFA) officially announced on Monday that a new club from Gangwon Province will be added to the K-League for the start of the 2009 season. A yet-to-be-named club from the north-eastern province will become the 15th team in Asia's oldest professional league and its first new addition since Gyeongnam FC in 2006 when it begins play next season. It was announced in Seoul that the new team will play matches in all three of the region's biggest cities - Chuncheon, Wonju and Gangneung. Gangwon is currently the only province in South Korea without a K-League team and the new team will become the fifth civic-owned club alongside Incheon United, Daejeon Citizen, Daegu FC and Gyeongnam. Football Insider, 29th Apr 2008

* The Tsingtao Brewery Group has stepped up its publicity drive ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games this summer. The company is one of the two official domestic beer sponsors of the Games. Tsingtao last year teamed up with CCTV-2 and the National Geographic Channel to create a programme about Chinese cities, which is being aired this year. The show, which is called 'Qing-Guo-Qing-Cheng', will run through 2008 and features business leaders, city officials, media organisations and celebrities discussing the character and nature of Chinese cities ahead of the tourist invasion. The panel of guests has been allowed to offer recommendations on how each city can improve its image. Sports Media, 29th Apr 2008

* The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) has granted MTV Networks China permission to broadcast in the Olympic Village at the Beijing Olympics 2008, becoming the only approved international music television channel to televise in the venue. The 24-hour MTV China channel will go on air on June 24, broadcasting over the private Olympic CATV network to all of the Olympic-related competition venues and hotels. MTV China will air the programs MTV Burr and 100 MTV Ways To Rock The Olympic Games, the 2-minute-long MTV Burr and 100 MTV Ways To Rock The Olympic Games. The 100-day period from May 1 to August 8, marks an on-air and off-air nationwide contest for viewers to send in photos and videos that best represent the Olympic spirit. Selected works will be shown on MTV China and its website, www.mtvchina.com. World Screen, 29th Apr 2008

* Dubai-based publishing house, The Media Factory (TMF), will launch a Middle Eastern version of the popular UK monthly football magazine, FourFourTwo. The magazine will be the third Haymarket publication on TMF's portfolio, and will be the first magazine in the region to be dedicated to local football, as well as offering news from the international scene. TMF will produce a special edition of the magazine ahead of UEFA Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland this summer, and will thereafter release the publication on a monthly basis. Haymarket produces a number of other sports magazines, including Racer, F1 Racing (published in 20 languages) and Autosport magazine. Sports Media, 29th Apr 2008

* A leading Australian motor racing association will investigate whether a Sydney race track can be upgraded to host a Formula One grand prix. The Australian Racing Drivers' Club said it would determine whether its Eastern Creek circuit in Sydney could host a domestic grand prix if Melbourne's contract is not renewed upon expiry in 2010. ARDC president John Cotter said that the study was "an essential first step in plans to ensure Australia remained relevant in world motorsport". "Strong competition from emerging nations to secure major motorsport events threaten to marginalise Australia, with a resulting loss in status and tourism potential," he said. British-based Apex Circuit Design Ltd will carry out the study into Eastern Creek, which was built in 1990. Sportbusiness.com, Sportcal.com, 29th Apr 2008

* The market for premium mobile content platforms grew almost 20% in 2007, resulting in a $3.4 billion share of the $18.5 billion of revenue generated by the mobile premium content market, according to recent research by MultiMedia Intelligence. As mobile phone subscribers worldwide increasingly look for personalisation and enhanced entertainment content on their handsets, subscribers are continuing to purchase more premium content, such as ringtones, music, mobile games and video. ATV, 30th Apr 2008

* Telegent Systems, provider of mobile TV solutions, has revealed key findings of the industry’s first post-sale mobile TV survey. The survey shows that mobile TV can have a significant impact on handset sales, with 85% of respondents stating that the primary influence driving their handset purchase decision was the built-in free-to-air TV feature, as opposed to screen size, camera, music capability, or fashion. The study, conducted in China where there are now more than three million users of free-to-air mobile TV, also reveals that free-to-air TV continues to be a compelling feature after purchase, with 74% of respondents watching television on their handset for thirty minutes or more at a time, and 54% watching five times a week. ATV, 30th Apr 2008


MORE NEWS

Global/New Media: Local Mobile Search Finds Favour

Almost 30% of the global mobile subscriber base, around 1.3 billion users, are expected to be using local mobile search services by 2013, according to analyst figures released Tuesday. Juniper Research believes that advertising supported local search will be the key to driving this sector, with the caveat that the effectiveness of advertising in this sector will vary widely according to local conditions. One of the key factors will be the availability and quality of locally based directories and content, as well as the presence of the necessary location based infrastructure.

The best equipped regions for the delivery of mobile local search are thought to be Western Europe and North America, as countries within these regions predominantly have good local digital information suppliers, such as yellow and white pages, as well as good mapping data. Although Western Europe currently accounts for the greatest volume of mobile search queries, a surge of adoption in China will soon cause the Far East & China region to overtake.

Local search is expected to account for 43% of cumulative mobile search advertising revenues between 2008 and 2013, with user response rates to local search advertising expected to be significantly higher than for advertising on general mobile web search. Total mobile search revenues are forecast to reach $4.8bn by 2013 but Juniper cautions that an "advertising overload" might act as a disincentive to consumers. In the end, the analyst said, it will be the quality of the user experience that will be of paramount importance. Telecoms.com, 29th Apr 2008

China/General: MTV China to Broadcast in Olympic Village

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) has granted MTV Networks China permission to broadcast in the Olympic Village at the Beijing Olympics 2008, becoming the only approved international music television channel to televise in the venue. The 24-hour MTV China channel will go on air on June 24, broadcasting over the private Olympic CATV network to all of the Olympic-related competition venues and hotels. MTV China will air the programs MTV Burr and 100 MTV Ways To Rock The Olympic Games during the special coverage period. The two-minute-long MTV Burr, airing from July 8 to September 24, will provide viewers with an entertainment guide to Beijing in 20 episodes, while 100 MTV Ways To Rock The Olympic Games, airing over a 100-day period from May 1 to August 8, is an on-air and off-air nationwide contest for viewers to send in photos and videos that best represent the Olympic spirit. Selected works will be shown on MTV China and its website, www.mtvchina.com.

Thousands of viewers will receive MTV China’s programming through the Olympic CATV network. The programs will be broadcast at all the Beijing competition venues and over all the facilities and areas at the following sites: the Olympic Village, the Olympic Headquarters Hotel, the Main Press Centre (MPC), the International Broadcasting Centre (IBC), and the Media Villages for the Beijing Olympic Games and the BOCOG Building.

Li Yifei, the executive VP and managing director of MTV Networks Greater China, commented: “We are very pleased that MTV is invited to televise in the Olympic Villages. Athletes and journalists from the world who are staying in the Olympic Village will be able to watch MTV’s compelling programming as well as to experience Beijing through MTV during the Games. With the new MTV Burr, viewers will be introduced to a truly local take on the culture, food and entertainment of Beijing.” World Screen, 29th Apr 2008

Global/General: Olympic Sponsors Win High Interest in China

Average worldwide interest in the Olympic Games is at 52% according to a new survey from SPORT+MARKT and unprompted awareness of Olympic Sponsors in China shows high interest and good results, especially for international brands. SPORT+MARKT found that global interest in the Games was at 52%, with 54% of Americans interested in the games, 48% of the population in the top five European markets showing strong interest, 63% in central and Eastern Europe, 56% in Central and South America and 51% in Africa and Australia. The percentage dropped to 42% in Asia, but in China itself, research showed that 53% of respondents were ‘very interested’ in the Summer Olympic Games, with a further 36%’ interested’.

Unprompted awareness of Olympic Sponsors in China also showed high interest and good results according to the SPORT+MARKT’s Online study. Chinese brand Lenovo came top with 38% awareness, followed by Coca-Cola with 36% and China Mobile with 30%. Samsung and Yiligroup had 18% awareness, Bank of China 17% and adidas, Haier, Johnson & Johnson are all on 14%.

The interest level in the Olympic Games, says SPORT+MARKT shows the enormous anticipation of the Chinese. “The riots in Tibet and worldwide protests have not reduced the interest so far. Intensive work by sponsors in China to activate their engagements before the start of the games has led to very good results in China. Especially international brands such as Coca-Cola, Samsung, adidas and also China sponsor VW have reached very good awareness levels. This strengthens the point that most sponsorship engagements work in the home country. The question is, whether this penetration can also be reached internationally.

With regards to the impact the current situation could have on sponsors, with protests against China’s position in Tibet, Hartmut Zastrow, Executive Director SPORT+MARKT said: “We cannot speak of a loss of image for the sponsors yet, as sponsorship engagements have not been widely communicated globally in the campaigns. Currently, there is a certain understanding among the population of most countries for the situation of the sponsoring companies, but we cannot predict the dynamics of the upcoming weeks. Right now, China is still the villain in the eye of the public.”

“Olympic Games have always been a platform for activists, e.g. Catalans at the Olympics 1992 in Barcelona, the African American movement in Atlanta 1996, or Aborigines minority issues in 2000. Nevertheless sponsors have never suffered a loss of image. Consumers can distinguish between political situations of hosting countries and the engagement of a sponsor in a great international sporting event.”

“The value of sponsorship engagements of official sponsors of the Olympics will decrease by half, as sponsors are not able to activate their Olympic campaigns outside of China in the given situation. Considering Olympic Games are free of ads, classical advertisement is their only way to display their engagement – a possibility which was taken from sponsors for western countries. No sponsor could possibly exploit the Olympic spirit in their campaigns right now, except for in China. This could mean a loss of millions of investment as sponsors currently find themselves trapped: either they intimidate the Chinese, which represent an important economic strength, or they risk the reputation of being a China sympathiser among the western population. All sponsors can do right now is wait and see.”