Monday, 6th June 2011

RIGHTS FEES

=>  Roland-Garros’ European TV rights for 2012-16 have been awarded to MP & Silva. European TV rights to the tennis tournament, whose price currently amounts to €15 million a year, had previously been owned by Eurosport. The FFT decision is a blow to the EBU, the consortium of European broadcasters led by Eurosport, whose major argument is to reach more than 120 mil households. TV rights remain the main source of cash for the French Open, representing 33.5% of total revenues equaling €47.5 million. 90 channels currently broadcast 6500 hours of matches into 214 countries to some 3 bil viewers. The FFT’s present 4-year, €56-mil ($81.1-mil) deal with EBU runs 2008 to 2011 representing a 69% increase in value on the previous deal.

=>  Spanish top-flight side, Malaga, has called on Barcelona and Real Madrid to agree to fairer distribution of TVrevenue or face the prospect of playing "in a boring league." Real Madrid and Barcelona are set to earn close to €125 mil ($181 mil) each per season through to 2013-14, allowing them to afford transfer fees and wages commanded by the best players. The next two clubs, Atlético de Madrid and Valencia, will only earn close to €50 mil per season.

=>  Super Sport SA has expressed concern about quality of TV production of the Ghana Premier League. Super Sports is not impressed with television production currently being provided by Optimum Media Prime, right holders of the Glo Premier League. OMP secured TV production and broadcast rights to the League in April 2009, in a deal worth GH¢1.7 mil (US$1,133 mil) with the GFA for two-and-half years. The South African-based OMP has recently signed lucrative deals with other leagues around Africa: Football Association of Zambia’s (FAZ) 3-year deal worth US$850,000 /year, Uganda Super League’s 5-year $5m broadcasting right deal and, Kenyan Premier League’s $11 mil dollars deal for the next 5 years.


BROADCAST & RIGHTS DISTRIBUTION

=>  ESPN has launched ESPN HD on SKY NZ and ESPN3.com on ISKY in New Zealand, offering live and exclusive coverage of the ATP World Tour, NBA, NFL, MLB, European football and rugby, college sports, action sports and thousands of hours of news and information programming. ESPN3.com will be the online home for live and On Demand sports video available to SKY Sport subscribers with multiroom , delivering exclusive access to more than 2500 live events each year. ESPN3.com offers exclusive access to live online coverage of games that are not broadcast anywhere in NZ and simulcasts of games on ESPN and ESPN HD. ESPN3.com’s new video player allows users to participate in social networking features such as Facebook live stream conversations with friends and other fans who are watching ESPN3.com events.


STATS & DATA

=>  Rising content acquisition cost is the biggest concern for Asia Pacific pay-TV platforms, according to CASBAA, followed by cost of distribution and the regulatory environment. CASBAA says 71.4% of respondents listed content costs are their big concern for this year, and 72% said that 2011 would be better than last year. The biggest threats to the Asia-Pac pay-TV business in 2011, are regulatory issues and piracy. Other concerns include increasing prominence of telcos in the pay-TV space, content exclusivity demands by dominant players and IPTV. Queried about upcoming investments, the respondents' top answers were increased content/channels and expansion/acquisition in current markets.

=>  By 2015 there will be more connected TV sets than people in the world, Intel has predicted at the Spanish Association of Interactive TV Companies (AEDETI). In 4 years, there will be some half million content hours available for interactivity and nearly 15,000 mil TV sets connected through the internet. Yet, Intel assured that TV will carry on being the centre of life in the homes but with a big difference than at present since it will not be TV as we all know it but much more informative.


EVENTS

=>  The Indian Grand Prix is now confirmed to be held as the final event in the 2011 FIA calendar in Dec and will combine the FIA Annual General Meeting and the annual prize giving gala. FIA says that the Bahrain Grand Prix is now confirmed for Oct 30 and India will host its event in Dec, but does not specify a date. The Indian Grand Prix 2012 has been slotted for Oct 28 next year. The FIA has also announced the calendar for the 2012 season in which, subject to confirmation, the Bahrain Grand Prix returns to the opening spot, with a date of Mar 11, meaning that Bahrain is in line to host two F1 races in the space four months.

=>  Baseball’s IBAF expressed delight that the World Baseball Classic national team competition organised by Major League Baseball, will introduce a 16-team qualifying round ahead of the 2013 tournament. The IBAF has no direct involvement in the running or format of the World Baseball Classic, is enthused at the MLB’s efforts to expand the sport's global appeal. 28 nations will compete in the 2013 WBC, of which 16 will play in the tournament proper. 12 countries have qualified for the WBC based on performances at the 2009 tournament, and that they will be joined by four group winners from the new qualifying round, which takes place in 2012. Canada, Taiwan, Panama and South Africa will compete in the play-off round after failing to win a match in the 2009 WBC, while Israel, New Zealand, Thailand and the Philippines will be among the first-time participants.

=>  PowerPlay Golf driven by Saab: Ignition, the first event in a new short-format golf concept aimed at revolutionising the sport for broadcasters and attracting a younger generation of fans, culminated with a win for Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall and an enthusiastic reception from a field that included names such as Gary Player, Paula Creamer, Ian Poulter, John Daley, Ian Woosnam and Helen Alfredsson. Hailed as golf’s Twenty20, PowerPlay Golf is played over nine holes, with 2 flags on every green. Golfers score extra points by taking a limited number of ‘PowerPlays’ to the harder black flag, “creating exciting risk-and-reward decisions on each tee.” PowerPlay Golf, the company behind the format which has already been piloted in 30 countries over the past three years, has teamed up with IMG to televise the series.