Thursday, 15th May 2008

SPORT SHORTS

* Carlsberg, the official beer of the UEFA EURO 2008 football competition, is launching a number of football-related initiatives including a reality TV programme, 'Carlsberg Man of the Match', on Starhub's Super Sports Channel. Carlsberg is the official presenter of StarHub's broadcast of the Championships. The challenge is a four-part reality TV programme, hosted by Mark Richmond and Debbie Wong, where fans take part in a series of challenges to win a trip for two to Switzerland where they will present the 'Carlsberg Man of the Match' trophy during the France versus Holland match at the Stade de Suisse Wankdorf. StarHub, Singapore's official broadcaster of the tournament, has also announced value-added services revolving around competition, and said it will make available the 'live' feed of UEFA Euro 2008 via the MaxMobile mobile broadband service. Marketing-Interactive.com, World Screen, 14th May 2008

* The President's Cup, one of the biggest events on the United Arab Emirates' football calendar, was co-produced by Dubai Sports Channel (DSC) and Mediapro last month. The development marked the first time that DSC had been involved in the broadcast production of such a significant sporting event in the region. Al Ahli won the contest 2-0 against Al Wasl at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi thanks to two goals from Clederson Cesar. A team of 40 people from Mediapro and DSC captured the action from 24 different camera angles within the stadium. Mediapro has produced coverage of football in Spain and Portugal and recently opened a new office in Dubai. Sports Media, 14th May 2008

* With significant growth in the Chinese market, forecasts for User-Generated Video (UGV) use and revenue have shifted upward since last year, reports In-Stat. Expectations of higher quality content (e.g. HD video) and increasing file sizes will drive demands on bandwidth which will likely continue to grow at a faster rate than the number of files/videos served. Michael Inouye, In-Stat analyst, says "China is a prime example of UGV's global reach and appeal, capturing a significant portion of the world market, making it second only to the US. Viewing online video has increased in the US in the past year, although participation is still stratified by age." Research by In-Stat found that total worldwide UGV revenue is expected to eclipse $1.19 billion by 2012. One hundred and sixty billion UGV served videos are forecasted for 2012. ATV, Rapid TV News, 15th May 2008

* Sport 18 (division of Network 18) acquired the marketing rights of the Volvo Ocean Race India stopover to be held at Kochi from December 3-13, 2008. Sport 18 was appointed by the Cochin Port Trust which is responsible for organising the Indian stopover, in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, Govt. of Kerala. Sport 18 and Network 18 are dedicated to the sport of sailing and our involvement with the Volvo Ocean Race stopover is a continuation of our commitment to sailing.The 2008-09 event will be the 10th running of the Volvo Ocean Race. Starting from Alicante in Spain on October 4, 2008, it will for the first time, take in ports in Asia. Sportbusiness.com, 14th May 2008

* Thailand is to offer its athletes cash incentives for medals at the Beijing Olympics – but will pay out in instalments to stop medallists squandering the money. Gold medallists will earn 10 million baht (£160,000), silver medallists will receive 6 million baht, while a bronze medal will be worth 4 million baht – a sizeable sum in a country where the minimum wage is just 203 baht (£3.25) a day. However, half of the money will be paid over a 20-year period to prevent Thai Olympians, many of whom are from poor backgrounds, from frittering it away. Thai Olympic chiefs decided to stagger the payments after several high profile cases of athletes, such as that of Manus Boonjumnong the 2004 gold medallist, finding instant fame and blowing their money on gambling and expensive party lifestyles. Sportbusiness.com, 14th May 2008

* A dramatic end to English soccer's top-tier Premier League this season, in which Manchester United pipped Chelsea to the title, will help to ensure that the value of the league's television rights will be boosted when the league negotiates new television rights deals next year, according to Richard Scudamore, the league's chief executive. Under its present rights deals with pay-television operators British Sky Broadcasting and Setanta, which run until 2010, the Premier League is earning £1.7 billion ($3.3 billion) over three years, while the international rights are bringing in a further £625 million. It has been suggested that the rights could be worth a total of £3 billion in the next round of negotiations. Sportcal, 14th may 2008

* The US PGA TOUR and SMJ will launch the US PGA TOUR official Japanese mobile site, “PGA TOUR MOBILE” on all three major mobile carriers in order to consolidate the US PGA TOUR’s brand in the Japanese market. Beginning May 12, 2008, Japanese fans will be able to enjoy daily news, real-time scoring and daily video highlights for all remaining 2008 US PGA TOUR tournaments. Additional content available via the mobile site such as photo galleries, player profiles and statistics, ranking information and special columns will be updated regularly. Sportcal, 14th May 2008

* F1 driver, Lewis Hamilton, is set to sign a $20 million personal sponsorship deal with sportswear manufacturer Reebok. The deal, which is yet to be finalised or confirmed, is believed to be similar to the British sportswear brand's 'global brand ambassador' agreements with footballers Thierry Henry and Andrei Shevchenko and boxer Amir Khan. McLaren, which does not usually allow its drivers to seek personal sponsors, is believed to have made an exception in this case because Hamilton is “one of the sport’s most marketable stars”. Reebok is owned by German sports company, Adidas. Sportbusiness.com, Sportcal, 14th May 2008

* Sheffield United has offered relief aid to the people of Chengdu following the earthquake in China. More than 10,000 people have died as a result of a massive earthquake, the epicentre of which is close to the city of Chengdu, whose top flight football team, Chengdu Blades, is owned by the English Coca-Cola Championship club. United became the first club to purchase a stake in a Chinese league side in October 2006 and last season the Chengdu Blades gained promotion to the top division. Football Insider, 14th May 2008


MORE NEWS

Pakistan/Rights: Pakistan Media Rights Could Push Millions

Former ICC President Ehsan Mani has agreed to advise the Pakistan Cricket Board in their sale of media rights, which he said on Wednesday should earn the board at least $100 million . The PCB announced on Wednesday that the rights, to broadcast their home international matches over a five-year period from 2008-09, would be open to tender from July and the deal should be concluded by September.

If Mani's forecast is accurate, the PCB could witness more than a 100 percent jump from the current deal with Ten Sports and ARY, who paid $43 million in 2003 -- which was also more than a 100 percent rise from the previous agreement. "I would be disappointed if they sold for any less than $100 million," Mani, an expert in the media rights sector, told Reuters. "The last deal was the best around but it was still a bad one because India were not touring Pakistan at that time and that was a big issue.

"That is no longer the case so hopefully it will make a big difference. I haven't seen the whole tour programme yet but there has been a significant convergence of rights as people now watch cricket in so many different ways, whether it is on television, on the internet or on their mobile phone." Mani, who was the ICC president from 2003-2006, led the negotiations for the ICC's media rights deals in 2000, when they sold for a then unprecedented $550 million, and in 2007, when he said they went for "over $1 billion".

The London-based Pakistani expatriate said he is not receiving any payment for his role with the PCB. "I am happy to help any cricket board," he said. "I have helped Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies - it's nice to be able to give something back to the game." India's rights were sold in 2006 for $612 million, while England's sold for 220 million pounds in December 2004 to start in 2006. Malaysia News Yahoo!, Sportcal.com, 15th May 2008

China/New Media: China Dominates Broadband Reach in Asia

China will own the biggest share of broadband per household in Asia throughout 2010, while Japan and South Korea are expected to lose shares gradually, according to a study by consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. India’s share will be a mere two per cent while China will gain shares to 60 per cent in 2010. Japan and South Korea, however, are expected to lose ground, to 21 per cent and just 7 per cent, respectively, PwC predicted.

In 2004, China owned 40 per cent of overall broadband households in Asia Pacific, while Japan and South Korea accounted for 27 per cent and 21 per cent respectively. Other areas such as Australia, Taiwan, Malaysia and Hong Kong only make up a small share of overall Asian broadband household, either in 2004 or in 2010, according to PwC. Meanwhile, the United States took the lead among nine selected countries in terms of time spent online in January 2008, according to the data from Nielsen Online.

The data was derived from nine countries, including the United States, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Australia and Switzerland during January 2008. France and Spain followed in the second and the third spots, while Australia and Switzerland lagged behind.

According to Nielsen Online, a US online user on average spent more than 28.5 hours surfing the Internet, double the usage time in Australia and Switzerland. France was on the second spot with just under 20 hours, while Spain and the United Kingdom followed each with more than 18 hours per month. In Brazil, Germany and Italy, a user spent about 16 to 17 hours online on average in January 2008. Indiantelevision.com, 14th May 2008

Asia/General: Asian Tour Agrees to More Talks over Rival One Asia Tour

Golf’s Asian Tour, which has been attempting to fight off controversial attempts by the PGA Tour of Australia and the Japanese Golf Tour Organisation to launch a rival Asia-Pacific golf tour, has agreed to further talks after abandoning its previous position of having nothing to do with the plans. However, Kyi Hla Han, chief executive of the Asian Tour, today told Bloomberg that it was 'no closer' to signing up with the rival bodies.

Despite the Asian Tour's new willingness to try to reach a co-operation agreement, Han is said to be worried that the tour's smaller tournaments would not survive if the major ones are shifted to a new elite tour. The plan is for existing tours in the region to act as feeders to the new, so-called, One Asia Tour. The golf associations of China and South Korea are also interested in joining the One Asia Tour, while those of India and Thailand are considering their position.

The Asian Tour, which claims credit for the development of Asian golf, plans to stage 27 tournaments offering a record of $37 million in prize money this year. The Asian Tour previously successfully settled a similar dispute with the European Tour over competing events in Asia. The European Tour was accused of ‘colonising’ Asia when it organised the Ballantine’s Championship and the Indian Masters without first consulting its counterpart, before a co-sanctioning agreement was reached. Sportcal, 14th May 2008

Singapore/General: SingTel FY Profit Beats Forecast, Pays Higher Dividends

Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (SingTel), Southeast Asia's biggest telecom company, beat market expectations by posting a 4.8 percent rise in year to March earnings but warned that growth in local and regional operations may slow amid the uncertain global economic environment. SingTel reported on Wednesday a S$3.96 billion net profit, better than the S$3.77 billion average estimate of 13 analysts polled by Thomson Financial. The group's underlying net profit rose 14 percent to S$3.68 billion, with its regional mobile units accounting for 53 percent of the total.

For the current financial year, SingTel is expecting mid single-digit revenue growth at its Singapore operations from 11 percent in the year just ended, led by its mobile and data business, while EBITDA margin is expected to be steady at about 40 percent. Earnings from regional associates will continue to grow at double-digit levels, although at a slower pace compared to the last two years as some markets mature, SingTel said. Pretax profit from these units jumped 24 percent to S$2.56 billion in year to March 2008, led by Bharti Airtel of India.

Operating revenue rose 11 percent to a record S$14.84 billion as SingTel added more mobile subscribers. The group's combined mobile subscribers rose to over 185 million as of end-March from about 124 million a year ago. But margin fell by 1.5 percentage points to 30.5 percent due to higher subscriber retention costs in Australia and Singapore and the rollout of its IP television in Singapore. Interactive Investor, 14th May 2005

Elsewhere/General: FIVB President Acosta in Shock Resignation

Ruben Acosta, the long-time president of the FIVB, the international volleyball federation, has announced his intention to step down next month, two years before the end of his present term. The controversial 74-year-old Mexican official has headed up the FIVB since the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, making him one of the longest-serving leaders of an international sports federation. He plans to retire at the next FIVB Congress in Dubai on June 16 and 17 in order to spend more time with his family and on private business.

Last week, the FIVB officially opened its lavish new headquarters at the Chateau Les Tourelles in Lausanne, an event that was attended by Acosta and International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge. Acosta was re-elected unopposed and, the FIVB claimed, unanimously, for a new four-year term in 2006. However, the unopposed election took place only after two potential opponents were excluded under stringent new candidacy rules.

Jean-Pierre Seppey, who was sacked as general secretary of the FIVB in 2005, was rejected as a candidate because he did not have the support of an affiliated national federation, while Mario Goijman was excluded on the grounds that he had been expelled in 2003 for financial irregularities. Seppey and Goijman reacted by helping to form a breakaway international governing body in November 2006. The organisation, now known as the WVBF, has been recruiting national federations and organising its own competitions rivalling those of the FIVB.

Acosta’s departure could pave the way for a reconciliation with the WVBF, although Seppey, the president of the rival federation, was today highly sceptical about the intentions of his former associate. Seppey has repeatedly accused the FIVB of a lack of democracy and transparency and claims that the WVBF is more committed to Olympic ideals such as ethics, fair play and solidarity. However, his federation is not yet recognised by the IOC.

The federation said that Acosta’s announcement came as a surprise to the members of the FIVB board of administration. It added that extensive efforts were made to persuade him to remain as president, if possible for four more years, but concluded that ‘it was very unlikely that he would change his mind between now and the middle of June.’ Under the FIVB constitution, Wei Jizhong of China, the first executive vice-president, would be expected to serve out the remainder of Acosta’s term. The federation says that it plans to return to the Olympic cycle as far as elections are concerned.

The WVBF has opened its own headquarters in Lausanne this month. Seppey claims that it now has 62 national associations on board and is making good progress as an international sports federation. Sportcal, 14th May 2008