BROADCAST & RIGHTS DISTRIBUTION

=>  Total Sports Asia has been appointed by Endemol Sport to distribute broadcasting rights in Asia (excluding the Middle East) for the Dublin Super Cup, the new pre-season tournament in Ireland next month. The latest rights deal for the tournament, which is being organised by Endemol Sport, means that it is set to be broadcast in “over 130 territories across Asia, Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas,” according to the organisers.

=>  SBS, KBS, and MBC, collectively making up the 'Korea Pool' of broadcasters, have signed an MOU to be host broadcasters of the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon. Signed with the Incheon Asian Games OC, the deal includes producing international signals and providing rights-holding broadcasters with various services at the International Broadcasting Centre. The Korea Pool combined to broadcast the 2006 soccer World Cup from Germany and 2008 Olympic Games from Beijing, China.


BIZ & BITES

=>  Backers of the Sri Lanka Premier League Twenty20 cricket are facing a challenge continued refusal by the Indian cricket’s BCCI to release its players, a move which diminishes TV appeal of the event. SLPL is promoted by Somerset Entertainment Ventures but the lack of Indian players makes it a hard-sell internationally, not helped by the withdrawal of Total Sports Asia. TSA was chosen by SEV in a competitive pitch to market the commercial rights to the SLPL, but TSA’s CEO Marcus Luer said they had pulled out earlier this year “due to other commitments and delays in the project.” Luer said yesterday: “We still believe it is an interesting and viable project and might get involved again in the future.”

=>  Badminton Association of India recounted the June 2010 elections, and Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta was declared elected unopposed as its president on June 23, by the Returning Officer, Justice AN Gupta of the Allahabad High Court. The RO, required as an oversight official to ensure free and fair polls in all national sports federations, said there was no opposing candidates to Gupta, who had taken over as BAI’s head after former president VK Verma was jailed in connection with Commonwealth Games scams. Dr Vijay Sinha, elected General Secretary last year, remains in his post.

=>  Macau Cable TV has posted profit for the first time since it started operations in July 2000. MCTV announced a profit of MOP3.5 mil in 2010 compared with a loss in the previous year of MOP1.5 mil. Despite the profit announcement, MCTV stressed that its bottom line continues to be impacted by local unlicensed satellite public antenna service providers, which transmit TV signals for Asian, American and European content without licence or authorisation from the respective copyright owners.