Friday, 18th May 2007

HEADLINE OF THE DAY

President Backs Call to Stage 2011 Copa America

Chile President, Michelle Bachelet, has asked CONMEBOL to hold the 2011 Copa America in her country. According to Harold Mayne-Nicholls, president of the Chilean Football Federation (FFCH), the request was made to help the country further develop its infrastructure. “The President asked Nicolas Leoz (CONMEBOL president) to host the 2011 Copa America and Ms Bachelet said the government will totally back the Federation to develop the project,” he said. “To us, knowing that the country's President is committed to such sporting events is a huge boost.”

CONMEBOL has taken the decision to follow an alphabetical system of host countries for the world’s oldest surviving international football competition. Argentina, therefore, was expecting to be asked to host the next tournament in four years’ time, but Leoz seems to have backed the call, admitting Chile was “a good alternative.” But he added: “The final decision will be made in an executive committee meeting, with members of the 10 South American federations.” The 2007 Copa America will get underway on June 26 in Venezuela, while Mexico and the United States have already expressed an interest in hosting the 2011 tournament. Source: Football Insider, 17th May 2007


WHAT’S THE BUZZ?

Wraps Come Off e-Paper from LG.Philips
Source: Info IQ, 15th May 2007

LG.Philips LCD has created what it claims is the first colour A4 'e-paper'. The hardware company has created a flexible 14.1-inch colour display - around the same size as an A4 page - following on from a black and white version which it created last year. The display uses thin-film transistors arranged over foil, allowing the paper display to return to its original shape after being bent despite being only 300 micrometres thick. According to the company, the e-paper will still present viewable images even if bent.

Several organisations have looked into the possibilities of flexible displays, including e-paper fans Plastic Logic, while some predict digital newspapers becoming available from next year. Microsoft's Bill Gates has suggested paper could be on its way out, predicting that news will soon be consumed digitally. Speaking at a recent event, Gates said reading is going to go completely online: "Today for people who read newspapers and magazines, even the most avid PC user probably still does quite a bit of reading on print but as the device moves down in size and simplicity, that will change."


SPORTS SHORTS

* The Venezuelan Football Federation has reported a successful first stage of ticket sales for the 2007 Copa America with 62% of tickets already snapped up. The FVF has released a statement that 416,000 tournament tickets have been sold. Up to now, tickets could only be bought via telephone, but De Lujo Productions, the official ticketing agent, will now establish 10 offices around the country where fans can buy tickets. Source: Football Insider, 17th May 2007

* Malaysia is considering expanding the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup next year. The Malaysia Hockey Federation is exploring the possibility of increasing the number of participants from eight to 12 teams. This would make the event as big as the World Cup and there are doubts as to whether it would be endorsed by the FIH, field hockey's world governing body. However, the IHF could settle on a 10-team format. Extra teams on the invite list could include European powers Germany, Holland and Spain. Source: Sportcal, 17th May 2007

* Indian Badminton witnessed another outburst of anger this week with members of the fraternity coming down hard on the statements made by the president of the Badminton Association of India, VK Verma, terming them "as irresponsible and which "undermine their dedication and loyalty to the game." Coaches, former players and parents condemned the statements, saying: "Mr Verma cannot be expected to know of the sacrifice that the parents and coaches contributeand that Verma's own contribution to Indian badminton was negligible.” Source: India Times, 16th May 2007

* Sina Corp. has formed a strategic alliance with China Telecom Corp. Ltd. to launch a video sharing platform under the brand name of "Sina-Vnet Podcast". Sina, a Shanghai internet destination network for Chinese communities, will host the site on Sina.com, while Internet users will be able to access the platform from China Telecom's portal, Vnet.cn. China Telecom, is a Beijing based telecommunications company. Source: Total Content + Media, 17th May 2007

* BroadcastAsia returns to Singapore this June with a series of conferences; Broadcast Asia International, RadioAsia and New Media. The digital multimedia and entertainment technology event aims to bring the industry together in a discussion of the latest developments in digital technology, radio and new media. This year's BroadcastAsia International conference from 19-21 June focuses on IPTV, content creation, delivery to protection, media developments, digital multimedia broadcasting technology and more. Source: Indian Television, 17th May 2007

* Thailand's MCOT will reposition Modernine TV station to focus on news content to attract ad revenue away from TITV (formerly iTV), following TITV's conversion into public TV. Modernine is the only free-TV station with similar programming to TITV and stands to enjoy benefits of ad revenue from TITV's conversion at year-end, which will result in agencies shifting budgets to other free-TV stations. News programmes currently contribute around THB300 million a year in advertising revenue to Modernine, or only 30% of the station's total revenue. Source: Total Content + Media, 17th May 2007

* IEC in Sports has secured the rights to distribute ice hockey’s top European club competition, the European Champions Cup, in 2008. The event will take place in St Petersburg, Russia from January 10-13 and will feature the national champions from the top six hockey nations in Europe. Pending discussions between the International Ice Hockey Federation and the National Hockey League (NHL), the winner of the European Champions Cup will meet the NHL Stanley Cup champion to decide which club team is the best in the world. Source: Sports Media, Sport Business, 17th May 2007

* Economic impact of hosting the next America’s Cup could be as high as $10 billion. Tom Cannon of Buckingham University researched in Auckland where the event took place in 2000 and 2003 and found that the America’s Cup had generated NZ$600 million ($440 million). ‘With inflation and increased invested by teams, economic impact on Auckland is estimated at $1.2 billion.’ However, the research is not meant to predict profitability of the event for host cities. The study was commissioned by Allianz, sponsors for BMW Oracle Racing. Source: Sportcal, 17th May 2007

* A new study suggests that the ultimate destination for Internet video will be on the living room television. The push to bridge content between the PC and the TV is creating a opportunity for set-top box, gaming console and media device manufacturers developing solutions to deliver Internet video to TVs. According to ABI Research, over-the-top Internet video-to-TV solutions will generate about $1.5 bn (E1.1bn) in service revenue by 2012. Source: Advanced Television, 17th May 2007

* Mozilla has announced that working on a Firefox browser add-on enabling users to store online content remotely for subsequent access via mobile handset. Dubbed "Joey" in honor of the baby kangaroo, allows users to select text, images and videos from websites for storage on a personal Joey page - the application's server will facilitate fetching, processing and transcoding the content to optimize consumption via mobile device. Joey developers are also working on an application that will run directly on mobile phones. Source: Fierce Mobile Content, 17th May 2007

* UEFA has announced a new website aimed at young players and coaches with the intention to boost the grassroots game. Training Ground (UEFA.com/TrainingGround) will provide training information, advice and tips for football players and coaches of all ages and abilities. The site has already got strong support from the elite of world football with the likes of Ronaldinho, Deco, Andrea Pirlo and Juan Román Riquelme amongst lending their expertise to the project. Renowned coaches Roy Hodgson and Lars Lagerbäck also assists aspiring coaches by offering tactical advice on the game. Source: Sports Media, 17th May 2007


MORE NEWS

China/Rights: Bidding War Starts over Olympic IPTV Rights

Online broadcasting rights for the 2008 Olympic Games have unexpectedly been put up for grabs, sparking a bidding war among Chinese internet sites for what is largely an unproven advertising medium. Sohu, Sina, NetEase and QQ are among a host of websites thought to be taking part, with bids expected to exceed US$10 million. The rights were originally thought to belong to Sohu, which is the official internet content sponsor of the Olympics, but its contract reportedly only covers online highlights of the Games.

Online broadcasting rights would allow the winner to broadcast live coverage of the Games on the web. CCTV, holders of terrestrial TV rights, is also expected to bid. China has 140 million internet users, offering great potential for IPTV. However, only half a million people subscribe to internet television. The winner may not recoup the high cost of the rights but it is a great chance for smaller sites to make a name for themselves. It would be huge for them.

IPTV’s potential for generating advertising revenue is so far unclear. In addition, tight regulations on ambush marketing from both the Chinese Government and the Olympic organising committee may put advertisers off. David Wolf of Wolf Group Asia, a Beijing-based communications consultancy, argued that the cost of the rights may be prohibitive for smaller websites.

He suggested a large television organisation, such as Shanghai Media Group, could see it as an opportunity to make a mark in IPTV as well as challenge CCTV’s TV coverage. “It would certainly have the capital,” he noted. Source: Brand Republic, 16th May 2007

Elsewhere/Rights: Cost of Spanish Formula 1 Deal ‘More than Monstrous’

The deal by Spanish Mediapro for exclusive Spanish television rights to Formula 1 from 2009 to 2013 could be worth nearly €40 million ($54 million) a year, according to a rival. Paolo Vasile, the managing director of commercial broadcaster Telecinco, which presently covers the sport, estimates overall value of the deal to be near €200 million, a figure he described as ‘more than monstrous.’

Vasile added that the broadcaster would lose about €20 million a year on the coverage, and risked further losses if Spain's world champion Fernando Alonso does not maintain his form between now and 2013. Vasile believes the deal is indicative of the high price of rights to top sports events, which he said can cost 'up to four times more than they are worth.'

The Mediapro deal, which will result in the races being aired by commercial broadcaster La Sexta, is a blow to Telecinco, which has enjoyed large audiences due to the growing popularity of Alonso and Formula 1 in Spain. Source: Sportcal, 17th May 2007

Elsewhere/Programming: UK Soccer Final in HD

The FA Cup Final to be broadcast in high definition. It will also be the first staged at the new Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 19. Host broadcast coverage facilities are from BBC. The game will be transmitted live on BBC One in standard definition as well as on its HD test channel, with HD feeds available to overseas broadcasters. Audio will be in stereo, not 5.1 surround sound as is common for many mainland European channels.

Production and VT facilities are being provided by two HD trucks and shot with 36 cameras. This includes four in the studio at the Stadium, a helicopter-mounted camera and a selection of specialised units. BBC’s Special Cameras team is providing goal Cams, for shots looking out of the net, and two Crowd Cams, wireless devices that can move unobtrusively through the audience. PoleCams and a Hi-Motion camera are being hired from ACS and Arri Media respectively and, like the main match and presentation cameras, will be in HD, while the Crowd Cams and Goal Cams will be up-converted SD.

Like other broadcasters the BBC has recognised 5.1 audio as the natural partner for HD pictures but there has still been no definite statement on the Corporation's plans for surround sound in the future. There was no comment as to why the audio for the FA Cup this year was in stereo but there is speculation it is partly due to budgetary considerations.

This contrasts with next week's UEFA Champions League Final in Athens, which will be both HD and 5.1. Timo Koch, managing director of Belgian OB company Outside Broadcast, which is providing facilities to host broadcaster ERT, called 5.1 for such an event "an absolute must", although he added that at the moment only this and similar occasions call for 5.1. Source: Rapid TV News, 17th May 2007

Elsewhere/General: Scudamore Under Fire Over Tevez Affair

Wigan Athletic last night hit out at Richard Scudamore and Dave Richards, the chief executive and chairman of the Premier League over the perceived injustice in the Carlos Tevez affair. Latics' chairman, Dave Whelan, responding to an email sent by the Premier League on Tuesday, wrote to the governing body and the 19 other top-flight clubs expressing his dissatisfaction at the way the league has behaved and urging its leaders to consider their positions.

Critically Whelan feels Scudamore has still to offer concrete proof that West Ham's original agreement with Kia Joorabchian's Media Sports Investment group, as third-party owners of Tevez, has indeed been terminated. Should he fail to do so, then Wigan would argue that the chief executive's position is untenable.

Scudamore is under attack from all sides, with Sheffield United, relegated on Sunday, having instructed their lawyers to institute "arbitration proceedings" against the Premier League. The Blades are demanding a three-man tribunal be set up to rule on the dispute. United still have the committed backing of Wigan, with both Charlton and Fulham indicating they remain supportive of the Yorkshire club's pursuit of justice, albeit from a distance. Source: The Guardian UK, Sportcal, 17th May 2007

Elsewhere/New Media: Verizon Service Emerges from the Ashes of Mobile ESPN

ESPN has embarked on a new mobile phone strategy, concluding a deal with Verizon Wireless to offer an exclusive new service to the subscribers. ESPN MVP will feature video highlights, news and scores and will be available to Verizon customers who pay $15 a month to subscribe to its VPak service. Features can be customised based on favourite teams, players and columnists and users are also able to make changes to their teams in fantasy games.

The deal marks ESPN’s return to the wireless sector following the failure of its Mobile ESPN service last year and it has abandoned the concept of a standalone mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in favour of partnerships with existing networks. ESPN already licenses some content to operators but not on the scale of the Verizon service.

Salil Mehta, executive vice president of ESPN Enterprises, said: ‘When we initially created this application for Mobile ESPN last year, data usage and customer satisfaction with ESPN’s mobile content were extraordinary. Now, with more robust features, the re-branded ESPN MVP is poises to deliver an unbeatable wireless experience through Verizon Wireless, reaching casual fans and sports enthusiasts through the mobile platform.’ Source: Sportcal, 17th May 2007