Friday, 25th July 2008

DID YOU KNOW…?

Olympic Trivia

* Created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1914, the Olympic flag contains five interconnected rings on a white background. The five rings symbolize the five significant continents and are interconnected to symbolize the friendship to be gained from these international competitions. The rings, from left to right, are blue, yellow, black, green, and red. The colors were chosen because at least one of them appeared on the flag of every country in the world. The Olympic flag was first flown during the 1920 Olympic Games.

* The Olympic medals are designed especially for each individual Olympic Games by the host city's organizing committee. Each medal must be at least three millimeters thick and 60 millimeters in diameter. Also, the gold and silver Olympic medals must be made out of 92.5 percent silver, with the gold medal covered in six grams of gold.


DATA BOX

Chinese Mobile Phone Users Over 600 Million
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China Statistics published on Chinatechnews.com, 25th July 2008

According to the statistics of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, by the end of June 2008, the number of mobile phone users in China had reached 601 million while the number of fixed telephone users declined. The statistics show that the total revenue of the major Chinese telecom operators was CNY398.79 billion in the first six months of 2008, which is a year-on-year increase of 9.2%. The telecom investment in fixed assets was CNY113.64 billion, a year-on-year increase of 9.9%.

In addition, the broadband sector developed rapidly in the first half of 2008. The number of new broadband access of the Internet users in basic telecom enterprises was 9.593 million. Of which, the number of broadband users increased by 1.559 million to totally 76.007 million in June, while the number of dial-up users decreased by 3.449 million.

Asia's Coming Mobile Phone Boom
Ovum Research Data published on Smartcompany.com, 25th July 2008

Growth in the global telecommunications market has shifted decisively to emerging economies in Asia and the rest of the developing world, according to data from research firm Ovum. Revenue from customers connected to voice services, whether mobile or landline, has peaked in developed economies, with competition likely to drive average earnings in those markets down 14.7% between 2008 and 2017.

By contrast, voice revenues in emerging markets are expected to grow by 47.6% over the same period, with what Ovum describes as “spectacular” growth in mobile phone connections the main cause. The phenomenon will be particularly pronounced in developing markets in Asia. Ovum predicts the Asian voice market will grow from 2.2 billion connections at the end of 2008 to 3.8 billion by 2017.

Emerging markets will take up the lion’s share of those connections, increasing their current 84% share of annual connections to something closer to 90%. And the vast majority of those will be mobile phone service connections – by 2017, 83% of connections will be for mobiles, up from 76% this year. “Emerging markets are dominated by mobile voice, and this dominance will continue for the foreseeable future”, Ovum research director David Kennedy says. In addition, the proportion of connections that are mobile across Asia will grow from 76% to 83% of total voice connections over the same period.

“We expect total voice revenues to decline 14.7% between 2008 and 2017 in developed markets as price competition bites, especially in mobile”, said Kennedy. “Developed markets in Asia display similar growth patterns to developed markets in Europe, with fixed voice playing an ongoing role, and tougher competition in mobile.”


SPORTS SHORTS

* The French Tennis Federation (FFT) launched a tender for the exclusive media rights for its ‘grand slam’ event, the French Open for the next four years. The move represents a change of policy by the FFT, which sold rights non-exclusively in the region in the last contract period. Until this year, coverage of the clay court event in the Middle East was shared by Arab Radio and Television, the Al Jazeera Sports Channel and other regional broadcasters. However, the FFT is now responding to demand by seeking an exclusive partner, while remaining open to the option of sub-licensing. Broadcasters in the Middle East have been given until September 15 to submit bids for up to the 2012 tournament. Sportcal, 24th Jul 2008

* The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India gave the green signal to the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), an industry initiative, to conduct studies relating to television rating points. In its recommendations following a directive to it from the Information and Broadcasting ministry to find a suitable alternative to existing audience measurement mechanisms, Trai said that two nominees of the ministry must function on the board of directors of BARC which should initiate activities by January 2009. Indiantelevision.com, 24th July 2008

* SES Astra’s tech subsidiary, SES Astra TechCom has won the contract to deliver the Network Operations Centre for the new Vietnamese satellite system Vinasat. Astra TechCom shall deliver the NOC to Vietnam Telecom International, for its Vinasat-1 craft. Astra says the contract covers the end-to-end system which includes uplink and downlink facilities in various frequency bands, as well as features for monitoring of the satellite payloads and uplinks, in order to maintain continuous quality of its customers’ video and audio services. Vinasat-1 is Vietnam’s first state-owned satellite. Rapid TV News, 24th Jul 2008

* The 2009 Asia Cup hockey tournament will be the first international event to held at this West Asian metropolis' brand new sports facility, Dubai Sports City (DSC). The hockey stadium at Dubai Sport City will be ready early in 2009, in good time for the Asia Cup, DSC chief executive U. Balasubramaniam said in a statement here. We will be encouraging local hockey fans to come and enjoy seeing this competition in the Middle East for the first time. The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) had, in its 49th council meeting in Hyderabad last week, awarded the 2009 event to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Others who bid for the tournament were Malaysia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. News.WebIndia123.com, 24th July 2008

* Sports information provider, STATS LLC has agreed a joint venture with Mumbai-based interactive media and digital sports content provider, Sportz Interactive, to form STATS Middle East. STATS Middle East will be headquartered in Dubai and serve as the marketing and sales base to the region. The company will create, distribute and deliver worldwide sports content and data using innovative methods and platforms to enhance the digital sports media experience. STATS Middle East is the latest in a string of strategic initiatives by STATS to extend its worldwide sports coverage. The company also holds major market positions through affiliates in India, China and Japan. Sport Business, 24th Jul 2008

* Criccontest.com, a live cricket gaming portal, has been launched by Reasonable Advertising Pvt Ltd (RAPL) Television. The portal allows one to bet with points and win prizes. There is no money involved. The live gaming section of the portal will officially launch from the second Test between India and Sri Lanka. A trial run is on currently. The promoters of RAPL -- Ashok Wadhwa and Anoop Wadhwa--claim that since the portal was launched in May it has a registered user base of 50,000. It also claims to have monthly page views of five million and 250,000 unique visitors. Indiantelevision.com, 24th July 2008

* China will allow demonstrations in designated city parks during the 2008 Olympic Games. Although the announcement suggests that China has adopted a more relaxed attitude towards protesters during the Olympics, anyone wanting to protest will have to apply for permission from the city's government and police meaning that, in reality, there will be few anti-government protests. Liu Shaowu, director of the Beijing organising committee's security department, said protests would be allowed in Shijie, Zizhuyuan and Ritan parks, but remained unclear about how potential protesters would apply for permission, and on whether spontaneous demonstrations would be allowed. Sport Business, Sportcal, 24th Jul 2008

* Athletes from Iraq have been banned from taking part in next month’s Beijing Olympics, the IOC announced. The team was already the subject of an interim ban after the Iraqi government replaced the country's national Olympic committee with its own appointees. Under the IOC charter, all NOCs must be free of political influence. As a result of today's development, the team of two rowers, two sprinters, one archer, one weightlifter and one judo competitor will not travel to China. Sportcal, 24th Jul 2008

* Taiwan has warned the country could boycott the Olympic Games in China unless a dispute over the island’s name is resolved. A Sports Affairs Council spokesperson said: ‘During the Beijing Olympics, if China-Taipei is used or appears at the Olympics venue, we will walk out the games. ‘Since the LA Games in 1984, Taiwan has used the name Chinese-Taipei. China must respect the IOC decision.’ China's use of ‘Zhongguo Taipei’ or China-Taipei, strongly suggests that Taiwan is part of China in the Chinese language. Taiwan plans to send a 140-member delegation to the games. Sportcal, 24th Jul 2008

* The Fédération Internationale de Hockey Association's (FIH) website, www.worldhockey.org, will feature a "YouTube Clip of the Week" after FIH expanded co-operation with the video-sharing website. Each week, the FIH will choose one user-generated hockey video as the clip of the week to be featured on the FIH home page. Visitors to the FIH site can nominate their favourite clip. FIH president Els van Breda Vriesman said "this gives the FIH another possibility for interaction with the numerous hockey fans." The FIH already has its own YouTube page at www.youtube.com/worldhockey. Sports Media, 24th Jul 2008

* Australia’s ABC, has followed the lead of the BBC and introduced a free internet TV service, ABC iView, for Australian eyes only. But unlike the BBC’s iPlayer, ABC iView is a streamed video service with its own in-built video player, so users will not need to download additional software. As well as ABC and other domestically-produced programmes, there will also be international hits produced by organisations such as the BBC that appear on ABC TV in Australia. The ABC has been at the head of the pack in broadcasters' internet strategies, the first to introduce vodcasts and now the first to introduce internet TV, other than news bulletins being streamed by commercial networks' joint ventures Yahoo!7 and Ninemsn. Rapid TV News, Sportcal, 24th Jul 2008

* Superleague Formula’s Robin Webb admits that the fledgling series must make a concerted effort to draw in football fans if it is to prove successful. Little over a month remains before the lights turn green and the series roars from the grid for the very first time at the UK's Donington Park. AC Milan, Sevilla and PSV Eindhoven will all be represented in the series and while Webb believes that awareness of it is strong in the motorsport market he feels that a lot of work needs to be done to promote SLF to football fans. SLF is presenting a wide range of activities planned to turn it into an event that taps into the family market. Off-track entertainment and aerobatic displays will also take place, along with motorcycle stunt shows and Webb revealed that SLF aims to be a different type of 'event' than the likes of Formula One. Football Insider, 24th Jul 2008

* The WTA Tour has indefinitely suspended its two-year experiment with on-court coaching. "It's been suspended. The Tour will evaluate the results of the testing period and make a decision as to whether to adopt on-court coaching or not," WTA spokesman Andrew Walker said. "A specific timeframe for this decision has not been set." The WTA Player Council attempted at this year's Wimbledon to organize a vote on the experiment but the players were divided in their opinions. The controversial initiative, which was never tried out at the grand slam tournaments, provoked strong reactions from the players. Some think that as an individual sport which encourages players to think for themselves tennis should never allow coaches on court to give advice. Reuters, 24th July 2008

* FIFA president Sepp Blatter said clubs must release their eligible U-23 players for Olympics soccer tournament despite claims of Europe's leading clubs that they were under no obligation to do so. FIFA and the European Club Association (ECA), successor to the G14 which represents Europe's leading clubs, issued contradictory statements with FIFA reaffirming it was mandatory for clubs to release their players. Blatter, in a letter to FIFA members said: "The release of players below the age of 23 has always been mandatory for all clubs. The same principle applies for Beijing 2008." Sports City, Sportcal, 24th Jul 2008

* Sony, the Japanese electronics corporation, has agreed a sponsorship deal with Kaká, the Brazil and AC Milan soccer star. Under the terms of the endorsement contract, Kaká will promote a range of Sony products, including its latest high-definition products, and feature in a number of television advertisements and internet promotions. Kaká was voted the 2007 Fifa world player of the year. Sportcal, 24th Jul 2008


MORE NEWS

Singapore/Broadcast: StarHub Fights Back in Singapore's Pay-TV War

StarHub, Singapore's largest pay-TV operator, has responded to rival SingTel's mio TV offering on-demand services by announcing it would launch its own video-on-demand services soon. The announcement came the day after mio TV unveiled a deal with three Hollywood studios - Disney-ABC, Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Bros – to broadcast popular dramas on-demand within a day of the shows’ premiere or broadcast in the US.

Currently, StarHub offers recording services on its Hubstation application and according to Patrick Lim, head of cable TV services at StarHub: “Video-on-demand has not yet entered mainstream TV viewing yet in Singapore, but it will soon.”

“In fact, StarHub will be launching our VOD services very soon, which will also carry popular TV series with advanced windows. But whatever the choices, we know that people want good value, convenience, good customer service, a full range of quality programing and reliable networks,” he added. StarHub currently offers 150 channels and has a subscriber-base of 508,000 compared to 50 channels and 45,000 subscribers on SingTel’s mio TV. Rapid TV News, Brand Republic, Marketing Malaysia, 24th Jul 2008

China/General: Government Issues Ad Guidelines

The Chinese government has warned domestic companies to refrain from launching advertising campaigns that could embarrass or damage the image of the country during the Beijing Olympic Games. A statement on the www.gov.cn website, called for "a notice on further reinforcing control over media advertisements during the Olympics", warning that advertisers "have a responsibility to society...and showing the country's image". Tobacco advertising is forbidden through broadcasting, TV, newspapers, journals and websites, while advertisers have been told to take extra care when dealing with "religion, race and nationality...the (recent Sichuan) earthquake rescue and reconstruction effort" and "national sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security".

The statement said that "the Olympic advertising market directly connects to the national image". The event's "green" and "cultural" benefits should be highlighted, according to the statement, and "everyone should create and publish more positive, stylish and touching public advertisements under the theme of 'Welcome the Olympics, Improve Manners and Foster New Attitudes'. The statement, which was jointly issued by six government sectors including the central propaganda department, added that the technological opportunities presented by the Games should also be underlined. Sports Media, 24th Jul 2008

Asia/General: Asian Fans Drive 'Big Four' Website Traffic

The majority of traffic to the official websites of the Barclays (sponsor) Premier League's 'big four' now originates from outside the UK, according to a new study. ComScore, Inc. conducted the study of Premier League clubs based on data from its comScore World Metrix audience measurement service during the 2007-08 season.

Premierleague.com, the official site of the League, came out on top in the UK, attracting an average of 1.2 million visitors per month from August 2007 through to May 2008. The website of Premier League champion Manchester United ( Manutd.com), ranked as the most popular club site with an average of 912,000 visitors per month. Liverpoolfc.tv ranked second (887,000 visitors), followed by Arsenal.com (718,000 visitors) and Chelseafc.com (402,000 visitors).

Outside of the UK, it was the Asia-Pacific region that proved most fruitful for the 'big four'. With the exception of Liverpoolfc.tv, all of the 'big four' club sites drew the majority of their visitors from outside the UK, with Manutd.com generating the largest share of its audience from abroad (64%). In the case of the 'big four' sites, along with Premierleague.com, the Asia-Pacific region accounted for the largest share of total traffic outside Europe. The region's share of visitors ranged from 21% for Liverpoolfc.tv to 30% for Manutd.com, in each case representing a greater share than any other region outside of Europe. Premierleague.com attracted 55% of its total audience from outside the UK, demonstrating the broad global interest in the League.

"This data suggests that there is a substantial market for Premiership football beyond the confines of the UK," said comScore analyst Jamie Gavin. "It therefore makes sense that the Football Association would be considering staging an additional 10 games per season overseas to help raise the profile of the other clubs. Generating additional exposure of these teams across other continents will help establish the Premiership as a sports league with a truly global fan base." Football Insider, 24th Jul 2008

Olympics: Broadcasters Fighting with Chinese Off-Camera

The Beijing Olympics may not look much different from previous games on TV. Behind the studio sets, however, world broadcasters have been squaring off for months with Chinese officials over censorship. Among the issues: what they'll be allowed to get on video, where they can work and whether they can broadcast live. They've faced red tape, intimidation and restrictions on coverage, which might make it difficult to cover unexpected events away from the venues.

Broadcast officials recount months of delays applying for permits amid changing rules. They've been questioned about coverage plans by everyone from policemen to local bureaucrats. Several broadcasters spoke of ordeals just to rent office space, and one said a Chinese homeowner made an offer to locate a satellite dish on his property.

"We have no idea at the moment whether we will be able to operate freely and without severe restrictions," said John Barton, director of sport for the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, which represents broadcasters in 57 countries. "We've been given the commitment we can, but it remains to be seen whether we'll be able to do that. Until it begins we will not know how the officials and police will react. It's a lottery." USA Today, 24th Jul 2008


ARTICLES, COMMENTS, INTERVIEWS & OPINIONS

Digital Revolution Could be Olympics' Salvation
Reuters Article published on Sports City, The Guardian UK, 24th Jul 2008

For the Olympic movement, the digital revolution is armed with a double-edged sword -- it has lured the younger generation away from sport but could open up the Olympic experience to a far wider audience. "It (digital media) will have a transforming impact on the Olympics at multiple levels. It will change story-telling for the Games by making it more human and personal," says Shoba Purushothaman, CEO of Web-based video marketing platform The NewsMarket. "

A Summer Games was one of the sporting and television highlights of the year for today's parents and grandparents. In the 21st century, young people have a huge variety of sport, music and entertainment media to flick through, both on television and the internet, and the Olympics has no special aura for many of them.

"The Olympic Games are not that credible or relevant to most young people in the developed or developing world," says Alex Balfour, head of new media at the London 2012 organizing committee. "I will maybe watch highlight shows on TV later in the evening but I can never see myself watching it live," said Richard Cousins, a 19-year-old British student.

The average age of viewers for the 2004 Games in Athens was over 40 and shows no signs of falling. If the Games lose their cachet in years to come, billions of dollars from sponsorship and broadcasting rights that support the Olympic movement could melt away. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recognized the warning signs and took steps to attract a younger audience by introducing sports like snowboarding to the Winter Olympics, and BMX cycling which makes its debut in Beijing in August.

In February, the IOC went further by choosing Singapore to host the first summer Youth Olympics in 2010, a "key moment" in the words of IOC President Jacques Rogge. "They (the Youth Olympics) will also be the platform through which youngsters will learn about Olympic values and the benefits of sport, and share their experiences with other communities around the globe," Rogge said.

Platforms and access to communities in the digital world could be just as important in deciding if the Olympics retain their high profile, experts said ahead of a Summer Games in Beijing which is being billed as the first digital Olympics. "The Olympic Games will be played out on Facebook, YouTube and Flickr whether we like it or not. We need to engage not disengage with them," Balfour told a conference on sports and technology in London. Flickr is a photo-sharing Web site owned by Yahoo.

CONTROLLED BLOGGING

U.S. internet users viewed more than 12 billion online videos during May, according to digital research firm Comscore, a 45 percent increase over the year before. About one-third of those were on YouTube, owned by Google. But fans expecting to visit the site to catch up on the day's action in Beijing next month are likely to be disappointed because the IOC is having problems adjusting to the share-it-all ethos of the internet.

In company with other major sports federations, the IOC keeps a very tight rein on its showpiece occasions and views video postings on sites like YouTube as a threat to its rights holders, who can broadcast on television and a number of digital platforms. The IOC uses video-fingerprinting technology and Web-crawling (monitoring) techniques to prevent unauthorized content being uploaded and track illegal content on Web sites.

However, it has acknowledged the young's infatuation with social networking sites and the increasing power of citizen journalism. In February, the IOC said it would allow blogging by athletes for the first time at August's Games. In 2010, the 3,500 competitors at the inaugural Youth Olympics will be urged to have their own blog.

"Technology is the key enabler for the Olympic Games," said Alexander Vronski, technology vice president for the Sochi Winter Games of 2014. "New media can engage nations."

MINORITY SPORTS

Technological advances mean minority sports will get a greater share of the spotlight via streaming video on Web sites and digital television. In the United States, NBC will offer 3,600 hours of coverage of the August 8-24 Games, triple its offering from the Athens Games, and about a third of this will be streamed over the internet.

3G mobile phone technology could also have a huge impact on the Olympics, allowing athletes and visitors in the Chinese capital to communicate their experiences to those back home. "People taking photos and video with their cell phones will change the way we watch the Games," says The NewsMarket's Purushothaman. "For the first time, digital technology will liberate how we all, sitting outside, see the Games." But the IOC will not allow spectators to publish on the internet photos and video taken inside Olympic venues.

The long-term goal of the IOC in embracing modern technology is to try to get young people away from their video consoles and out into the fresh air to play sport and stay healthy. One reason London was chosen to stage the 2012 Games was its pledge to engage young people in the Olympic project and to encourage them to participate actively in sport.

Jon Tibbs, whose public relations company has several Olympic clients, says the "digital marketplace has the potential to re-engage hundreds of millions of people with sport" and, as an added benefit to the Olympic movement, re-energize the interest of consumer companies in sponsoring the Games.

Rogge believes that once youngsters have been persuaded to play sport, they will realize digital competition -- even the active interactivity of Nintendo's Wii console -- is no match for the cut and thrust of sporting competition. "You will never achieve in a video game," Rogge told The Times newspaper in May. "It is not really success."