Wednesday, 6th July 2011

RIGHTS FEES

=>  France Télévisions extended its deal with the IOC to show the Olympics of 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020 for between €40 mil ($57.9 mil) to €50 mil per Games, or between €160 mil and €200 mil in total. France Télévisions previously held Olympic rights through its membership of the European Broadcasting Union but for the new period the deal was negotiated directly with the IOC. The EBU acquired cross-platform rights for the 2010 and 2012 games for €560 mil ($812 mil). The deal excluded Italy, after Sky Italia secured a separate deal with the IOC. For 2014 and 2016 Games the UK is now the only one of the ‘big five’ European territories, that has yet to agree a deal.

=>  Observers have cast doubt over a massive offer from Spanish agency Activos Multimedia Sport for media rights to the Spanish Liga BBVA from 2015 onwards. The €800-mil ($1.16-bil) bid is "simply not credible." The bid was made on the understanding that the LFP will sell Liga rights centrally from that season, following the expiration of deals between individual clubs and agencies Mediapro and Prisa TV covering the next three-year cycle (2012/13 to 14/15). At the LFP assembly last autumn, majority of the 42 first and second division clubs agreed in principle to sale of collective rights but the two biggest clubs - Barcelona and Real Madrid - were opposed to the idea.


BROADCAST & RIGHTS DISTRIBUTION

=>  ESPN has confirmed acquisition of exclusive TV rights in the USA for Wimbledon over the next 12 years, ending 43 years of NBC airing the Grand Slam tournament. The deal was the second long-term, major agreement for sports TV rights in the last month: NBC lost Wimbledon after outbidding ESPN and Fox to keep the rights to the Olympics through 2020. The announcement had been expected since NBC said in a statement Sunday that "while we would have liked to have continued our relationship, we were simply outbid."

=>  French agency Fighting Spirit has signed a broadcast distribution agreement with mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion M-1 Global. Under terms of the deal, which expires at the end of 2012, Fighting Spirit will distribute TV rights to M-1 Global's competitions and programming across Europe, Africa and the Middle-East. Part owned by Russian heavyweight mixed martial artist, the St. Petersburg and Amsterdam-based organises between 40 to 50 events per year including regional competition M-1 Selection and team-based competition M-1 Challenge.

=>  German pay channel, Motorvision TV wants to launch a sister service for viewers in foreign countries in mid-Nov. Motorvision TV International will initially be available in Middle East. Distribution will eventually be expanded to Asia and America. Carriage talks are underway with pay-TV platforms worldwide. Programming will be offered in English, full HD and - if necessary - be dubbed in the local language. There will be room for local windows offering content specifically targeting the domestic audience. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland Motorvision TV, can be watched exclusively on pay-TV platform Sky.


STATS & DATA

=>  Homes with IPTV will soar from 35 mil currently to 155 mil by end 2016 according to Digital TV Research. Asia Pac will surpass Western Europe as the IPTV engine, with about 75% of the 120 mil additional subscribers. China will overtake France as IPTV leader with a 7x growth by 2016, providing 70 mil of total subs. By end 2016, global IPTV penetration will climb from 2.6% to 10.5% of TV households. In Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe and Western Europe, IPTV penetration will reach 12%. IPTV revenues will likely rise to $17 bil by 2016; comparatively, IPTV revenues in 2006 were under $1 bil and $6 bil by end 2010. By 2016, 83% of IPTV subs will take triple-play services, with 10% paying for dual-play [TV and broadband] and only 7% as standalone TV subs.


EVENTS

=>  8 new sports are nominated for inclusion for the 2020 Olympic Games, while an existing sport could be replaced. However, there is no place for cricket. The list comprises of baseball, karate, roller sports, softball, sports climbing, squash, wakeboard and wushu. Four sports which failed to make the cut from a longlist of 12 were bowling, dancing, netball and surfing. Of the 8 potentials, baseball, karate, roller sports, softball and squash were considered, but rejected, for inclusion in the 2016 games, when golf and rugby sevens were added to the programme. Baseball and softball were previously part of the games but were dropped from the programme for the 2012 games in London.

=>  The ATP announced a "significant increase" in prize money over next 3 years, crossing the $90-mil mark for the first time in 2014. Prize money is set to rise for all tournaments, with ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events leading with a 9% increase in each of the next 3 years. Prize money at the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals will increase 30% over three years from $5 mil to $6.5 mil. The player bonus pool - payable to top 12 eligible players - will increase 33% to $8 mil in 2014. The prize money does not include the four 'grand alams' - Wimbledon, US, French and Australian Opens - which is distributed by respective organisers.


BIZ & BITES

=>  World athletics’ IAAF has signed a 10-yr licensing deal with Indian property developer, Nirmal Lifestyle, to help promote the sport in the country. Nirmal will create international standard athletic facilities and academies, certified by the IAAF, across India that will benefit from the expertise of IAAF coaching. Nirmal will work with IAAF and the Athletics Federation of India in developing athletes in India at grass-roots and performance level. The licensing deal was brokered by Total Sports Asia acting on behalf of Nirmal.