Friday, 15th April 2011

RIGHTS FEE

=>  Prisa TV is to sign a deal with Athletic Bilbao for €30 mil ($43.5 mil) per season from 2012/13 to 2014/15. The deal will be a blow to rival Mediapro, presently holding the club’s rights until 2011/12. It marks Prisa’s intention to return to the soccer media rights arena. Prisa last held Athletic’s media rights in 2005/06. The new deal with Prisa represents a 76% increase over its present deal which pays it €17 mil per season. It also means that media rights revenue will represent 50% of the club’s total revenues, up from 30% now, which allows the club to strengthen its squad with new signings and maintain economic stability over the next few years.

=>  [Excerpt] The Copa del Rey is a big money-spinner for the Spanish RFEF. The national association is set to earn up to €15 mil ($21.7 mil) from media rights and ticketing revenue, according Prime Time Sport. This year's final, pitting Real Madrid and Barcelona for the first time since 1990, will involve 850 journalists, 148 radio commentators, 56 TV commentators and media professionals from 40 broadcasters that have acquired media rights to the match. The two clubs are set to play each other four times in the next month; in a league fixture where RM plays at home this week, in the Champions League semi-finals, and if Barcelona win the League title this season, they will also play RM in the two-leg Supercopa. National broadcaster TVE pays rights-holder Grupo Santa Mónica €6 mil per season for 3 matches of the Copa del Rey and Supercopa finals.

=>  The German DFB has launched a tender for domestic broadcast rights for Germany’s home international matches from 2012/13 onwards. The rights cover 4 seasons from 2012/13 to 2015/16 although Germany’s home qualification for the 2016 European Championships (in seasons 2014/15 and 2015/16) will be marketed centrally by UEFA. ARD and ZDF have a contract until the end of the 2011/12 season for Germany’s home games, the DFB Pokal, the 3. Liga and the Frauen Bundesliga, in a deal worth €80 mil ($115.7 mil) per season. Sky Deutschland pays €18 mil per season for rights to all 63 DFB Pokal matches per season from 2008/09 to 2011/12.

=>  Belgacom, holder of live rights to Belgian Jupiler Pro League, is yet undecided on whether it will bid to renew its current contract, which is worth €45.7 mil ($65.9 mil) /season. Tender for rights from 2011/12 to 2013/14 has been delayed. The Pro League had hoped to launch its tender at end 2010, but a row over format of the league from next season onwards contributed to a delay in a proceedings. The league is also awaiting the outcome of proceedings involving telco, Telenet, who is a potential bidder in the rights auction which will determine if Telenet has to offer live rights to its competing operators, a condition imposed by authorities. The deal for 2008/09 to 2010/11 was below the target of €50 mil to €65 mil /season, but over the €36 mil /season by Belgacom in the previous rights period. Belgacom subsequently sub-licensed highlight rights to pubcasters VRT and RTBF for €8 mil /season.


BROADCAST & DISTRIBUTION

=>  The Rugby World Cup in New Zealand is to be broadcast in 3D for the first time after the International Rugby Board appointed 3DLive as official 3D broadcaster of the tournament. 3DLive, a pioneer of 3D broadcast technology in New Zealand, will offer a 3D feed of the semi-finals, bronze final and final to broadcasters. Sky New Zealand said that it would be the first broadcaster in New Zealand to deliver 3D programming. The Rugby World Cup is scheduled for September 9 to October 23 this year.


DATA

=>  Internet usage in Malaysia has increased to 41%, with consumers aged 20-24 recorded as the highest age group accessing the internet, according to Nielsen's Mobile Insights Malaysia 2010. This age group averagely spends 22.3 hours online, 36% of them being internet subscribers. Social networking commands 71% of online activities and instant messaging is a distant second at 35%. However, non-subscribers in all the age groups high; 50% of the total surveyed. 72% of subscribers said coverage is a key satisfying factor and speed is second at 54%. Mobile broadband gained popularity with market share doubling from 20% in 2009 to 54% in 2010. The survey was conducted between Oct and Dec 2010, polling 4,000 consumers nationwide about usage of mobile phones and the internet.

=>  Pay-TV subscribers worldwide increased 6% in 2010, according to In-Stat, with China being the world's largest pay-TV market. At end 2010, China had 160 mil subs; the largest operator is Shanghai Media's SITV but no platform has clear dominance, all having under 5 mil customers. Biggest regional pay-TV market is Western Europe, with 17.5 mil subs. In the Caribbean and Latin America, the biggest player is Net Servicos de Comunicacao of Brazil. Many regions showed gains in 2010 but cable providers were impacted by migration to satellite and/or IPTV across all regions. Only Western Europe showed gains in total number of cable TV subscribers.


EVENT

=>  The Japanese Football Association confirmed it will be sending its national team to Argentina in July to play the Copa America, after reaching agreement with its top league. Japan and Mexico have been invited by Conmebol as guest participants in this year's cup, but Japan initially indicated that it would withdraw from the event in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the country in Mar. The disaster has caused a 6-week hiatus of the J-League, with backlog fixtures now having to be rescheduled during the tournament. The J-League clubs earlier told the JFA that they did not want to send their top players to Argentina.