Wednesday, 9th May 2007

HEADLINES OF THE DAY

CBS Renews the US Open Tennis Championship

CBS, the US television network owned by Viacom, has agreed a new six-year deal reported to be worth about $145 million to continue broadcasting tennis’ US Open. The contract is reported to represent a 20-per-cent decline on the value of the present deal, but includes a revenue-sharing component that will allow rights owner the US Tennis Association to take a share of CBS’ advertising revenues above the level of an agreed minimum guarantee.

The deal, which runs until the end of 2011, replaces the last three years of the present deal, which was due to expire next year. The agreement also grants CBS the rights to televise the US Open Series, a series of tennis tournament leading up to the Grand Slam competition, which this year is scheduled for August 27 to September 9. CBS has been airing the US Open since 1968.

Cable rights are held by USA Network until the end of next season, with the cable broadcaster paying a traditional rights fee in a six-year deal said to be worth $125 million. Source: Sportcal, Sport Business, 8th May 2007

Man United Confident Asian Tour Will Go Ahead

Manchester United is confident that the club's planned summer tour of Asia will go ahead, despite being told they will not be welcome in Malaysia during July because of fears their visit will distract attention from the finals of the Asian Cup. The newly-crowned English champions, who have a massive fan-base across Asia, are due to play matches in the Chinese territory of Macau, Japan and South Korea, and had been scheduled to end their tour by facing a Malaysian XI in Kuala Lumpur on July 27.

The final leg now looks as if it will have rescheduled or cancelled after local football chiefs caved in to pressure from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and said they would not sanction the match taking place in July. "We are currently attempting to clarify with our tour organisers what the situation is in regards to Malaysia but we are confident that the rest of the tour will go ahead," United spokesman Phil Townsend told AFP.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter revealed on Tuesday that he was liaising with England's Football Association to try and get United to change their tour plans out of respect to the Asian Cup finals, which are being held in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam from July 7-29. "You are welcome but please come at a time that is acceptable to the whole football family," Blatter said at the AFC Congress in the Malaysian capital. "As FIFA president I appeal for your solidarity. "If a big club is touring we appeal for a minimum of respect when they plan to travel to the region when the Asian Cup is being played."

The vice-president of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) Tengku Abdullah Ibni Sultan Ahmad Shah joined AFC president Mohammed bin Hammam in calling for United's entire pre-season tour to be called off. Bin Hammam had described United as "disrespectful" for scheduling a tour during Asian football's showpiece event and warned that, if the Kuala Lumpur match went ahead, the FAM would be in breach of a contractual commitment not to organise other games during the tournament.

United's match had been planned as part of the celebrations to mark 50 years of Malaysian independence and it was clearly a decision taken reluctantly with FAM General Secretary Ibrahim Saad separately spelling out what he thought. "As a Malaysian I'm surprised. It is out of tune for people to dictate to us how we celebrate our 50 years of independence," he said. Source: Channel News Asia, 9th May 2007


INFO BOX

How do you Carry Your Mobile Phone?
Source: Info IQ, 8th May 2007

Data on how people carry their mobile phones, gathered by Nokia over the last four years, is being presented at HCI International 2007 in Beijing. It reveals that women are missing more calls than men, and that belt-pouches are a sign of middle age. Nokia interviewed more than 1500 people around the world, in cities including New York, Milan, Kampala, Tokyo and Beijing, to understand how people carry their mobile phones and why they carry them that way.

It turns out that most men (60%) carry their phone in their right front trouser pocket; easy to reach, though when middle age starts to bite, belt pouches become more common as the trouser pocket becomes stretched. 61% of women like keep their phone in a handbag, despite 50% missing calls because they can't get to it in time. In Kampala 32% like to keep their phones in protective covers, perhaps to protect resale value. Only 3% of those in Tokyo try to protect their handsets from scratches and bumps.

Most anomalous is the attachment of ornamental straps or charms to handsets - this is endemic in Asia and pretty much unknown anywhere else. Females are prone to attaching straps of distinctive fabric so they can find their phone in a bag, but otherwise the straps serve to individualise the technology. Why that remains an Asian preserve is unknown.


SPORTS SHORTS

* Apple TV debuted in Korea on Monday. The multimedia device plays digital content like movies, TV, music, or photos from a computer to television via wireless connection. The device lets users search for digital media stored on computers within 9-meter radius and plays it on a wide-screen TV. It comes with a 40GB hard drive, enough to hold 50 hours of video or 9,000 music files and 25,000 photos. It also includes technology for streaming 720p HD content. The device can connect to wide-screen TVs and home theater systems. Source: Chosun Korea, 8th May 2007

* Telenor Pakistan has launched a mobile TV service, which it says is the first in the country. Telenor Mobile TV will offer a range of channels starting with Al-Jazeera, ABC News, TV 1, Indus Plus, Indus Vision, Cartoon Classic, MTV-Pakistan, Channel G, Filmazia, Waseeb, AWT Khyber & KTN. More channels will be added soon. Source: Cellular News, 7th May 2007

* China Mobile expects to continue adding 4 to 5 million new subscribers per month, but because most of these will come from rural areas, average revenue per user will decline. Wang Jianzhou, CEO of China Mobile's state-owned parent company, told that they would make up the shortfall by selling more expensive data services to urban customers. China Mobile draws an average of US$11 per month from each of its users. It had 316.12 million subscribers at the end of March and a market value of about US$185 billion, making it the world's biggest wireless company. Source: China Economic Review, 9th May 2007

* Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, visited Yahoo for a look at the company's new technology and economic opportunities they offer. Lee met with co-founder Jerry Yang and chief executive Terry Semel. Lee and Yahoo executives discussed increasing Yahoo's investment in Singapore and having it use the country as a "hub" for doing business throughout the region. Yahoo has had operations in Singapore for a decade and has been in discussions with its government "for a long time," officials said. Source: Telecom Asia, 9th May 2007

* The BBC is set to table a four-year deal worth at least £10 million to the Football Association of Wales for the right to show Welsh team matches on terrestrial broadcast, according to the Western Mail. Sky is the current rights-holder for Welsh matches and has just secured a contract worth £10 million for matches from Northern Ireland. The proposed deal from BBC Wales could include more exposure of the Welsh Premiership and Welsh Cup. Source: Sports Media, 8th May 2007

* Host Communications penned a multimedia rights deal with University of Kansas’ athletics department. Kansas Athletics will receive over $65 million over 10 years as part of the deal and ESPN Regional Television. Host will manage the property on a day-to-day basis while ERT will manage the television production and distribution. Host will sell, produce, and distribute radio broadcasts for Kansas Athletics, and has rights to sell, produce and distribute television broadcast of games, among other marketing activities. Source: Sports Media, 8th May 2007

* Live coverage of the Champions League could find a new home on German free-to-air television next season as Uefa seeks to increase audiences. The free-to-air and pay-television rights to the Champions League were originally acquired by Premiere, the cable and satellite broadcaster, for €200 million ($270.6 million) for three years from the 2006-07 season. Having no free-to-air outlet of its own, Premiere turned to DSF to air 13 live matches on its free-to-air platform. DSF’s deal with Premiere expires at the end of the 2006-07 season. Source: Sportcal, 8th May 2007

* While today's 3G connectivity seems zippy at 1.8Mbps, the big telecoms are working on a standard that could up mobile speeds to 100Mbps. Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, Nortel, Orange, France Telecom, T-Mobile and Vodafone have announced intentions to work on promoting LTE (long term evolution), a super high speed version of 3G. It is thought LTE networks will start rolling out from 2009 to 2010 and could cost operators $18bn. Source: Ken Radio, 8th May 2007

* A1 Grand Prix expects to announce losses of $34 million for the 12 months to June, down from $84 million in its inaugural season. The series has restructured since last year when hedge fund, RAB Capital, agreed to buy an 80% stake worth £100 million ($199 million) from founder Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum and a floatation is anticipated in 2009. Organisers are now making plans for the 2007-08 season, which begins in Zandvoort in the Netherlands in September, and hope to break even in the year ahead. Source: Sportcal, 8th May 2007


MORE NEWS

Don King: Suggests de la Hoya-Trinidad Rematch

Flamboyant veteran Promoter Don King wants to promote a re-match slugfest between Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad. Unabashed by narrowly losing the heavyweight purse bid for the Maskaev vs. Peter clash, the wiry haired wily one, delighted in borrowing the limelight from fellow promoters Dino Duva and Dennis Rappaport in Mexico City, at the offices of the World Boxing Council.

Conservatively dressed in a sober gray suit but sporting a Stars and Stripes tie and matching handkerchief, a noticeably slimmer Don King drew a jostling crowed of Mexican reporters like bees to a honey pot, and with an occasional flourish of his unlit cigar, he couldn’t resist raising the tasty prospect of a re-match between Oscar and Tito.

He observed: “Well Oscar and Trinidad would be more of a fight (than Mayweather), because they will at least fight each other, and Felix holds a victory over Oscar. I think the fight between Mayweather and Oscar was just to get some money, because it didn’t figure for Oscar to win that fight unless he knocked him out, because there was no way he could outpoint Floyd.

King agreed that the first Oscar Tito fight was very competitive joking: “It was a very close fight, but Oscar says he wins all fights!” And would he like to promote that fight? “Absolutemente, exacto! I would love to promote that fight.” As for location, Mr King said anywhere would be fine, even the Azteca Stadium- the site of the 136,000 world record attendance for his promotion of Julio Cesar Chavez vs Greg Haugen. He slightly elaborated on this by suggesting: “Viva Mexico!” Source: Boxing Scene, 8th May 2007

Papua New Guinea/Business: Goes for Online Gambling Ring

An island nation that is more famous for ritualized cannibalism than for internet commerce has tossed its ceremonial headgear into the online gambling ring, after its parliament approved a bill legalizing both "bricks and mortar" and internet-based casino offerings by a 61-0 vote last week. The legislation, titled the "Gaming Control Bill of 2007" flew through parliament with the endorsement of Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare.

The bill provides for the creation of a National Gaming Control Board to regulate the social downside of this controversial industry, such as potential criminal involvement, corruption and gambling addiction. Who watches over the Gaming Control Board is not clear. The bill mandates a 20% gross revenue tax and an additional 5% tax to be returned to the local communities most affected by the new law.

Illegal gambling on slots and horse racing has become a problem in the country in recent years, and tight regulation of the gambling industry, proponents argued, could both provide increased government revenues and lessen the collateral social damage of the industry. Source: Ken Radio, 8th May 2007

Elsewhere/Rights: Premier League Sues Website for Copyright Violations

The English Premier League is taking legal action against YouTube over what it says is the ‘unauthorised and uncompensated’ use of footage. The league filed a class action lawsuit in New York on Friday, seeking support from other organisations whose copyrighted material has appeared on the site, which is now owned by internet search giant Google.

Independent music producer Bourne is collaborating with the Premier League, which is seeking unspecified damages and a permanent injunction preventing YouTube from showing any more clips. Highlights from matches are regularly posted on the website within hours of their completion and the Premier League contends that not enough is being done to deter this activity.

In a statement, the league said: ‘Defendants are pursuing a deliberate strategy of engaging in, permitting, encouraging, and facilitating massive copyright infringement on the YouTube website.’ However, the website has defended its position, saying that it co-operates with copyright holders and removes copyrighted material as soon as possible when notified.

Several media companies have entered into deals to provide clips to YouTube but others are proving more resistant and are proceeding with legal action for alleged copyright violations. These include US giant Viacom which filed a $1-billion lawsuit in March. Source: Sportcal, Advanced Television, EUFootball.biz, 8th May 2007

Elsewhere/General: Sports Minister Warns Premier League to Reform

UK sports minister, Richard Caborn, warned the Premier League to back proposed new reforms contained within a European white paper that will address the way football is governed. The European Commission is set to publish a white paper setting out a new framework for sport, and ministers, led by Mr Caborn, are pushing to include measures that could change the way sport is governed across Europe, with a particular emphasis on football.

Europe’s top clubs and leagues oppose some of the measures and are concerned in particular that the proposals might grant recognition to UEFA as the governing body for European football and as the counterpart of the EU when dealing with football-related issues in Europe. The leagues view UEFA rather as the body with responsibility for the European Championship and the Champions League, but not as a governing body for European football. Source: Sport Business, Sportcal, 8th May 2007


ARTICLES, COMMENTS & OPINIONS

Why the Double Standards, AFC?
Christopher Raj comments on The New Straits Times Malaysia, 9th May 2007

THE hordes and hordes of Manchester United fans in the country are in for a major disappointment — the Asian Football Confederation is trying very hard to prevent the new English Premier League champions from playing a match at the Bukit Jalil Stadium on July 27. This is because the AFC feels the hype leading up to the match will take the shine off the Asian Cup tournament scheduled for July 7-29 in four countries.

Malaysia is just one of the hosts. The others are Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

"We will not hesitate to take action against the FA of Malaysia (FAM) if they allow the match to go on," said an adamant AFC president Mohammad Hammam yesterday. He is determined that the Red Devils’ tour of the Fast East should be called off or postponed, and asks why are European teams visiting Asia during the Asian Cup.

But what is baffling ... amazing really, is that the AFC has sanctioned an EPL tour of Hong Kong scheduled for July 24-27 involving Champions League finalists Liverpool, Fulham and Portsmouth, and the four-day Reunification Cup, also to be played in the former British colony, starting on July 1. "These events had been planned some time ago and both have been sanctioned by the AFC and marketed by the World Sports Group. That’s all I can say," said Emily Yip, Public Relations and Brand Officer for the Hong Football Association (HKFA).

While the AFC can argue that Hong Kong is not one of the Asian Cup hosts, South Korea, who will definitely start as one of the favourites for the Asian Cup, will be hosting the Peace Cup on July 12-22 in which 18 club sides from around the world will be involved.

Did I say ‘baffling’ and ‘amazing’? Quite honestly, it’s downright preposterous.

Here the AFC has sanctioned two tournaments (in Hong Kong) just prior and during the Asian Cup, yet will not allow a world class team with a massive legion of fans in Malaysia to play just one match in the country and that too towards the tailend of the Asian Cup. Talk about double standards! Malaysia hosts the first Asian Cup semi-final on July 25, with the second to be played in Vietnam. The final is scheduled for July 29 in Jakarta. United are scheduled to arrive in Kuala Lumpur on July 24.

The AFC needs to understand that not only has Manchester United got a massive following in Malaysia but that their visit is part, a big part, of the country’s 50th year of independence celebrations and a lot of people will be very disappointed if the match is called off.

United kick off their Far East tour against J-League champions Urawa Reds Diamonds on July 17 in Saitama, and then travel to South Korea for a match against FC Seoul on July 20. They then head to Macau to take on Shenzhen on July 23 before ending their tour in Kuala Lumpur with a match against a Malaysia XI on July 27.

Tuesday, 8th May 2007

HEADLINE OF THE DAY

AFC Slam Manchester United

AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam has launched a stinging attack on Manchester United, calling them “disrespectful” and demanding that they cancel their Asian tour. The pre-season tour in July clashes with the Asian Cup Finals, prompting Hamman to suggest the new Premier League champions put something back into Asian football instead of grabbing its money.

“Cancel your tour – this is the message on behalf of the whole Asian football family, all our players, our coaches,” he said on the sidelines of the Asian Football Confederation Congress in Kuala Lumpur. “It is disrespectful. We expect Manchester United to look for something more than money. Asia is giving them so much money during the on-season. One month every four years and they cannot spare it to not play in Asia?”

Hammam fears the presence of Manchester United will divert attention away from the July 7-29 Asian Cup – the region’s flagship competition being co-hosted by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Last month, United announced their warm up for the 2007-2008 season with a tour that takes them to Japan, South Korea, Macau and Malaysia.

They plan to kick off against J-League champions Urawa Red Diamonds on July 17 in Saitama before travelling to Seoul for a showdown with FC Seoul on July 20. Alex Ferguson’s team is then due to head to Macau for a match against Shenzhen on July 23, before ending the tour in Kuala Lumpur on July 27 against a Malaysian XI.

Hamman said that the Asian Cup dates were set by FIFA and each association hosting matches had signed guarantees not to promote or hold any other football games throughout July and for three days after the Cup concludes. He suggested that the FA of Malaysia (FAM) could face disciplinary action but reserved his harshest criticism for United, who were handed the league title on Sunday when Chelsea could only manage a 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

“We are trying to encourage spectators to watch Asian football but it looks like the people at Manchester want to fight this idea and corner this market. We can prevent them legally in Malaysia but I don’t want them to play in South Korea, Japan or China either.” Hammam had been in touch with the Football Association as early as last September about the tour and initially received assurances that it would not clash. Hammam added that he had the support of FIFA president Sepp Blatter. Source: The Star Malaysia, Antara News Agency Indonesia, The Peninsula Qatar, Bloomberg, Int. Herald Tribune, Reuters UK, 8th May 2007

Related Excerpts: Manchester United’s Asian Tour

Source: The Guardian UK, BBC News, 8th May 2007
"We agreed to stage the Asian Cup in July so that it did not clash with any European leagues and they would not have to release any Asian players," said AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam. “These big teams are welcome to come to Asia …- they can bring much that we need and I welcome them before the Asian Cup and after, but not during our biggest tournament.” "Whenever Manchester United play, broadcasters and sponsors are going to pay for that. We cannot compete with that. To come to Asia at this time is not fair play at all."

The AFC and Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) signed an Organising Association Agreement in November, under which Malaysia were to guarantee the Asian Cup would not battle for publicity with other football events. The terms of the agreement were from 10 days before the Asian Cup to three days afterwards. Bin Hammam said it was out of the question that Malaysia would be stripped of their co-hosts status and would not speculate what punishment could be meted out to the FAM if United's tour goes ahead.

FAM president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said last month that Malaysia's Asian Cup responsibilities ended on July 25, when they host one of the semi-finals. United's match is two days later and so there is no conflict. "There won't be a clash and furthermore, the Manchester United tour is part of Visit Malaysia Year and Malaysia's 50th year of independence," Shah told local media.

Source: Al Jazeera English, 7th May 2007
Meanwhile, bin Hammam hailed Australia's contribution to Asian football since moving from the Oceania Confederation in January 2006, saying it had proved beneficial for both sides. Australia's change of confederation has given them a fairer qualifying route into the World Cup and has also allowed them to compete in the Asian Cup. “They have brought a lot to Asia - image and reputation for our competitions. They have brought more sponsors and television revenues. They have also brought a high level of football," bin Hammam said of Australia.

However Kuwait has led calls in parts of the Arab world for Australia to be thrown out of the AFC, saying it was a big mistake to admit them in the first place, with bin Hammam saying those suggestions were mistaken themsleves. "Maybe one voice has been raised against Australia but not all Arab countries. At the AFC Congress, when we voted for Australia to be part of Asia the 45 nations voted yes," he said. "Australia are now enjoying a high standard of competition and it is a win-win situation."


SPORTS SHORTS

* Abu Dhabi-based operator Etisalat has ramped up 100,000 mobile TV users in 8 weeks. Subscribers to Etisalat’s ‘Star’ 3G service can pick up 14 Arabic and English TV channels, and over 100,000 users have signed up in less than 2 months. Channels on offer include Abu Dhabi Sports, Dubai Sports, Abu Dhabi TV, Al Arabiya TV, BBC World, CNBC Arabiya, Emirates, MBC, Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera International and Sama Dubai, plus a pair of special sports channels covering cricket for the sports-mad United Arab Emirates. Source: Rapid TV News, 7th May 2007

* The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) announced that Singaporean media companies clinched $128 million worth of co-production and distribution deals at MIPTV, doubling the US$54 million secured at MIPCOM 2006. Animation companies based in Singapore had the lion’s share of the deals struck. Source: Worldscreen, 7th May 2007

* Mobile service company Mig33 is offering a simple way to text, IM and make cheap voice calls. With 4 million subscribers in eighteen months, mostly in South East Asia, many use it as their only way to access the Web. Significantly, this is not a technology company and uses standard technology, followed with clean execution. Customers can use Mig33 to text and IM for free and share information in chat rooms. Mig33 gets paid when customers buy a pre-paid card to use for voice services. Voice calls are made over VoIP and Mig33 takes a cut for the service. Source: Ken Radio, 7th May 2007

* Neo Sports will supply Raj Television Network Ltd. feeds in Tamil and Telugu for the India-Bangladesh cricket series, kicking off on 10 May. The telecast will be on Raj TV and Vissa TV. The series comprises 3 one-dayers and 2 Test matches. The feed will carry Neo Sports’ logo bug and terms are still being worked out. Meanwhile, live coverage on Neo Sports will include pre, mid and post match shows targeting the youth viewer, called Extra Cover. Neo Sports has also signed well known TV anchors Archana Vijaya and Neha Sareen. Source: Indian Television, 8th May 2007

* Kim Clijsters is done with tennis at 23. The former U.S. Open champion, once ranked No. 1, initially planned to quit after the season. Now, with injuries having exacted too much and her thoughts turning to family and a "new life," her retirement is immediate. Still ranked No. 4, Clijsters said she was wary of the injuries that have led to fatigue, lack of motivation and a decline in play. Clijsters was Belgium's first tennis player to reach No. 1, holding the spot for 19 weeks in 2003. Source: Associated Press on Sports Illustrated, 6th May 2007


MORE NEWS

Don King: Duva Places Winning Bid For Maskaev-Peter

Dino Duva defeated purse bids from Don King and Dennis Rappaport to clinch the rights for the Oleg Maskaev vs. Samuel Peter showdown. Dino, Don and Dennis personally made the trip to the World Boxing Council’s downtown offices in Mexico City, to see WBC President Jose Sulaiman open the envelopes at high noon.

Dino, who was chewing on a telegraph pole sized cigar, came first with a bid of $3.2 million. King, who was holding a smaller unlit cigar closely followed with $3.1 million. Dennis Rappaport who didn’t have a cigar was third with $2.5 million. And Russian Promoter Yuri Federov of Sports Laboratory, who was not present, was fourth with sent bid of $2.25 million. The purse split will be 55 percent to 45 percent. Fight date location have to be named by May 27th.

Dino who won the bid for his fighter said: “It’ll be a tremendous, competitive, and significant fight which will shape the future of the heavyweight division. Hopefully Sam Peter wins the Championship, and brings the glory back to the heavyweight division. As for Sam, I’ve been preaching for the last two or three years that Sam Peter will be the best heavyweight in the world and I think he has become the best heavyweight in the world. But now he’s got to prove it.” Source: Boxing Scene, 7th May 2007

Global/Business: $77bn Frenzied Friday!

May 4 might well go down in history. There were more media-related merger and acquisition activity announced on that day than in a normal year. Top of the list, in monetary value, are the talks between Microsoft and Yahoo! where the former is seeking a $55bn acquisition of the search engine. Second, is the $16bn bid from Thomson Financial for Reuters. Third set of names are the bunch of private equity funds looking to pick up music publishers EMI, for $6bn.

Behind the numbers, Wall Street and City analysts think some sort of relationship between Microsoft and Yahoo! is more likely than a full merger. Reuters shares soared by a third last week on market rumours, raising their price to an impressive £8bn ($16bn), while EMI received three separate expressions of interest from private equity operations. Source: Rapid TV News, 7th May 2007


ARTICLES, COMMENTS & OPINIONS

TV's Staggering Sum is Now Small Change
John Henderson comments on The Guardian Observer, 6th May 2007

In May 1992, Rick Parry, the chief executive of the fledgling Premier League, could not contain his excitement as he referred to 'this staggering sum' in the announcement of the league's first TV deal. He would have struggled to find the right words had he known how much more staggering they would become.

That original deal was worth £304m over five years and the Premiership's 22 founding clubs could start making the sort of investments that would transform the English game's upper tier. The upward spiral since meant the Premiership champions' return from TV money alone has risen from barely £2m to a predicted £50m next season. Sky, the upstart satellite company who, like the Premier League, were looking to make their way, took a huge punt by paying the major share of the 1992 deal - £190m for exclusive live coverage of 60 Premiership matches a season.

The price was driven up to its supposedly staggering level because ITV's main man, Greg Dyke, who had secured the previous deal, badly wanted to hold on to live football. One of those who helped to thwart him 15 years ago was Alan Sugar, whose company Amstrad were principal suppliers of satellite dishes to the Rupert Murdoch-owned Sky.

During a break in negotiations, and with ITV threatening to frustrate Sky, Sugar was allegedly heard shouting down the phone that they had 'to blow 'em out the water'. Later he claimed the call was to a female acquaintance, which made Dyke wonder aloud about the company kept by the then chairman of Tottenham. It was Dyke who first ratcheted up the ante. He paid £44m of ITV's money for 18 live Football League matches a season from 1988-92. This worked out at more than half a million a match, more than double the old amount, while Sky's winning offer in 1992 put a price on each match of £633,300.

That first Sky deal was bulldozed through by the station's tougher-than-tungsten boss, Sam Chisholm, who so frightened one of his lieutenants that he psyched himself up for meetings with Chisholm by listening to The Ride of the Valkyries. Chisholm's determination to secure the Premiership brought the rewards he suspected it would: raising Sky's profile, driving dish sales and eventually producing profits through subscriptions that put to flight any speculation that Sky might not survive.

With Sky determined to hold on to the TV rights, the Premiership clubs (reduced to 20 in 1995) stood to reap even greater benefits from the next sale. Sky were sufficiently well stashed to bid £670m for the four seasons 1997-2001, which put a price of £2.8m on each of the 60 matches a season. Manchester United did best in terms of TV money from the first year of the Premiership, banking £2.4m from the 1992-93 season. By the final season of the second contract in 2001, the champions' TV windfall was £20.42m.

Parry's 'staggering sum' was put further in the shade as the price per match soared past the £5m mark. This figure has slipped back because the European Commission insisted on more live transmissions and an end to Sky's exclusive live coverage, although they will still have by far the greater number of matches when they share output from next season with the Irish pay-TV firm Setanta. With overseas rights factored in, the total the Premiership will receive from 2007-10 is £2.7bn - and the top clubs will become even more staggeringly well-off.

Monday, 7th May 2007

SPORTS SHORTS

* Pan-European sports channel, Eurosport, has agreed a deal with Astro to offer its 24-hour subscription to more than 1.9 million viewers in Malaysia. Malaysia joins Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Philippines in the Eurosport Asia Pacific viewer universe. "Malaysians are enthusiastic viewers and active sports participants. Eurosport provides more than 300 days of LIVE professional sporting events per year," said Arjan Hoekstra, Managing Director of Eurosport Asia-Pacific. Source: Sport Business, 4th May 2007

* Ten Sports has signed a new multi year deal with the BBC to bring English horse racing to the channel. The agreement begins with the 199th running of the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday and the 1,000 Guineas a day later. It also includes the high spots of the English racing year such as Royal Ascot, the Derby, the King George VI and the Oaks. The broadcaster has also extended its agreement for the best racing from Dubai including the Dubai World Cup as it commits to showing the best horse races in the world. Source: Indian Television, 5th May 2007

* TV9, the fourth station under Media Prima, aims to rake in RM45 million in revenue by 2008 through advertising, says chief operating officer, Bukhari Che Muda. Revenue in the first eight months (April to December 2006) was RM20 million, he said at the station’s first anniversary celebrations. He said the station will launch new programmes by September. “We will launch highly-rated drama series like Bong and Cinta Medik,” he said. TV9 has over 7.8 per cent market share, making it one of the fastest-growing stations in Malaysia. Source: Business Times Malaysia, 3rd May 2007

* Research by Deloitte’s Sports Business Group reveal that promotion to Premiership is now worth £60m. Last season, promotion was worth £40m, but new broadcasting deals, worth £2.7bn over the next three seasons, have driven figures to new heights. A senior consultant in the Sports Business Group said promoted clubs will receive about £30m in the Premiership. Relegated clubs at the end of the first season will get a "parachute" payment of £11m for the next two seasons. In addition to the £50m from the Premier League, the clubs can also expect increased revenues through ticket sales and improved sponsorship income, amounting to an extra £5m to £10m in the first season. Source: Guardian Unlimited, EUFootball.biz, 3rd May 2007

* Irish pay-TV station Setanta has confirmed that Angus Scott will front its Premiership football coverage next season, with expert analysis coming from Steve McManaman. Setanta Sports, which paid £392 million exclusive rights to screen 46 games for three years, will share coverage of the league with Sky Sports, which will show 92 games next season. Setanta teamed up with ITV for a £425m deal to share TV rights for the FA Cup and England’s home internationals for four years, beating incumbents The BBC and Sky. Source: Sports Journalists UK, Sport Industry, 4th May 2007

* The WBC light middleweight fight between Floyd Mayweather and Oscar de la Hoya is set to become the highest grossing fight in boxing history and could be worth over $100 million. The pay-per-view bout will be seen in 176 countries and could surpass the record 1.99 million pay-per-view sales (and $99 million) set by Tyson-Evander Holyfield II in 1997. It has already set a record for the biggest live gate at £9.6 million. De la Hoya, 34, is reportedly being paid £15 million and Mayweather, 30, £6 million. Source: Sport Business, Sportcal, 4th May 2007

* Microsoft and Yahoo! have resumed discussions about a possible merger, as both look to take on Google’s dominance online, says the Wall Street Journal. Talks have picked up steam following Google’s acquisition of DoubleClick for $3.1 billion—Microsoft is said to have also wanted to buy the digital marketing company. For Microsoft, a Yahoo! tie-up would boost its ability to attract advertisers to its online businesses while Yahoo! could benefit from Microsoft’s technical expertise, particularly for its new online ad system, dubbed Project Panorama. Source: Worldscreen, Total Content + Media, Advanced Television, 4th May 2007


MORE NEWS

Elsewhere/General: IMG Sued Over 'Stolen' Battle of the Surfaces Idea

IMG is being sued by a tennis teaching professional who claims that they stole his idea to stage a tennis match between two top players on a court divided into two different surfaces on either side of the net. The 'Battle of the Surfaces' exhibition match, played on Wednesday in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, pitted Roger Federer against Rafael Nadal on a half-grass, half-clay court.

Renata Marcinkowska, a former WTA Tour player, claims in her lawsuit that she received a patent for the idea of a court with two differing surfaces in 2004 and subsequently approached IMG with the idea. The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Columbia, claims: ‘IMG did not express interest in the patent at the time.’ A subsequent meeting between Marcinkowska and IMG in which she proposed a match between Federer and Nadal on a ‘hybrid court’ also aroused no interest with IMG, the lawsuit alleges, and the agency did not respond when she learned of the match and tried to prevent it.

IMG told Fox Sports that it had not seen the lawsuit and would not comment. The lawsuit claims patent infringement, civil conspiracy and unfair business practices and requests a jury trial. It does not specify the damages sought. Source: Sportcal, 4th May 2007

Taiwan/New Media: Foreign Holdings Threaten Taiwan’s Broadband Industry

Shih Chun-chi, former chairman of Taiwan’s Cabinet-level Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) warned that foreign investment in three local broadband telecommunications firms via private placement funds may threaten the development of the local broadband telecom industry in Taiwan. Shih spoke at a seminar on "private placement funds" hosted by the Taiwan Thinktank, in his capacity as researcher at the Institute for Social Sciences and Philosophy.

Shih said since 2006, $3.9 billion in private placement funds have been invested to acquire stakes in Taiwan's three major broadband telecoms; namely Taiwan Broadband Communications, China Network Systems, and Eastern Broadband Telecommunications. This accounts for some 70% of total foreign investments in Taiwan via private placement funds. Through these acquisitions, foreign investors have come to own over 75% of cable TV stations.

Shih pointed out an important aspect associated with investing in the three broadband telecom firms via private placement funds, in that such funds haven't taken advantage of their right to control the operations of the telecom firms, and instead have allowed the original management teams to stay on following the acquisition deals.

He urged government investigators to probe the case to see if the private placement funds have remitted investment funds into Taiwan, and then remitted them abroad. But the former FSC chief also noted that since private placement funds are not required to unveil relevant information about the source of the funds, it is quite difficult to find out such information. Source: Telecom Asia, 7th May 2007

Friday, 4th May 2007

HEADLINE OF THE DAY

Fifa Regains Upper Hand in Visa Case Jurisdiction Dispute

Fifa could, after all, succeed in gaining a hearing before an arbitration panel in its ‘home’ country of Switzerland in its attempt to retain credit card firm Visa as a sponsor. A three-judge US federal appeals panel yesterday reserved a ruling on the case after hearing oral submissions, but two of the three judges said that the arbitration panel in Zurich might be entitled to hear some aspects of the dispute.

Fifa is struggling to overturn a New York court ruling to ditch the deal with Visa and instead award an eight-year sponsorship contract to MasterCard. The New York judge had scornfully dismissed the governing body’s attempt to switch judgement over the case to Swiss jurisdiction, rejecting Fifa’s claim that by approaching the Swiss arbitration panel it was not seeking a second ruling in a different court.

However, Fifa’s lawyer yesterday told the appeals panel that a disputed contract between Mastercard and Fifa contained a provision for Fifa to have the right for any dispute to be settled by arbitration, instead of in a court of law. MasterCard took legal action against Fifa after it broke off negotiations with the company over a new contract covering its competitions from 2007 to 2014 and went with rival Visa, worth $180 million, plus $15 million in so-called ‘marketing-in-kind’ benefits.

The New York court ruled that Fifa must ditch the sponsorship deal with Visa and proceed with a deal with MasterCard that had been provisionally agreed. The judge found that four Fifa officials, who were subsequently sacked, lied repeatedly, both to Visa and MasterCard, over MasterCard’s right of first refusal over a new sponsorship contract.

Fifa did not have to comply immediately with the order to deal with MasterCard after the court ruled in December that the deal could be suspended pending the outcome of the appeal. One of the issues in dispute is whether Fifa should be bound by a contract it signed with MasterCard in 2005 or one it declined to sign in March 2006. Fifa claims that both contracts call for disputes to be decided through arbitration. Source: Sportcal, International Herald Tribune, 3rd May 2007


DID YOU KNOW…?

A form of badminton was played in ancient Greece and Egypt. But it wasn't called badminton then. In India, the game was called poona. Elsewhere it was called either battledore or shuttlecock. British Army officers stationed in India in the 1860s took the game back to England. In 1873, it was played at a party given by the Duke of Beaufort at his Gloucestershire estate, which was called Badminton. So it came to be called "the Badminton game."

A badminton shuttle (also called a shuttlecock or bird) contains 14 to 16 feathers from the left wings of geese, ducks and chickens but also could be made of plastic. The shuttle is about 6.4cm (2-and-a-half inches) tall and weighs 73-85 grains (4.74-5.50 grams). It is one of the fastest objects in sport, easily traveling at 180 km/h (112 mph). It has been clocked at an amazing 289 km/h (180 mph), making it second fastest only to Jai-Alai, a sport that originated in the Basque country. In 1979, Guinness World Records recorded a player throwing the Jai-Alai pelota at 302.5 km/h (188 mph).


SPORTS SHORTS

* A new Superbike World Championship team bearing the name of the UK’s iconic four-time SBK champion, Carl Fogarty, is to join the grid next year, after he agreed a ‘long-term’ deal with MV Agusta, the Italian manufacturer. Fogarty’s Foggy-Petronas team was forced to pull out of this year’s championship after Petronas, the Malaysian petrochemical giant, ended its backing. Source: Sportcal, 3rd May 2007

* India’s ESPN Star Sports will telecast the 16th edition of Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament 2007 LIVE and exclusive starting May 5, 2007. Launched in 1983, Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey tournament has emerged as a premium tournament worldwide. Staged every two years till 1998, the tournament is now an annual feature owing to the growth of popularity of the game in Malaysia. Source: Indian Television, 3rd May 2007

* Google said it has opened an office Singapore to be closer to customers and advertisers in Southeast Asia, which boasts a market of half a billion people. Google declined to say how much it has invested in the Singapore office. Singapore is one of Southeast Asia's most technology-friendly economies and one of the most wired countries in Asia. The government is seeking to attract high-tech industries as it moves away from the traditional manufacturing sector. Source: Channel News Asia Singapore, 3rd May 2007

* Indian Badminton Players' Welfare Association has asked for the sports minister’s "intervention" to stop Badminton Association of India's "regressive steps which are hurting players". BAI's recent "authoritative" stand of unconditionally disallowing shuttlers to play in international events has been criticised in letters from IBPW to Sports Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar and federation President VK Verma. Secretary of IBPW, Vimal Kumar, sent the letters, accusing BAI of not being "transparent" and brushing aside objections of coaches and players. Source: India Times, 2nd May 2007

* The Tennis Channel and ESPN have partnered on a multimedia programming and marketing alliance for The French Open and the Australian Open through 2011. The pact enables ESPN to keep the second of three major tournaments and its sobriquet as “The Grand Slam Network,” while TTC, which landed the French Open last August, adds a second Slam. Continuing its recent momentum, TTC — the USTA took a stake in the service in December — now has TV rights to 48 of the top 50 tournaments. Source: Multichannel News, 2nd May 2007


MORE NEWS

China/Broadcaster: Southern TV Hijacked

Hackers allegedly hijacked satellite TV signals in southern China to broadcast anti-government messages, news reports said Thursday. Viewers complained that their TV screens went blank for nearly two hours or showed anti-government messages for 30 to 40 seconds Tuesday evening, the Shanghai-based Xinmin Evening News said in a report on the Web site Sohu.com. The report didn't describe the content of the messages that aired in Guangdong province.

TV station operators told viewers that hackers may have hijacked their satellites but a receptionist who answered the phone at a cable TV operator in Guangdong said the incident involved a satellite problem that has been fixed. "The satellite's reception wasn't very stable," said the receptionist, who declined to be named because she was not a spokeswoman.

Calls to Guangdong's broadcasting authority went unanswered. Previous cases of jammed satellite signals in China have been blamed on the spiritual group Falun Gong, which is banned in the country as an evil cult. The group has said it doesn't have the technological expertise to launch such attacks. Hong Kong's Apple Daily newspaper said the Chinese government censored news reports about the satellite interruption. Source: Ken Radio, 3rd May 2007

China/General: NFL Agrees Chinese Media Deal

NFL has cut a deal to increase awareness of the league in China by making Titan Media the official sports media partner of the NFL. ‘Titan Sports’ is “the largest, most influential and widely-read sports newspaper in China, and will increase its coverage of the NFL and American football”. Coverage will include the regular season, playoffs and Super Bowl, and other NFL-related content leading up to the first-ever NFL game in China, planned for summer of 2009.

Titan Sports is published three times a week and reaches an more than six million readers. Titan Media will also feature the NFL in ‘All Sports’, a monthly sports magazine featuring stories and interviews from around the world. NFL.com said the league is committed to the growth of American football in China and is in the process of opening an office in the country.

A core grass roots youth initiative, Flag Football, is played by more than 5,000 children in Chinese cities, while four Chinese kickers are taking part in NFL Europa. Source: Sport Business, 3rd May 2007

Mid East/General: Dubai to Get Universal, Nick, Marvel Theme Parks

Dubai’s Studio City has secured partners for its ‘Dubailand’ theme park development. Universal Studios will invest $2.2bn in its 4th site, in partnership with Dubai-owned development company Tatweer. The Universal project is scheduled for completion in 2010, complete with the world’s first apartment complex claimed to revolve on its own axis! Dubailand has plans for 12 entertainment parks, including one of the largest water parks in the world.

Meanwhile, across town at Al Ahli Park, currently under construction, it has been announced that Nickelodeon will build a theme park at the facility, which will include Nick properties like ‘SpongeBob’ and ‘Blue’s Clues’, two popular Nick shows. Al Ahli Group has already signed up Marvel Entertainment as part of the $1bn project, which is expected to include Spiderman and other Marvel properties in the attraction. Source: Rapid TV News, Worldscreen, 3rd May 2007

Elsewhere/New Media: IOC Press Concludes That Future is Fully Digital and Full IP

A recent International Olympic Committee ‘think tank’ session on the digital future of press coverage of Olympic Games concluded that the future is ‘fully digital and full IP (Internet Protocol).’ Among key outcomes of the session, involving executives from 10 major press agencies, newspapers and magazines, the think tank foresaw ‘functionality with more data transmissions, more integrated services and greater mobility, meaning increased transmission facilities.’

In a presentation on the session given during the SportAccord convention in Beijing last week, Anthony Edgar, the head of Olympic Games media at the IOC, controversially declared that ‘printed newspapers will become a thing of the past.’ The future of content is multiple formats – text, photo, video, audio – consumed over multiple platforms… ‘convergence.’

Edgar added: ‘The concept of a deadline is finished – the keyword for the future is ‘instant.’ Press must be able to transmit large files, in multiple formats, from anywhere to anywhere instantaneously.’ Source: Sportcal, 3rd May 2007

Elsewhere/General: Premiership Place Worth £60 Million

A place in the FA Premier League next season will be worth about £60m for promoted clubs, making this year’s Coca Cola Championship play-off final at Wembley one of the most valuable football matches in history. According to Deloittes, the three promoted teams are guaranteed at least £35m extra revenue with "parachute payments" of £20m over the next two seasons if they are relegated.

On Sunday, the last league games of the season will determine the four teams to fight it out for the remaining place. "Those games promise drama and tension on the pitch, on the terraces and in the boardroom," said director of Deloitte's Sports Business Group, Paul Rawnsley. Most of the money comes from domestic and overseas broadcasting deals which begin in the 2007/08 season.

The domestic TV rights auction generated £1.7bn ($3.1bn) for the Premier League, with BSkyB paying £1.3bn for its four packages of games and Setanta £392m for its two. Meanwhile the overseas rights were sold for £625m. The immediate revenue boost can provide promoted clubs with finances to help bridge the gap between Championship and Premiership revenues," said Alex Byars of Deloitte, which compiles an annual review of football finance. Source: Sport Business, 3rd May 2007

Elsewhere/General: MLS Tries to Make Waves on Air

This evening will not mark the first time D.C. United has played on a weeknight. Because of stadium and scheduling issues, MLS teams have had to squeeze a random week night match onto their calendar. No one particularly liked them. Coaches and players felt they interrupted the weekly routine. Marketing departments found it difficult to sell tickets.

But because of a new broadcasting package -- a deal that is earning the league an estimated $20 million per year in rights fees -- Thursdays have suddenly become an important date in MLS. United's match tonight against the New England Revolution will be shown on ESPN2, which is attempting to make Thursdays a signature night for soccer and broaden the appeal of the league beyond weekend evenings.

What MLS might lose at the gate, it gains in national exposure and presentation. The league's broadcast partners will provide coverage for 110 of 195 regular season matches. Although ESPN has been showing MLS games throughout the league's 11-year history, mostly on Saturday afternoons, this is the first year it takes control of production, advertising and promotion, and offers matches on the same night throughout the year.

In the past, MLS produced its own games -- and it showed. "It just feels like a big-time sports television property now," Garber said. Besides providing the league with prime-time exposure, ESPN has added features to improve presentation -- high-definition broadcasts, a sky-cam for some matches, a virtual offside line, a ball tracer, a sideline reporter and three commentators.

ESPN chose Thursday to spotlight MLS because it works for league scheduling purposes -- teams have three or four days off after playing the previous weekend and, in the event of an approaching Sunday game, two days to prepare for the next match -- and it allows the network to dedicate the same night to MLS over a six-month regular season. Source: The Washington Post, 3rd May 2007


ARTICLES, COMMENTS & OPINIONS

Oscar the Next Don King?
Bernard Fernandez writes on Philly.com, 3rd May 2007

The professional athlete as corporate dynamo isn't really that new or unique a concept. Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus made many times more money through their various business enterprises than they did for their victories on the PGA Tour, and Tiger Woods has taken his storied predecessors' blueprint for success to an even higher level. Michael Jordan was just as comfortable negotiating deals in a tailored suit as he was weaving through the lane in baggy shorts for one of his signature slam dunks.

With a gold medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and world titles in six weight classes, Oscar De La Hoya's place in boxing history is secure. Boxing's most bankable star, and the highest-grossing non-heavyweight ever, De La Hoya, 34, could live comfortably for the rest of his life off the $350 million (in endorsements and returns on investments) he already has earned with his sweat and his fists, a figure that will swell by more than $30 million when the accountants finish tabulating his take for Saturday night's scrap with Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand.

But De La Hoya does not want to settle, any more than Palmer, Nicklaus and Jordan did, for the very sizable financial gains he has achieved during his relatively short career as an athlete. Nor does he want to perpetuate the stereotypical image of the boxer as an uneducated waif, powerless to prevent the erosion of his fortune at the hands of unscrupulous promoters, managers and hangers-on riding the gravy train until it finally runs out of track.

As De La Hoya (38-4, 30 KOs) prepares to defend his WBC super welterweight championship against Mayweather (34-0, 27 KOs), his focus is entirely on the task at hand. But he realizes that nights such as this must end, as they do for all athletes, and he wants to make sure that he and his company, Golden Boy Promotions, are positioned to carry on well beyond the scope of his finite boxing life.

Some have said that De La Hoya wants to evolve from active fighter into the next Don King or Bob Arum, but clearly this product of the East Los Angeles barrio seeks to achieve more than that. What he really hopes to do is to attain a status on par with such moguls as Donald Trump, Steve Wynn and Kirk Kerkorian. He wants to become boxing's first billionaire, the first fighter to make the transition from blood-stained rings to mahogany-paneled boardrooms.

Toward that end, he and his business partner, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, are depicting Saturday's pay-per-view fight with Mayweather as not only a matchup of two terrific fighters, but as a model for how all future megabouts should be packaged and sold to a business community heretofore untapped by boxing.

"This by far has to be the biggest," De La Hoya said when asked if this event is the most significant fight in which he has participated. "Being involved with every aspect of the promotion, it just feels that much bigger than any fight I've ever been in. If my other big events had been promoted through Golden Boy, we would have gone through the roof. The synergy for this fight is incredible. All eyes will be on that ring, and on boxing. All we have to do now is perform. It's up to us."

"I'm getting sick and tired about people talking about how the sport of boxing is dying. It's really a handful of promoters, and we know who they are. They keep hissing on the sport. It's just wrong. The sport of boxing is not dying. Look at the numbers we're doing for this fight. It's unparalleled. "If they think boxing is dying, they should stop promoting. Just retire."

De La Hoya and Schaefer did not mention the "handful of promoters" who supposedly are hastening boxing's demise, but then they didn't have to. De La Hoya's company has been duking it out with septugenarean counterparts King and Arum as hard or harder than the "Golden Boy" has been between the ropes with the likes of Mayweather.

Arum served as De La Hoya's promoter for most of his career and the two men did very well together, each making millions. Arum even admitted to almost paternal feelings toward De La Hoya, and he was devastated when their personal relationship deterioriated. But only temporarily. Now Arum is fighting for his version of truth, justice and the American way of boxing promotion, and his former surrogate son and Schaefer have become the enemies.

At a press conference to hype the April 8, 2006, bout between the then-Arum-promoted Mayweather and the King-promoted Zab Judah, longtime rivals King and Arum seemed more intent on presenting a unified front against Golden Boy Promotions than in squabbling themselves.

Arum sees HBO, which has a cozy relationship with Golden Boy Promotions, as the hammer being used to dent, if not destroy, the high profiles he and King have worked so long to craft.

With his back up, the pugnacious Arum - whose June 9 bout in Madison Square Garden between his fighter, Miguel Cotto, and Judah will be televised via HBO Pay-Per-View - independently promoted a PPV card in San Antonio, Texas, headlined by the matchup of Manny Pacquiao and Jorge Solis, which was an artistic and financial success.

"We're getting on in years," Arum, 75, said of himself and King, 74. So are the relatively youthful De La Hoya and Schaefer. Golden Boy Promotions has made a few missteps, but inclusion of several prominent fighters as limited partners – notably, Bernard Hopkins, Shane Mosley and Marco Antonio Barrera - has made the company seem more appealing to the rank-and-file, who would like to believe they aren't puppets tethered to someone else's strings.

"Golden Boy will be around forever," De La Hoya said. "I plan on doing this for as long as I can. This is my great passion. It's fun, and it's a great opportunity to really change the sport. We can do it. There's no stopping us now." *

Thursday, 3rd May 2007

SPORTS SHORTS

* Mixed Martial Arts website ProElite.com will broadcast the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championship. The event will take place on May 5-6 in New Jersey, USA. ProElite.com is used by MMA fighters, fans and organisations. The ProElite.com and OntheMat.com pay-per-view presentation over two days will feature selected fights from over 75 male and 30 female fighters. Visitors to ProElite.com before Saturday will be able to purchase the two-day event on an unlimited viewing basis. Source: Sports Media, 1st May 2007

* ESPN Star Sports, who has agreed to pay $1.1 billion for rights to the International Cricket Council’s tournaments over eight years, is reported to be seeking renegotiation of the deal in the wake of a disappointing World Cup. The deal with ICC is understood to be provisional and following India’s early exit from the tournament and legal complications at home, ESS wants to revise the value. The ICC was criticised for the protracted nature of the World Cup, lasting 47 days, and ESS wants assurances on the format for the next event in 2011 before it will commit further. Source: Sportcal, 1st May 2007

* Data from an Asian research house says India’s DTH operators will top Japan’s next year, and that India would be Asia’s leading cable market by 2010, and the region’s most lucrative pay-TV market by 2015 – and perhaps sooner. Malaysian researchers Aseambankers say that southern Indian states are more prosperous, based on average per capita income, which is 10% higher than India’s national average.” Aseambankers is also optimistic that its local DTH operator Astro All Asia Networks should see numbers and revenues rise from its India operation where it has a j-v with Sun Direct. Source: Rapid TV News, 1st May 2007

* IOC president Jacques Rogge has stoked ambition within Indian sport by suggesting New Delhi bid for the 2020 Olympic Games. Rogge, during a visit to the country, said he was impressed by India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s commitment to sporting investment and that the IOC would back its plans. The 2020 Games will be awarded to the successful bidder in 2013. Indian sporting chiefs say they will start work on a bid once the 2010 Commonwealth Games have taken place. Source: Sport Business, Sportcal, 30th April 2007

* The International Cricket Council could see a revolt led by India after it was blasted for its running of the World Cup in the Caribbean and has not ruled out calling a no-confidence vote in its chief Malcolm Speed. The Board of Control for Cricket in India, which contributes 80% of commercial revenues in the world game said, “The ICC has so many staff members. It unnecessarily employs people and that costs the members. The ICC should move away from bureaucracy and become more simplified. They should be concentrating more on the game.” Source: Sport Business, 30th April 2007

* NBA Commissioner, David Stern, says he is close to confirming an NBA sponsored and branded league in China. The commissioner confirmed the China expansion would occur before the long-standing plans for five franchises in Europe. Stern was responding to questions asking if the domestic league would see any more additions to the 30 clubs so far taking part. Source: Sport Business, Sportcal, 1st May 2007

* Two national korfball associations have launched new websites to promote the sport in the Asian region. Last week a new site was launched for korfball in Macau China (MCKA), and the Chinese Korfball Committee this week also released its own virtual presentation. The new Chinese website can be found at www.korfball.com.cn, while the MCKA website can be accessed at www.mcka.org. Source: Sports Media, 2nd May 2007

* The National Basketball Association has announced an agreement with Second Life, the online virtual world. Since opening in 2003, Second Life has grown impressively and is currently inhabited by a total of 5,979,976 people from around the world. With the deal, inhabitants of the virtual world can watch NBA broadband video clips, kit out in virtual NBA jerseys and be exposed to NBA sponsors like T-Mobile and Toyota. Fans will also be able to buy virtual merchandise, while NBA’s partners will be keen to look at marketing possibilities. Source: Sports Media, Mediaweek, 2nd May 2007

* InsideLacrosse.tv enjoys a strong start to its free video service covering the sport. Launched in February, InsideLacrosse.tv has released 100 online videos giving fans, players, coaches and parents tips about the sport. The site has offered video features including men’s and women’s game analysis and the Inside Lacrosse TV Preseason Special, which ran on ESPNU prior to the start of the 2007 NCAA lacrosse season. Inside Lacrosse has hired editorial staff to produce and manage the site's content, which is refreshed daily. Source: Sports Media, 2nd May 2007

* CONCACAF president Jack Warner has announced that Mexico will bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Warner made the announcement at a press conference in the Mexican city of Pachuca accompanied by Mexican Football Federation president, Justino Compean. Colombia was originally due to hold the tournament in 1986, but after it became apparent that the South American country was unable to stage that tournament, Mexico stood in at short notice. Source: Football Insider, 30th April 2007

* The English Football Association has signalled its readiness to host the 2010 World Cup should FIFA be forced to strip South Africa of the event because of reported delays in stadium construction, threatening hopes of the event being held in Africa for the first time. FIFA president Sepp Blatter indicates that England remains a contingency option. The FA’s willingness to make itself available in an emergency is understandable considering Blatter does not favour a European bid for the 2018 tournament. Source: Football Insider, Sport Business, EUFootball.biz, The Sun UK, 1st May 2007

* Dorna Sports – rights holders for the MotoGP series – has denied that it is facing a crisis. With the end of tobacco sponsorship and the number of riders on the starting grid standing at 19, fears have been expressed for the future of the series. But Dorna chief Carmelo Ezpeleta says there is nothing to fear. “We are trying to show our sport better and to get more money into the world championship. If we can reduce the costs as well then this would be perfect.” Source: Sport Business, 30th April 2007

* F1 chief, Bernie Ecclestone, could be set to deliver a blow to the A1GP series. Ecclestone is reportedly looking at switching the GP2 series to the winter months – with action taking place primarily in Asia. Such a move would inevitably cut across A1GP which races outside F1’s calendar and has made much of its desire to attract the Middle East and Asian markets. The GP2 series is growing in stature as a platform for the next generation of F1 racers. Last year’s winner was Briton, Lewis Hamilton. Source: Sport Business, Sportcal, 30th April 2007

* Thaksin Shinawatra has moved into pole position to buy Manchester City after he was granted access to club accounts. Shinawatra’s accountants will complete due diligence at City before advising their client on his formal bid for the club. Shinawatra has been linked with a near £100 million move for the club and contact was finally made last night. After failing in his bid for Liverpool three years ago, Shinawatra has not been put off getting involved in the Premiership and sees City as an ideal opportunity. Source: Football Insider, Sport Business, Sportcal, 1st May 2007

* UEFA will not require a license for anyone watching EURO 2008 matches on regular television screen or at private viewings in Europe. A license will be needed only for commercial viewings, where an entry fee is charged or if the viewing is sponsored. The fee will depend on the size of the screen (€6 per square metre per match). Later this summer, license applications can be made via www.euro2008.com. Revenues from license fees will be donated to charity. Exemptions apply for events in official fan zones and UBS-sponsored public viewing arenas. Source: EUFootball.biz, 1st May 2007

* The sports jobs market is no longer just a man’s world, according to The Sports Recruitment Company. Women are now just as likely to get a job in sport as men, and the number of women being placed in such a role has more than doubled in the last year. The Sports Recruitment Company reports that sports marketing is the key area of growth for women, and around 50% of candidates the company has placed into jobs in the sports industry are women, compared with 22% a year ago. Source: Sports Media, 30th April 2007


MORE NEWS

Asia/General: China, Russia Top Piracy List

According to a new report from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, China and Russia remain on top of the list of the world’s biggest producers of pirated goods. The U.S. has filed two complaints on China with the World Trade Organization over pirated goods. China and Russia are on the Priority Watch List of countries that “do not provide an adequate level of IPR protection or enforcement, or market access for persons relying on intellectual property protection.”

Ten other countries on list: Argentina, Chile, Egypt, India, Israel, Lebanon, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and Venezuela. In announcing the elevation of Thailand to the Priority Watch List, the report cites a range of intellectual property concerns, including deteriorating protection for patents and copyrights. Among the thirty trading partners are on the lower level Watch List are: Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Source: Worldscreen, Rapid TV News, 1st May 2007

China/Rights: CCTV5 to Air Final Four Hoops Clashes

Euroleague Basketball has inked a deal with China's national television to have this year's Final Four aired exclusively on CCTV5. The semi-finals of the tournament will be played on Friday with the final taking place on Sunday, and it is hoped the broadcasts of the event will help to strengthen the popularity of the sport in the country. CSKA Moscow, Unicaja, Panathinaikos and Tau Ceramica will contest the Final Four.

Euroleague Basketball recently struck a co-operation agreement with the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), which will see a series of camps and specialist seminars take place this summer. Andrea Bassani of Euroleague Basketball, said: “I have to thank our partner, Infront Asia, for bringing this deal to life being a key in negotiations with CCTV.” Source: Sports Media, Sportcal, Euroleague Official, 2nd May 2007

India/Broadcaster: Cricket Channel Tipped For Success

ESPN Software India’s managing director, RC Venkateish, believes it is the right time for ESPN Star Sports to launch a dedicated cricket channel. It was announced last week that the new channel, Star Cricket, will be launched in June to coincide with India’s tour of England this summer. In an interview with www.indiantelevision.com, Venkateish said he had high hopes for the new channel.

Venkateish admitted a lack of general interest in domestic cricket in India is “a pity” but does not think it will have an adverse impact on the channel. He said: “What we will be showcasing in fact, apart from the international matches, is county cricket in England and domestic cricket in Australia, which also feature some of the best players in the world, including a lot of Indian players. There will also be a substantial effort to market that.” Source: Sports Media, 1st May 2007

Malaysia/Business: Tycoon to Buy Out Maxis

T Ananda Krishnan, Malaysia's second richest man, is looking to buy out Maxis Communications, the South East Asian country's biggest mobile-phone operator. Krishnan's investment company Usaha Tegas and its affiliates hold a 46 per cent stake in the telecom giant, which is valued at $ 9.6 billion. Mopping up the remaining 54 per cent would cost Krishnan a reported $ 5.1 billion. The buy offer is expected to be made by 3 May.

India is reportedly a big part of the strategy involved in Krishnan's intention to take complete control of Maxis. The telco is lining up spends in the region of $3 billion over the next five years to expand its network in India. India's exploding mobile market (121 million as of March) is what is attracting Krishnan's more than casual interest.

While over 70 per cent of Malaysia's 27 million population own mobile phones, the figure in India is just 10 per cent, so the upside potential is massive. Maxis said this month it plans to spend $3 billion in the next five years expanding its network in India to counter slowing growth at home. Source: Indian Television, 30th April 2007

Elsewhere/Rights: French League Warned over In-house TV Production

French’s soccer’s LFP has been warned by two top clubs of the dangers of its plan to assume the responsibility for television production, a role presently performed by Canal Plus, the pay-television broadcaster. The LFP has said it intends to handle television production of Ligue 1 from the 2008-09 season onwards, the start of its new television rights contract period, but risks a significant drop in the rights fee paid by Canal Plus, which pays €600 million ($815.2 million) a year under the present deal.

Pape Diouf and Bernad Caïazzo, the presidents of Marseille and Saint-Etienne respectively, have voiced concerns about the risk to television income. Both Diouf and Caïazzo want to see the league match existing domestic broadcast income during the next rights contract, but fear arguments over production, coupled with a reduction in competition brought about by the merger of Canal Plus and its former rival TPS, could drive the price down. Caïazzo said that he doubted whether the league taking the television production in-house would lead to an improvement in the quality.

The league responded to criticism by saying that all measures would be taken to ensure that the quality of the Ligue 2 production did not dip and highlighted the fact that Fifa, soccer’s world governing body and Uefa, soccer’s European governing body have been responsible for their own television production for some time. Source: Sportcal, 2nd May 2007

Elsewhere/Broadcaster: Joost Launches Commercially

Internet TV platform, Joost, announced its commercial launch today, along with new content deals with Turner Broadcasting System and Sony Pictures Television, among others. With today’s launch, campaigns from 32 advertising partners will begin airing on the platform this month. Additionally, as a part of this launch, all existing Joost beta testers have unlimited number of invitations they can send to others to download a new version of Joost today.

In related news, Joost has signed Turner Broadcasting System on as a content partner. Later this month, CNN will bring news programs and talk shows, including Anderson Cooper 360, Larry King Live and documentaries from CNN Productions. Sony Pictures Television will begin offering content on Joost; the AXN channel brand will showcase episodes of Charlie's Angels, Starsky & Hutch and SWAT, among others.

A deal with Sports Illustrated covers video shorts and interviews from this year's SI Swimsuit photo shoots. This month the National Hockey League will begin broadcast of selected vintage games from NHL archives. Full game replays and highlights from regular season and Stanley Cup Playoff games will follow. These programs will be available exclusively online through Joost in the U.S. Source: Worldscreen, Rapid TV News, Indian Television, 1st May 2007

Elsewhere/Business: Tennis Channel Founder to Launch Ski Channel

The Tennis Channel’s founder, Steve Bellamy, is turning his attention to mountain sports. Bellamy’s company, Atonal Sports and Entertainment, has announced it will launch the Ski Channel, which will focus on alternative sports like skiing, rock climbing, orienteering and snowboarding. The channel will include news and magazine programming and is aimed at mountain sports and leisure markets, with segments on travel and equipment.

the Ski Channel is expected to launch early next year and will offer multimedia platforms - including content on mobile phones - and video-on-demand via a website. The channel already has a long-term agreement with Time Warner Cable. The channel will be advertiser-supported with deals already struck with a string of brands.

Bellamy was president of the Tennis Channel for seven years before leaving the channel a year ago. Atonal owns a number of tennis and golf facilities around Los Angeles and is also the parent company of several media firms, including Atonal Films and Television. Source: Sports Media, 1st May 2007

Elsewhere/General: Taekwondo Set for Greater Olympic TV Rights Revenues

The sports of taekwondo and triathlon stand to receive an additional sum of between $1 million and $1.5 million every four years as a result of a decision to promote them to a higher grouping for Olympic television rights money handouts. The promotion was announced during the General Assembly of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations. Both sports made their debuts as official Olympic sports in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Summer Olympic sports in Group D have increased from the previous 14 to 16. Sports in Group D are badminton, baseball, boxing, canoe, fencing, judo, wrestling, modern pentathlon, softball, table tennis, shooting, archery, sailing, weightlifting, taekwondo and triathlon. Athletics is the only sport in Group A. In Group B are basketball, cycling, football, gymnastics, swimming, tennis and volleyball. Group C consists of equestrian, handball, hockey and rowing.

The IOC’s initial categorization and subsequent amendments mean that the International Federations are divided into five groups, all of which are allocated different amounts distributed equally within each group. Applying the principle, new sports on the program of the Summer Olympic Games should be added to Group E first and those IFs should move up after a period of contribution to the overall Games program. The ASOIF decided to retain Group E for new sports entering the official program for the 2016 Olympic Games. Source: Sports e-Media, Sportcal, 30th April 2007

Elsewhere/General: Seconds Out For HBO Boxing Showdown

May 5 could be the day that boxing is restored to its former glory. The showdown between Oscar de la Hoya and Floyd Mayweather at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas is boxing's biggest event since Lennox Lewis fought Mike Tyson in 2002. De La Hoya, who is the ‘golden boy’ of the noble art having generated nearly $500 million in pay-per-view revenue during his 15-year career, says he is “shooting for two million” buys this time.

The fight will be seen on HBO PPV - as will the Miguel Cotto vs Zab Judah fight on June 9 - another huge event for the network. Boxing’s popularity has been in doubt for several years, and the recent emergence of mixed martial arts (MMA) onto TV screens around the world has raised further questions about the future of the sport.

Spike TV in the United States has enjoyed tremendous PPV figures for MMA action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship - around 800,000 buys per event. Additionally, the lack of a competitive heavyweight division has not helped boxing’s cause. Hopes are high that Saturday’s fight will liven up to expectations and deliver a knockout blow in the TV viewing stakes. Source: Sports Media, 2nd May 2007

Elsewhere/General: Blatter Says Asia has Strong Claim to 2018 World Cup

Asia would be the most suitable location for soccer’s 2018 World Cup if the policy of rotating the tournament around the continents is maintained, according to Sepp Blatter, the president Fifa. England and USA are other countries which have expressed interest in staging the event but it is eastern soccer powers such as China which will have taken the most encouragement from Blatter’s remarks.

Speaking on the ‘Inside Sport’ programme on the BBC, Blatter said: ‘Personally I think we should maintain a rotation. At least with four continents. To take North and South America as one continent, Europe, Africa and Asia. ‘This would mean that the next World Cup after 2014 would go to Asia.’

Under the rotation policy, North America’s will host the World Cup in 11 years’ time but if it is coupled with South America, where the 2014 tournament is due to take place, then Asia would be next in line. The policy is due to be reviewed later this year. The tournament was staged in Asia for the first time in 2002 when Japan and South Korea were co-hosts. The 2006 competition was held in Germany and the next event in 2010 is expected to go ahead in South Africa. Brazil is the only candidate to host the 2014 World Cup. Source: Sportcal, 1st May 2007