Monday, 14th May 2007

HEADLINES OF THE DAY

Kaka Wants to Skip Copa America

AC Milan midfielder Kaka does not want to play for Brazil in the Copa America next month due to tiredness. Kaka said he needed a holiday, the Brazilian Soccer Confederation said on its Web site Friday night. The tournament starts in Venezuela on June 26. In a letter to the confederation, the Brazilian playmaker said he had played three seasons without a proper break.

"I won't have the psychological or physical conditions to perform the role expected of me in an international competition," Kaka said. Brazil coach Dunga is to announce the roster on May 17. Source: International Herald Tribune, Reuters, 12th May 2007

Related Excerpts: Manchester United’s Asian Tour

Source: The Star Malaysia, 14th May 2007
Kaka and his club AC Milan have written to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) asking for the playmaker to be excused from this year’s Copa America because of burn-out fears. “In view of a possible call up for the Copa America, I believe I would not be in the ideal condition to offer the performance expected of me at international level. With this letter I formally request to be left out of the Copa America.” Said Kaka’s letter, published on Milan’s website on Saturday. Milan issued their own statement saying they were behind the move, “In the last three seasons he has played 180 games, without taking a break for the last two years for the FIFA Confederation Cup in 2005 and the World Cup in 2006,” the fax said.

Source: Reuters on The Guardian Unlimited, 13th May 2007
Kaka's request not to play for Brazil at the Copa America goes against everything coach Dunga has preached since he was appointed last year. The AC Milan player has sent a letter to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) asking to skip the tournament in Venezuela in June and July because he needs a break from football. Kaka's words were exactly the last thing that fiery former captain Dunga -- whose appointment was a reaction to Brazil's lacklustre display at last year's World Cup -- would have wanted to hear.

Sudirman Cup Draw Announced

Defending champions and top seeds China were drawn against fourth seeds Malaysia, seventh seeds England and sixth seeds Thailand in Group 1 A of the World Mixed Team Badminton Championships to be held at Scotstoun International Sports Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, from June 11-17. Second seeds and European champions Denmark are in Group 1B and they will face the two former champions in Korea and Indonesia plus Hong Kong in the round-robin group stages. Korea are third seeds, Indonesia fifth and Hong Kong eighth.

Indonesia, the original winners of the Sudirman Cup in 1989, were runners-up to China in Beijing two years ago. Denmark took the bronze medal with three-times winners Korea fourth. England were fifth and Hong Kong sixth with Thailand seventh. Sweden, who were eighth, were relegated from the elite group while Malaysia were promoted from the second tier and are now up to No 4 in the seeding for this premier world mixed team event.

Only the eight nations in the elite group can challenge for the Sudirman Cup and China (5 times), Korea (3) and Indonesia (1) are the only winners at the nine previous World Mixed Team Championships dating back to the inaugural event in Jakarta in 1989. Hosts Scotland, who finished 21st of 41 nations in Beijing, are in Group 3A where they will face tough matches again seeds France as well as Canada and New Zealand. At the end of the week their play-off opponents will come from Group 3B containing Australia, India, USA and Bulgaria.

The match schedule will be released on Friday, 11th May on the tournament web site http://badmintonscotland.org.uk/sudirman07

A total of 49 nations covering all five continents have entered this year’s competition – eight more than in Beijing – and the seven divisions are completed by a fascinating Group 7 clash between Iceland, Mongolia, Latvia and Luxembourg in a tournament where nations enjoy the drama and excitement of group matches and a play-off, be it promotion, relegation or simply for final ranking.

The draw, conducted by tournament referee Keith Hawthorne, took place at Scotland’s National Badminton Academy in Scotstoun in the presence of John Beattie, television and radio presenter, and BADMINTONscotland chief executive Anne Smillie, who is a Badminton World Federation council member and leading figure on its events committee and the head of the Sudirman Cup organising committee. Source: Badminton Scotland, Badzine, May 2007


DID YOU KNOW…?

45% of Workers Take Data When Changing Jobs

Nearly half of professionals from across a wide range of industries admit they have taken data with them -- everything from documents and lists to sales proposals and contracts -- when they've changed jobs. What about safeguards? Seems workers aren't all that concerned with them -- or getting past them, at least.

According to the International Information Security Survey, users polled said they don't see their companies' IT security practices as obstacles to accessing data from outside company walls or to walking out the door with it in their bag or thumb drive. They're also aware that if they're capable of taking critical information home with them, others are, too.

The survey showed that 39% of workers have printed a document out rather than forward it on electronically to try to minimize the number of paths it could take out of the building. The study, which was commissioned by enterprise rights management company Liquid Machines, was conducted by online survey services provider Zoomerang. More than 900 professionals, with 84% in the United States, were polled over a one-month period earlier this year. Source: Ken Radio, 11th May 2007


INFO BOX

The Golden Boy on PPV
Source: Sports Media, 11th May 2007

Oscar de la Hoya’s career 18 PPV events have grossed a total $612 million, and he has now featured in each of the top six non-heavyweight pay-per view events in history. The previous record number of PPV buys for a non-heavyweight bout was 1.4 million for De La Hoya’s contest with Felix Trinidad in 1999. De La Hoya’s PPV blockbusters:

* 2.15 million buys versus Mayweather, May 2007
* 1.4 million versus Felix Trinidad, September 1999
* 1 million versus Bernard Hopkins, September 2004
* 950,000 versus Shane Mosley (rematch), September 2003
* 935,000 versus Fernando Vargas, September 2002
* 935,000 versus Ricardo Mayorga, May 2006


SPORTS SHORTS

* The Delhi High Court has refused to grant Nimbus' request to restrain TataSky and Dish TV from broadcasting the ongoing India- Bangladesh cricket series. The High Court refused to grant a stay to the two DTH operators, and ruled that Doordarshan, which is also telecasting the matches, was not a violation of copyright. According to TataSky's counsel, Mr Ramji Srinivasan, the DTH licence mandates the carriage of Prasar Bharati channels on the most profitable terms. Source: Hindu Business Line, 11th May 2007

* Intvo Inc is bringing the India-Bangladesh cricket series live in animated version to mobile phones. Users in India can download the CricCast and Cric Play Along applications from WAP portals of AirtelLive, Idea, India Times and Yahoo Mobile. Intvo is also making interactive applications available in Europe and USA through various carrier and partners. Earlier, Intvo made it possible to watch and play along with the Cricket World Cup 2007 on the mobile phone. Source: Indian Television, 11th May 2007

* Liverpool, Portsmouth and Fulham will compete in the Barclays Asia Trophy in Hong Kong in July. The four-team tournament line-up will be completed by the winners of Hong Kong's FA Cup at the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium. Pompey will take on Fulham in the first semi-final on July 24, with Liverpool facing the Hong Kong entrants later that day. The third-place play-off and final will then be played on July 27, with all matches to be screened live by Sky Sports. Source: Team Talk, May 2007

* Reading FC are going to South Korea in July for The Peace Cup where they will face leading clubs from Europe, Asia and the Americas, and BBC Radio Berkshire will be there to follow the Royals' fortunes. The eight-team tournament starts on Thursday 12 July 2007, with the final taking place on Saturday 21 July. Draw will take place in Seoul on Tuesday 22 May. Source: The BBC, 3rd May 2007

* Sky News has appointed STAR as its distribution partner across Asia as it looks to build its presence in the region. Sky News is already available on various pay-TV platforms in Asia, including now TV in Hong Kong and StarHub in Singapore, among others. It is also available in the Middle East via STAR’s bouquets on the ART/ADD platform. Source: Worldscreen, Indian Television, 11th May 2007

* China’s president, Hu Jintao, is said to have invited George W. Bush to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Bush’s visit would include a meeting between the two leaders, reports the South China Morning Post. The US has yet to respond to the invitation but Bush is said to have expressed gratitude and is considering the offer. Efforts are being made to ensure the presence of as many world leaders as possible at the opening ceremony. Japanese Emperor Akihito was invited to the games during Chinese premier Wen Jiabao visit last month. Source: Sportcal, 11th May 2007

* The LPGA’s current television contracts with ESPN and The Golf Channel expire in 2010. The tour hopes that it will clear the way for more tournaments on network TV, which would increase exposure. Six events this year are scheduled to air on networks. The tour's average network TV viewing numbers increased 27 percent from 2004 to 2005 and 14 percent from 2005 to 2006. But the tour still airs most often on The Golf Channel, which attracted an average of just 175,000 households for LPGA events last year. Source: The Daily Press Virginia, 13th May 2007

* The Federation of Ugandan Football Associations has signed a deal with South African company RP Productions to have it broadcast the Uganda-Nigeria African Nations Cup qualifier June 2 at Namboole. FUFA marketing official Dennis Mbidde confirmed that the deal is worth 40 million Ugandan shillings (US$22,000) and disclosed that the deal might top 75 million shillings if FUFA meets other contractual procedures. Source: People’s Daily English, The Sunday Monitor, 14th May 2007

* Premier League chief, Richard Scudamore, says there will be no major overhaul of distribution of TV cash despite calls for it to happen with the onset of the £2.2 billion broadcasting rights deal next season. Charlton Athletic had proposed a change to give smaller clubs a greater share. However, Scudamore said: “There are some new proposals but they would be for minor redistributions. Any time you want to tweak the formula, you need a 14 to six majority so it’s hard to change anything. You have to convince five or six who would not be beneficiaries of a shift to vote for a change.” Source: Sports Media, 11th May 2007

* The qualifying structure for future Rugby World Cups is to be changed to better reflect the modern Game and to increase the profile of one of the world’s largest sporting events. Qualification will see greater recognition given to regional championships in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania. In another development, the introduction of a World Trophy qualifying tournament the year before RWC, will provide Tier 2 and 3 Unions added incentive of qualification to Rugby World Cup. Source: Sport Business, Sportcal, 11th May 2007

* Dale Earnhardt Jr. will leave Dale Earnhardt Inc to become a free agent from 2008, a move expected to impact Nascar’s TV ratings, merchandising sales and driver salaries. Earnhardt Jr., the son of the legendary Dale Earnhardt, is the most popular driver in Nascar. He will leave DEI when his contract ends after this season. Experts say if Earnhardt Jr signs up with a team that is in contention to win races every week and is vying for the championship, there could be significant upswings in ticket sales, TV ratings, and merchandising sales. Source: Sport Business, CBS Sportline, 11th May 2007


MORE NEWS

Japan/Broadcaster: Broadcaster Aims to be Sports Champion

Satellite broadcaster Sky PerfecTV! has succeeded in expanding its number of subscribers by providing new sports program packages, including one to air all J.League games live. The program packages, including J.League Live DX through which viewers can watch J League games Live, have received good response from viewers. J.League was previously aired on NHK channels, but Sky PerfecTV! won broadcasting rights for the games in 2007-2011.

To promote the package, special events have been organized at each soccer stadium. In March, when the 2007 J.League season opened, the number of the broadcaster's subscribers increased by 30 percent. However, Sky PerfecTV!’s main aim is to increase family subscribers, which it views as core viewers of its channels. It hopes live soccer broadcasts will help promote its multichannel businesses in each region where J.League teams are franchised, as one of its strategies to compete with local cable TV companies.

As for pro baseball, viewing rates on terrestrial TV channels, including those of the Yomiuri Giants, are hovering at a low level. However, viewership for games on satellite channels is increasing, as evident from the popularity of Sky PerfecTV!’s package called Pro Baseball Set which airs official pro baseball games in Japan. In February and March, Fukuoka Prefecture, where the Softbank Hawks are based, topped the broadcaster's list of new subscriptions.

Some of the games shown in the pro baseball package are taped broadcasts but Sky PerfecTV!'s managers are negotiating with pro baseball teams for rights to air more games live on their channels. Sky PerfecTV! is also considering a bid for Japanese broadcasting rights to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. The company looks set to remain in the thick of things when it comes to broadcast live sports. Source: Daily Yomiuri, 12th May 2007

Singapore/General: Formula 1's First Night Race

Singapore is set to stage F1’s first night grand prix next year after being awarded a five-year contract to host a round of the world championship today. The first race will take place on a street circuit in September or early-October next year and is the result of a deal between F1 promoter Bernie Ecclestone, local tycoon Ong Beng Seng and the Singapore Tourist Board. Ecclestone favours a night race as it would be innovative and take place at a convenient time of day for European viewers.

Singapore has been pressing for a Formula 1 race for some time and Australian driver Mark Webber recently tested on the proposed circuit in the Marina Bay district. The government estimates that the event will generate tourism revenues of about S$100 million ($66 million) a year but has safety issues to resolve before it will confirm that the race can be held under lights. Source: Sportcal, 11th May 2007

Elsewhere/Rights: Top Club Official Predicts 'Turning Point' for Brazilian Soccer

Soccer in Brazil has reached a turning point, with fledgling commercialisation of the sport set to kick-start with the emergence of a genuinely competitive environment for the sale of television rights for the first time, according to a senior club official. Ricardo Jorge Hinrichsen, vice president of marketing at top club Flamengo, said: ‘If we are able to take advantage of the situation, there is the opportunity to change to another level.’

TV Globo, the powerful Brazilian media group holding the rights to Brazil’s national soccer league, is being challenged by rival commercial broadcaster TV Record, which is said to have offered to pay R$500 million ($247 million) a year for the league’s rights. The offer compares with the R$300 million a year that Globo pays under the present deal, which ends after the 2007 season. TV Globo and TV Record previously collaborated in the acquisition of soccer rights, with Globo sub-licensing rights to Record.

However, the Rio de Janeiro-based Flamengo, the best-supported club in the country with 35 million fans, is considering teaming up with Corinthians of Sao Paulo in a break-away to negotiate separate broadcasting rights deals unless the league’s other clubs agree to a distribution of television revenues that, Flamengo maintain, more accurately reflects the two clubs’ ability to attract television viewers. Corinthians have the country’s second largest fan base, numbering about 25 million. ‘If we negotiate together it would be hard for any broadcaster to sign a deal without us.’

Revenues are presently distributed to clubs in three categories. Although both Flamengo and Corinthinians are in the top category of five clubs, along with Vasco da Gama, Sao Paolo and Palmeiras, Flamengo believe that the present formula, grouping them with clubs with fan bases of only 5 million to 10 million, needs reforming. A recent study commissioned by the clubs to investigate a new methodology for the distribution of television revenues foundered when the clubs could not agree on any changes to the present system.

The clubs are due to hold a meeting on their television rights strategy shortly and Hinrichsen said: ‘We have decided that if we need to go alone [with Corinthians], we’re going to go alone.’ Source: Sportcal, 11th May 2007

Elsewhere/New Media: Football Clubs Urged To Seize Broadband Opportunities

An expert in new media sportscasting has stated that it is “imperative” that football clubs climb aboard the broadband video revolution and tap into further revenue opportunities. Derek Gough, senior technical consultant at Servecast addressing Soccerex, delivered a presentation on the importance of broadband video solutions in the current and future communications of all football clubs.

Servecast has a wealth of experience with major European football clubs such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and also presided over the newly launched Barça TV Online, which it has developed for FC Barcelona. “It is imperative that football clubs see broadband video as a growing content opportunity. With online content reaching €8.3 billion by 2010 in Europe and consumer spending on Internet video streams and movie downloads to increase by 40 times to about US$4.1 billion by 2011, the online medium for TV content cannot be ignored.

“All sports content providers must adapt to the changing lifestyles and viewing habits of their audience. Consumers demand to be able to watch their favourite sport at home or on the move, on the device and at the time of their choosing. Moreover, a broadband video service presents opportunities to generate additional revenues from sports rights.” Source: Sports Media, 11th May 2007

Elsewhere/General: Youth Olympics Will Not Break the Bank

Host cities will spend $30 to $40 million on infrastructure and lodging to stage the Youth Olympics, according to International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge. He told L’Equipe that the new event would make use of existing venues and cities would not be required to build facilities. The IOC will pay $11 million for travel and accommodation of athletes and officials. Rogge confirmed Moscow and Singapore among the cities who have expressed interest in hosting the inaugural event. The first event will likely be in summer of 2010 and the host city will be selected in late-2008.

Plans for creation of a Youth Olympics, involving participants between ages 14 and 18, were unveiled last month and will be put to the IOC Session in Guatemala in July. Summer and winter games will be held alternately every four years and last between seven and 10 days. The games in summer will involve about 3,000 athletes and winter about 1,000 athletes competing in broadly the same sports as the Olympics. Country flags and national anthems will not feature to avoid overt nationalism. IOC will produce television footage of the event and offer it free to rights holders. Source: Sportcal, 11th May 2007


ARTICLES, COMMENTS & OPINIONS

Beckham Move 'All About Perception'
Feature article on Football Insider, 11th May 2007

A leading sports business experts believes David Beckham’s deal to join Major League Soccer should be viewed more as a marketing tool than a player contract. Beckham will join Los Angeles Galaxy when his contract with Real Madrid expires on June 30 having agreed a five-year deal with the club and MLS believed to be worth around US$250 million. Despite fears that such a move could cripple MLS in the same way its predecessor the NASL went to the wall in the early 1980s, Rick Horrow, the visiting expert on sports law at The Harvard Law School, said the Beckham deal made perfect sense.

Horrow, who has advised sports governing bodies such as the NFL, PGA Tour, NASCAR and MLS and facilitated deals worth more than $13 billion, said: "I certainly understand the 13 or 14 million extra dollars to Galaxy revenue. The impact on ticket sales in markets like Houston, Washington DC and New York is also easy to understand. But the long-term impact is mainstream credibility that this superstar provides at a time when the MLS needs such a bridge. It's a perception issue which down the road may even be more important than reality."

Horrow rejected the premise that Beckham will not be able to carry the whole league onto the next level of acceptance among the American public. "I think what this does is to provide extra fuel for the momentum that is being generated in another context. It is right that this can't be viewed in isolation but if the new stadium process continues, development leagues continue to produce talents and television puts on an entertaining product, all of that will continue to be positive. The Beckham push provides a little bit of a boost and all these factors become even more important."

Nor does Horrow agree that Beckham's salary makes the star's wages unjustifiable. The MLS players' union published every footballer's salary at the weekend, revealing that while Beckham's basic salary with the Galaxy is $5.5 million per season, young American players drafted from college soccer were picking up as little as $12,700 for the same period. Galaxy youngsters starting out are on deals of $17,900 but the sports marketing expert said Beckham was worth every penny and his salary should not be compared with other players.

"Well, (New York Yankee baseball star) Alex Rodriguez is getting $252 million while some utility infielders in baseball who are playing well are getting $300,000. So, it's not just happening in soccer and Beckham’s salary is only partially related to on-field performance. This is really a marketing stipend almost as much as it is a base salary and so it's unfair in many ways to compare the other players on the team. If Beckham does what's expected of him, it goes way beyond scoring goals."