Friday, 22nd July 2011

RIGHTS FEES

=>  Croatian IPTV, MAXtv, acquired rights to show over 100 live games from the domestic soccer league this season, in a deal that also includes title sponsorship of the competition, renamed the ‘MAXtv Prva Liga’. MAXtv previously showed 30 games /season but has now increased its output by signing an exclusive deal with Digitel, the agency appointed to sell the rights. Pubcaster HRT had broadcast live games for the last 21 years but was unable to agree terms for 2011/12. HRT unsuccessfully offered a 10% improved bid of around HRK7 mil ($1.33 mil) with Digitel, which was holding out for over three times that amount for the rights to broadcast all matches. MAXtv will also carry its first live game in high-definition on Sep 10.


BROADCAST & RIGHTS DISTRIBUTION

=>  Two new HD channels launched in India by ESPN Star Sports will coincide with the opening Test match of Indian cricket’s tour of England. The Test at Lords is the 2,000th Test match in history of the game, the 100th between the two sides and “the start of a skirmish that has the world number one ranking at stake”. Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar will come to the match on a stunning 99 international hundreds. These factors expected drivers for large audiences on Star Cricket HD. Following the Test in England, the Champions League T20 tournament and India’s tour of Australia, will follow on Star Cricket HD.

=>  Revenues for TV broadcasters in India are estimated to have risen by 13.2% year-on-year in the 2010/11 financial year, with the popularity of entertainment channels sustaining this pattern. In a report by India Credit Rating Agency, advertising revenue is still the key driver of broadcaster revenue contributing 80% of income, says the ICRA in its July 2011 TV industry study. DTH subs witnessed a growth of 62% in 2010/11 with companies seeing a median revenue growth of 22.8% in the Q4 2010/11, compared with the same in 2009/10, says ICRA. India’s TV broadcasting industry’s performance was boosted by the ICC Cricket World Cup in Q4 2010/11 financial year, and a healthy growth in income from general entertainment channels.

=>  Canadian pay-TV, TSN, has won rights for the next two Rugby World Cups, starting with the 2011 tournament. TSN, who has not aired the tournament since 1995, will show all matches from the 2011 and 2015 World Cups on TSN and TSN2 channels. There will also be comprehensive coverage of the two events held in New Zealand and England respectively, on TSN.ca website and TSN Mobile TV. Overseas TV rights deals for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and some for 2015, have been signed with Nine Network and Fox Sports (Aus), ITV (UK), S4C (Wales), RTE (Ire), France Télévisions and Canal Plus (Fra), Sky Italia (Ita), NBC and Universal Sports (USA), ESPN Latin America (S.America), Neo Sports (India) and now TV (HK). Live rights to the Rugby World Cup and archives are marketed by IMG Media.


STATS & DATA

=>  AFC Champions League audiences for the group and round of 16 stage matches are up 15% to 155 mil across Asia-Pac. 104 matches have been played this season and Japan emerged top of the ratings 69.85 mil viewers, 45.2% of total audience. The matches were broadcast by TV Asahi. Japan also topped ratings for this year’s AFC Asian Cup 2011 at 43.2% of total audience. China, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, UAE and Korea follow as the next 5 highest rated markets. Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan and Korea viewership jumped 13%, from 124.4 mil previously to 140.2 mil.


=>  [con't] AFC Champions League at a glance: China had nearly 62 mil viewers, up 63% on previous year, watched 1st and 2nd round games on CCTV5 and provincial stations. CCTV5 recorded 44.3 mil viewers, up 146% from 18 mil last year. Average viewers /match grew from 324,889 to 426,138. Indonesia had largest audience growth increasing 203% from 2010. Nearly 7 mil Indonesians followed Arema Indonesia’s group stage campaign on RCTI, sending the average ratings /match soaring to 1.16 mil from 384,000 last year. Ratings in Korea grew 79% from 2010 while the average number of viewers per telecast on SBS Korea and MBC Sports combined grew 17% from 39,612 to 46,423.


EVENTS

=>  India’s TransStadia has bought the World Series Boxing India franchise in a two way race for a period of 10 years. The company had in 2009 unveiled plans to build a multipurpose stadium in Gujarat at an investment of Rs3 bil and in in an interview last year, CEO Udit Seth had said that the sports industry in India worth Rs1 tri. The Videocon Group was earlier awarded the Delhi franchise when the WSB was launched but had pulled out of the WSB at the last minute without citing any reason. AIBA then went ahead to sign Korean city of Incheon as replacement for Delhi Tigers, as the franchise was then called.