Wednesday, 6th August 2008

DID YOU KNOW…?

* Olympic hopefuls are likely to get a shock if they choose to have a Chinese meal in Beijing. They could end being served dog brain soup. Athletes and tourists are also likely to be offered pans full of seahorse skewers, cow and horse stew, dung beetles, donkey penis and silk worms, all seen as "tasty" takeaway treats in the streets of the Chinese capital, reports the Daily Express. Some of China's favourite foods include dog brain soup and dog livers with vegetables. A whole roasted puppy with coriander and flowers is another delicacy, as also the ovarian fat of a snow frog. The Chinese believe certain animals' limbs and organs have medicinal properties. Seahorses are said to be good for men's virility, crustaceans good for women's skin and dried ants sprinkled on food good for rheumatism. More than half-a-million visitors are expected in Beijing over the next three weeks. For fish lovers, there's starfish fried in shark oil or sea urchins. There are also skinned and deep-fried lizards and rabbit heads. News.WebIndia123, 5th August 2008

* In 1921, Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, borrowed a Latin phrase from his friend, Father Henri Didon, for the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius ("Swifter, Higher, Stronger").

* James B. Connolly (United States), winner of the hop, step and jump (the first final event in the 1896 Olympics), was the first Olympic champion of the modern Olympic Games.

* In 490 BCE, Pheidippides, a Greek soldier, ran from Marathon to Athens (about 25 miles) to inform the Athenians the outcome of the battle with invading Persians. The distance was filled with hills and other obstacles; thus Pheidippides arrived in Athens exhausted and with bleeding feet. After telling the townspeople of the Greeks' success in the battle, Pheidippides fell to the ground dead. In 1896, at the first modern Olympic Games, held a race of approximately the same length in commemoration of Pheidippides.

* “If you don't try to win you might as well hold the Olympics in somebody's back yard” -- Jesse Owens, 4-time gold medalist in Berlin 1936 –


DATA BOX

Two Faces of Mobile TV
In-Stat Report published on Rapid TV News, 5th Aug 2008

A new report on the US’s internet video market gives those outside the States a peek into how other internet video markets may develop. The report from In-Stat, “US Consumers Weigh In On Mobile Video Content Choices”, identifies two potential models for mobile TV viewing: “waiting room” viewing and “leisure time” viewing. These two segments have very differe requirements, says David Chamberlain, In-Stat analyst.

“Personal devices such as cellphones and personal media players are preferred for the waiting room scenario. However, if there is more time available, survey respondents preferred larger screens on products such mobile Internet devices or ultra-mobile PCs."

Mobile operators in the US that offer both 3G and out-of-band video content, such as MediaFlo, DVB-H or 1-Seg have the near-term advantage as they satisfy both leisure time and waiting room usage models. According to In-Stat’s research, and perhaps the most surprising conclusion, is that there is a strong preference for full-length shows rather than selected highlights tailored for mobile viewing. US survey respondents also preferred monthly subscription fees to the purchase of video devices.

Southern Europe Leads WebTV
Report from Strategy Analytics Digital Media Strategies published on Advanced-Television, 6th August 2008

Italy and Spain are forging ahead of the US and other European countries in adoption of online and web TV services, according to ‘Internet TV : Southern Europe Leads The Way’, from the Strategy Analytics Digital Media Strategies service. The Strategy Analytics survey of 3,500 Internet users found that 22 per cent of Spanish respondents are regular users of streamed video from broadcaster websites, compared to 18 per cent in the US and only 8 per cent in Germany. This report estimates that 32 million people in the US and 34 million in Europe are now regular users of video streaming from broadcast network websites.

Western Europe Smashes 100m Digital TV Barrier
Research by Informa Telecoms & Media published on IPTV-News, 5th August 2008

New research published today by Informa Telecoms & Media shows that digital TV penetration of Western European households broke the 50% barrier in 2007, ending the year at 54%, up from 42% at end-2006. The 12th edition of Informa’s Western European TV report forecasts that digital homes in the region will reach 104 million by the end of 2008, rising to 157 million by 2013, equivalent to a 90% penetration rate.

Despite the rosy picture, full digital conversion is only expected in four (Finland, France, Ireland and the UK) of Western Europe’s 15 major broadcast countries. Adam Thomas, Informa’s Media Research Manager, said: “While cable will remain the region’s leading pay TV platform, the satellite subscriber base is eating into its dominance. Satellite’s much higher ARPU levels mean it will overhaul cable in revenue terms during 2009.”

Cable is also expected to lose its position as the leading platform, when digital terrestrial TV (DTT) overtakes it in 2011. According to Thomas: “DTT often provides a similar channel line-up to analogue cable, usually for no monthly fee, so will benefit from churning cable customers. IPTV is also using attractive triple-play bundles to tempt away cable subscribers.”

The UK is currently the most prominent digital market, accounting for 25% of the region’s digital TV homes, followed by France with a 20% share and Germany with 17%. The UK’s dominance has begun to wane though, as other markets show improved digital growth rates and by 2013 Germany will lead the way with 19% of the total.


SPORTS SHORTS

* While profit was stable at $7m for the second quarter, World Wrestling Entertainment saw its revenues fall 6% to $129.7m as compared with the year-ago period. Revenues from live and televised entertainment were down almost 16% to $86.8m. Live events—83 in total, 31 outside of the U.S.—delivered $35.3m. Of this, $9.2m came from international events. PPV revenues fell from $39.8m to $17.9m. TV rights revenues were up slightly to $24.7m, and WWE 24/7 On Demand’s intake increased from $1.3m to $1.8m. There was a 4% drop in digital media revenues to $7.9m. North American revenues fell from $104m to $86.4m, business in EMEA was up to $29.2m, Asia Pacific grew to $12.7m and emerging markets (including Latin America and China) soared to $1.4 million from $300,000. Worldscreen, 5th Aug 2008

* FIFA announced it will review Olympic football regulations to ensure the London Games in 2012 are not hit by more club-versus-country rows. FC Barcelona, Werder Bremen and Schalke 04 have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a bid to stop the likes of Argentina midfielder Lionel Messi from competing at the Beijing Olympics. FIFA insists clubs must release their Under-23 players for international duty based on a regulation passed in 1988. It has never before been an issue, but FIFA on Monday urged the clubs to “let the players play” before admitting an urgent review was required. Sport Briefing, 5th Aug 2008

* China has set up a surveillance team which will monitor more than 200 websites round-the-clock to prevent illegal broadcast of Olympic events - a move it believes necessary in a country with a big piracy problem. The team will maintain watch on 216 Chinese websites, looking out for illegal webcast transmissions of the competitions, the China Daily quoted Yan Xiaohong, vice minister of the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) as saying. If violations are detected, the administration will notify the copyright authorities to order the site to delete the content within half an hour or ask local Internet supervision management offices to shut down the website. News.WebIndia123, 5th August 2008

* Languishing in hospital just nine days ago with dengue fever, shuttler Taufik Hidayat feared that his chances of defending his Olympic singles title had ended. The illness was the latest blow for the Indonesian former number one, who has been hit with a run of injuries and poor form over the last 12 months. But after six days of treatment, the two-time Asian Games champion said that he checked himself out last Sunday and headed straight for the courts. Taufik, who turns 27 on Sunday, rated his fitness at about 80%, and was circumspect about his chances of winning gold here where Chinese shuttlers are expected to dominate. The Star, 6th August 2008

* China's leading fixed line carrier, China Telecom, has revealed that it will pay a total of $16.1bn to acquire the CDMA network of mobile operator China Unicom. The deal is part of the Chinese government's restructuring plan for the country's telecoms sector, announced in May. China Telecom will pay Rmb66.2bn to acquire the CDMA network itself and an additional Rmb43.8bn for the subscribers and related operations. The operator will launch commercial trial services in October. Telecoms, 5th August 2008

* Singaporean carrier M1 this week entered the fixed line broadband market, kicking off with speeds of up to 100Mbps. M1 Fixed Broadband is available to all homes with cable access points or which are cable ready. Upload speeds are available up to 2Mbps. Prices start at just over S$58 per month for a 10Mbps downlink, and run up to over S$118 for the 100Mbps option. Telecoms, 5th August 2008

* ESPN has inked a five-year agreement with Dubai Event Management Corporation (DEMC) that will create the world's richest singular, multi-sport, action sports event. A US$2.5 million prize purse - a record for the action sports industry - will be on offer at the inaugural event to be held from December 11-13 in Dubai. The Dubai X Games World Cup will aim to bring together ESPN's X Games franchise with the local expertise of DEMC. Competitions include Skateboard and BMX Street, Skateboard and BMX SuperPark, Moto X Racing, Freestyle and SuperMoto, along with a new event, ATV Enduro. The Dubai X Games World Cup will feature instructional clinics by athletes and regional qualifying events for specific sports. Sport Briefing, Sportcal, 5th Aug 2008

* The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is inviting bids from its member associations to become the new home of the governing body. The AFC is currently based in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, but it was decided at an executive meeting to open bids for the new headquarters. The proposal will then be tabled at the AFC Congress in May next year. The AFC's headquarters have been based in their current location since 1990 having initially moved to Malaysia in 1978. Sport Briefing, 5th Aug 2008

* Jordan Football Association (JFA) will re-launch its league this year. The JFA will start the league in September and provide a financial support of US$150,000 to all the ten participating clubs. Jordanian teams dominated the AFC Cup in the last three years with Al Faisaly winning the event in 2005 and 2006 while Shabab Al Ordun won the competition last year. The JFA also nominated league winners Al Wihdat as their sole representative in the new AFC Professional League next year while Jordan Cup champions Al Faisaly will take part in the AFC Cup 2009. According to new rules, clubs will have to sign contracts with all their players before the start of the season which will help them meet the AFC requirements. Sports City, 5th Aug 2008

* Indian mobile operator, Reliance Communications, has denied that it is in talks with EPL club, Newcastle United, according to Reuters. UK media reports had said that Newcastle’s owner Mike Ashley was in talks with Reliance Communications Chairman, Anil Ambani, over a £260 million takeover of the club. In a statement to the press, however, Reliance said: "The news report is completely false and baseless. There are no such plans”. Mike Ashley, also controls about 70 per cent of Britain’s biggest sporting goods retailer, Sports Direct. Sport Business, 5th Aug 2008

* Collegiate marketing, licensing and media company, IMG College, has agreed a 12-year, $86 million deal with the University of Michigan for the media rights to the college’s athletic programme, according to Sport Business Journal. Under the deal, which runs until June 2020, IMG College has acquired all rights associated with corporate sponsorships, hospitality and coaches’ endorsements. It will also manage coaches’ television and radio shows. The university will continue to manage all apparel rights. Sport Business, Sports Business Journal, 5th Aug 2008

* Sogecable, the Spanish group that owns pay-television Digital+ and commercial free-to-air Cuatro, has won the rights to all 64 games at soccer’s 2010 World Cup in South Africa. During the last World Cup in 2006, Cuatro aired Spain’s matches and the opening match, semi-finals and final. These matches were shown simultaneously on rival free-to-air La Sexta, owned by Mediapro. The 2006 World Cup rights were originally acquired by La Sexta for a reported €100 million ($155 million), but the failure to secure nationwide distribution for the new channel led to an agreement with Cuatro. Sportcal, 5th Aug 2008

* An Oregon TV station KEZI (an ABC affiliate), has given up televising Uni. Of Oregon Ducks football games, blaming the school's more expensive marketing deal with IMG. Scott Chambers said his company (KEZI owner Chambers Communications) paid about $1 million a year for rights to UO sports programming before the UO brought in IMG. He said the new OSN+IMG partnership sent a new contract on Friday that was substantially more expensive to Chambers and included new restrictions on who could advertise on the Chambers stations during UO sports programs. He said the new proposal also was less flexible on scheduling. Oregon Live, 4th Aug 2008

* ESPN has reached a deal to take control of Racing-Live.com, a site that provides news and information on events like the Formula 1 to more than 3 million unique users per month. Racing-Live.com covers Formula 1 (F1-Live.com), Moto GP & Superbike (Moto-Live.com), Rally (Rally-Live.com), off road Rallies (Raid-Live.com), Endurance Sports-Cars and Kart racing. It delivers news and information in English, French, Japanese, Italian, German and Spanish. Advanced-Television, Worldscreen, Rapid TV News, Sportcal, 5th Aug 2008


MORE NEWS

Hong Kong/Broadcast: i-Cable Enters e-Games

Hong Kong- Pay-TV group i-CABLE is giving local viewers the "TV remote" to watch the Beijing Olympic Games free via its official Olympic website.
Under the joint effort with Hong Kong Applied Science & Technology Research Institute (ASTRI), i-CABLE yesterday announced the launch of the website on the Olympics opening ceremony day, which will be available to more than 2.7 million local viewers in approximately 800 public WiFi hotspots around town. Along with TVB and ATV, i-CABLE won the local online contract to broadcast the Beijing Games.

Through ASTRI during the Games, the TV signal is first encoded and compressed in real time and streamed to distributed users in the internet in a P2P manner. The programming will be delivered through at least four channels including live channels via the interactive platform. PCCW, i-CABLE's rival in the pay-TV industry, on the other hand, teamed up with China Network Communications (CNC), the official partner of the Games, to provide connectivity solution to free-to-air network Television Broadcast, but interactive features for the Games are not accessible for viewers. Marketing-Interactive, 6th August 2008

India/Broadcast: Arasu Cable to Take Action Against Star, Sony, Sun TV

The Tamil Nadu owned Arasu Cable TV Corporation said it would initiate action against three leading broadcasters, as they haven't responded to its request for signals. Those in the line of fire include Star, Sony and Sun network. The state-run multi systems operator (MSO) said that its efforts to receive channels from these three networks did not take off, despite attempts at direct talks and written requests.

"This is in contrast to TRAI (Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India) rules and we are planning to proceed as per the central legislation," Arasu' said. The Cable Television Networks Rules 2006 says that interim measures would be taken against broadcasters who fail to enter into interconnection agreements with multi-system operators.

"The public has been requesting for these channels but there has been no reply. The next step would be to proceed to the TDSAT (Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal)," says, Brijeshwar Singh, chairman and managing director, Arasu Cable Corporation.

The Arasu Cable TV venture, which began last month, was floated in the wake of the fallout between the DMK top brass and the Maran family which owned Sun Network and the MSO, Sumangali cable vision. With this, the DMK-led state government hoped to break the virtual monopoly enjoyed by the Maran family owned Sumangali Cable Vision (SCV) in the MSO space. Arasu cable said it was currently distributing 73 channels, including 26 pay channels. After launching services in Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Trichy, it plans to extend this to the rest of the state. Its low rate of Rs 100 per house has attracted 170-odd local cable operators so far. "The response exceeded our expectations," Singh added. Televisionpoint, 5th August 2008

Elsewhere/Rights: ECB Hits Out at BBC as BSkyB Keeps Exclusive Live Cricket

Giles Clarke, the chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, has today called for a debate into the future of sports coverage on public-service television in the UK after the BBC, which is responsible for this programming, decided not to mount a bid for the rights to the national team’s home matches. He was speaking after it was confirmed that live England matches and other domestic cricket will remain the exclusive preserve of pay-television operator BSkyB until 2013.

Clarke claims that the ECB was 'determined to be as flexible as possible in terms of our packaging and scheduling to allow the maximum number of bids for cricket from all areas of the broadcast industry' and has accused the BBC of letting down cricket fans in England and Wales by not showing interest.

The BBC has rejected the criticism, citing scheduling and cost constraints for its decision not to bid, and argues that not having cricket matches as ‘listed events', meaning that they do not have to to be shown live on terrestrial television, makes them unrealistic targets. The matches only appear on the 'B List', meaning that highlights have to be made available to a terrestrial broadcaster.

BSkyB, whose present four-year deal is due to expire at the end of next season, will continue to televise live all of England’s home test matches, one-day internationals and Twenty20 games, as well as county cricket competitions, until 2013. Meanwhile, commercial broadcaster Five will continue to show highlights of the test matches and international one-dayers. The new four-year deals are worth a combined £300 million ($588 million), up from £220 million last time round, but Clarke is disappointed that the BBC was not inclined to bid for any of the various packages and believes it has to answer to cricket fans.

Clarke questioned the BBC's priorities, notably its five-year, £200-million deal to show Formula 1 motor racing from next season, saying: ‘After all, just how many people play Formula 1? If the BBC is to remain part of this it must answer to the millions of cricket fans in England and Wales how it prioritises its investment in sports rights. Sportcal, Sports City, 5th Aug 2008

Global/Rights: IOC to Bag $3.8 Billion on Broadcasting Rights

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is a healthy organisation with booming revenues, but needs to remain relevant to young people to continue to grow, president Jacques Rogge said on Tuesday. "I believe (the state of the IOC) is very good," Rogge said in his address to the organisation's 120th session. He said broadcasting revenues alone for the 2009-2012 four-year cycle would beat expectations by several hundred million dollars, topping $3.8 billion, an increase of 40 percent compared with the previous cycle. "The situation is very favourable," Rogge said.

The IOC had previously said it expected revenues of more than $3.3 billion from broadcasting rights for 2009-2012. "I have to warn you that this is purely virtual money," Rogge said. "We will only get the 3.8 billion if the Vancouver 2010 and the London 2012 Games are successful."

Rogge also said the IOC's top sponsors' programme for that period would increase compared with the current programme, which is expected to bring in $866 million. "For Top 7 (2009-2012) we already have nine sponsors and other partners are about to be announced or signed," Rogge said. He expects about $1.0 billion in revenues for that programme and for Top 8 (2013-2016) he sees an increase of another 10 percent to $1.1 billion.

The IOC's current reserves were also healthy, Rogge said, jumping to $353 million, up from $105 million in 2001. He warned, however, that the organisation would need to attract young people who have turned to other sporting events, including such competitions as the X Games, or turned away from sport altogether. "The IOC must communicate better with young people whose tastes are changing," he said.

The IOC, seeing the average age of Olympic Games television viewers increasing steadily, has launched the Youth Olympics, an event for 14-18 year-olds, to reverse the trend. The first edition will be held in Singapore in 2010. Recent studies have also shown a decline in interest in the Beijing Games compared with the previous Olympics in Athens. Sports City, Sport Business, Sportcal, 5th Aug 2008