Friday, 11th March 2011

RIGHTS FEE & DISTRIBUTION

=>  Rs 2.4 billion – this is the floor price the BCCI has fixed for the full package of 4-year IPL media rights it made available for bidding. The BCCI floated a tender for IPL broadcast rights for specific international territories and global internet and mobile rights, for the period 2011-2014. The BCCI has fixed a bottom of Rs 600 mil per year for the TV, radio, mobile & internet package. The other two packaged rights available are: i) all the rights except worldwide mobile rights; and ii) worldwide mobile rights only. BCCI stated it would accept consortium bids. Broadcast rights available do not include Indian sub-continent (which is with MSM Max), Australia, South Africa, Middle East, Carribean, Hong Kong and Singapore. Radio rights are available for all markets excluding Middle East, while internet & mobile rights are available for all territories.

=>  Sportfive would be a candidate to distribute centralised broadcast rights to qualifying matches for the European Championships and World Cup on behalf of UEFA. UEFA’s plans for centralization would come into effect from Sep 2014, pending ratification by all 53 members associations. With approval, UEFA could decide to appoint an agency at its congress in Paris on March 22. Sportfive already works with UEFA selling the Euro 2012 broadcast rights in 49 territories in Asia and Oceania (exc. Japan (Dentsu), Brunei, Malaysia & Indonesia). Last year, UEFA delivered aggressive projections that claimed a central sale of TV rights and sponsorship rights would raise €1 bil ($1.38 billion) in gross revenues for its members and €900 mil in net revenues over a 4-year period, an increase (in net terms) of over 60% on revenues raised by individually-sold distribution.

=>  The Brazilian Clube dos 13 hopes to earn a minimum of R$912 mil ($551 mil) per season from media rights for three seasons from 2012 to 2014, more than double on the present 3-year deal, from 2009 to 2011. The Clube dos 13 revealed a minimum price of R$250 mil for pay-per-view rights for 2012, rising to R$275 mil in 2013 and R$300 mil in 2014. It is asking a minimum of $100 mil per season for pay-TV, R$50 mil for internet and R$12 mil for mobile rights. It said that it would accept bids for coveted FTA rights package from R$500 million per season. All the media rights are held exclusively by Globo in the present deal. Globo's pay-TV pays a base price of R$120 mil per season for the PPV and R$50 mil for pay-TV rights. Internet rights are bundled with FTA rights, for which Globo pays R$220 mil per season. Globo also holds the mobile rights worth R$5 mil per season.

=>  Spanish pubcaster, TVE, suggested that it should sell off MotoGP media rights in an attempt to save money. TVE is accused of failing to fulfil its public-service remit by spending huge money on content like Champions League, then failing to renew contracts for less popular events, like IAAF World Championships. However, TVE balked at the asking price for the IAAF package, at €2 mil per season. TVE is in the final season of its rights deal for MotoGP, secured after a hotly-contested auction in 2007 against rival, Cuatro, but was forced to increase its fee to €20 mil per season to keep the rights to the series from its previous deal, in which it paid €9 mil per season.


DATA

=>  Over 30 mil web users in India watched online video in Jan 2011 - equating to 72% of its internet population - according to comScore, which rates YouTube and Facebook as the nation’s most popular host sites. Almost half the videos watched were hosted by YouTube, and the average web viewer consumed 58 videos and 5 hours of video content during the month. The report claims visitors to YouTube in India watched 780.7 mil videos in Jan, representing 44.5% of all videos viewed that month, with social network Facebook ranking second with 6.6 mil viewers and 30.1 mil videos viewed. Metacafe came third in the ratings, with 3.9 mil viewers. Indian-owned sites Network 18 and Rediff.com ranked highly, reaching 1.2 mil and 861,000 viewers respectively – placing them both in the comScore top 10 for Jan.

=>  Hong Kong’s rapidly growing broadband market had 85% of households with access at the start of 2010, according to Research and Markets. “Hong Kong - Broadband - Overview and Statistics” show how extensive roll-out of sophisticated telecommunications infrastructure has allowed Hong Kong to towards 85% household penetration for broadband connectivity. There were over 5.3 mil internet users in the territory, gaining access using either dial-up or broadband, going into 2010 with 67% of those subscribing to broadband services. Extensive DSL and cable coverage, along with a large fibre optic footprint, has driven the market for triple play services and IPTV.


EVENT

=>  German sports internet portal, Sportdigital.tv, has acquired rights to the remainder of the 2011 ‘Fight Code’ European kickboxing series, launched by MP & Silva and Taipan SrL. Sportdigital.tv has already shown this year’s first two events and has now secured rights for the eight remaining events in 2011. MP & Silva will provide HD broadcast production, event management and worldwide rights distribution. The 2011 series features 10 events and a minimum of 60 fights across two new weight categories: Rhinos (under 105kg) and Dragons (under 72.5kg). Each of the 10 events features a series of prestige fights, with local stars from the host countries taking on fighters from around the world.


OTHER BUSINESS NEWS

=>  AIBA has provisionally suspended the Romanian Boxing Federation with immediate effect for failing to hold a presidential election, after the incumbent was last year banned for 11 years by AIBA. No Romanian boxers, coaches or officials will be authorised to participate in AIBA approved or controlled events and/or meetings, while the RBF cannot host any continental or international boxing events until an election for presidency takes place. After two delays of promised elections, AIBA put its foot down when it noted that "Obreja continues to act as president of the Romanian Boxing Federation despite his current long suspension." Obreja was handed an 11-year ban and fined $20,000, by AIBA after failing to respect the terms of a 2-year suspension that was imposed by AIBA in a scandal over alleged attempts to influence judging at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.