As official broadcaster the SABC holds the rights to air the tournament. E.tv is not a rights holder and will not be airing any of the matches (live or delayed), but it has still patriotically dedicated itself to being a part of the 2010 World Cup. Vasili Vass, e.tv’s spokesperson states: ’The 2010 World Cup is a big event in the country and as a channel we will be covering the matches in our bulletins giving in-depth reports and analysis of all the games as well as a look at how South African’s and visitors to the country are responding to the games.’
Three broadcasters in Hong Kong are feuding over 2010 World Cup TV rights in a dispute that could leave fans without free coverage of the month-long contest. The Daily Dispatch reports that locals have adopted European clubs as their favourites, frequently staying up late to watch the English Premier League and La Liga despite the time difference. So every four years, come World Cup time, this hectic city of seven million people is engaged in an extended soccer frenzy. But this year, the anticipation has been tempered by a dispute over TV rights. The impasse stems from failed negotiations between Hong Kong’s authorised broadcaster, the pay-TV station Cable TV, and the territory’s two leading free-to-air broadcasters, TVB and ATV.
Trade union Solidarity claims Telkom will urgently have to tackle its labour relations problems to ensure that the 2010 World Cup goes off without a hitch, says a report in The Herald. ’Employees of all three trade unions in Telkom’s largest single unit, Data Advance Services (Das), are unhappy about salary discrepancies between them and employees of the company’s Merlot project, a unit responsible for the telecommunications company’s largest contracts,’ Solidarity said.
Cellular phone companies MTN and Vodacom used the 2010 World Cup 100 days countdown celebrations to mobilise Africans to embrace the event. At the MTN function in Roodepoort, also attended by various artists, the company unveiled the ’Africa Unite’ campaign. The Sowetan reports that the company’s 2010 World Cup manager, Ntombi Mahangwe, said: ’The campaign is aimed at mobilising support for the World Cup in Africa.’ In Midrand Vodacom lined up Bafana Bafana players Teko Modise, Siphiwe Tshabalala, Itumeleng Khune and Reneilwe Letsholonyane as part of the celebrations. Also present were players from Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.
Aggreko has won a £30m contract to provide power for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The Telegraph reports that the company signed the contract to provide temporary power and temperature control for broadcast and technical services for the tournament. As part of the deal, Aggreko will supply broadcasting power in all 10 World Cup stadium venues, the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and FIFA headquarters. It will also provide temperature control at the IBC. Rupert Soames, chief executive of Aggreko, said: ’Having recently supplied temporary power to both the Vancouver Winter Olympics and last year’s Confederations Cup in South Africa, we are delighted to have been selected by the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee to secure their broadcast power.’
Government has spent R1.5 billion on telecommunications and broadcasting in anticipation of the 2010 World Cup. ITWeb reports that the bulk of this spending has been on transport, at R12.95 billion, followed by stadium construction at R11.7 billion. Telecommunications and broadcasting spend was the third highest amount. Of the R1.5 billion the government has allocated for the games, R1.2 billion went to Telkom for access network infrastructure, while R300 million went to Sentech for satellite backup.
2010 World Cup sponsor MTN said it had launched a content portal to enable its more than 100 million users to watch near live match highlights of the finals on their mobile handsets. According to Business Report, MTN is one of the sponsors of the tournament, giving it exclusive mobile content rights. The portal called MTN Play, would enable MTN users to also watch video clips of their favourite teams and follow their teams’ performance during the tournament.
2010 mobile advertising booming in SA 09/02/2010
There is a clear indication that the South African mobile advertising sector is headed towards a massive boom as the 2010 World Cup draws near - thanks to the phenomenal growth of the continent’s cellphone market and soccer passion. Bizcoomunity.com reports that the SA sector, boosted by a partnership signed in December last year between local WAP mobile advertising firm MobiClicks and India-based InMobi, is on the way to becoming one of the world’s most lucrative markets, with over 650 million mobile ads requests per month.
Bafana Bafana will become part of broadcasting history when their opening game of the 2010 World Cup is filmed and screened in 3D, notes a Bizcommunity.com report. Connecticut-based sports broadcaster ESPN is to launch a new 3D network in mid-2010, just in time for Africa’s first World Cup, which kicks off on 11 June. At least 25 games in the much-anticipated football extravaganza will be shown in thrilling 3D, giving fans the sensation that the ball is hurtling towards them and about to fly right out of the screen.
The 2010 World Cup will be filmed in 3D for the first time, it has been announced. Up to 25 of the games will be captured using 3D cameras, FIFA said. Although it has no definite plans to broadcast the matches live in 3D, FIFA said it was a possibility and would be decided in ’the coming months’. Initially, it said, footage will also be shown at public events in seven cities around the world. The footage will also be packaged into a film, notes a Business Daily report. Sony technology will be used to film the games, although the firm has not confirmed details of the specific technology it will use.
Pay channel SuperSport have raised the stakes in the battle for 2010 World Cup television viewers. Sunday World reports that SuperSport has revealed that it will offer at least four customised World Cup channels, one in High Definition and three broadcasting 24 hours daily. The news is expected to further up the ante in the highly competitive local football market, which saw SuperSport prize away the lucrative PSL broadcast rights from the SABC. With the local viewer still uncertain about the public broadcaster ’s plans for the 2010 World Cup, SuperSport’s announcement could just persuade the die-hard fan to look elsewhere for a viewing experience.
Further cuts in cellular interconnection rates will result in cheaper call charges, but will also drive changes in consumer behaviour patterns. This is the view of BulkSMS.com MD, Pieter Streicher. According to Streicher, 2010 World Cup sponsors and official bodies will communicate with fans in this way. In the year ahead, SMS will be an increasingly primary communication tool, both in the lives of South Africans everyday, as well as the millions of soccer fans due to visit our country in June and July.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has lambasted government’s investment in competing undersea cables through two separate state-owned businesses.
DA shadow deputy minister of science and technology Marian Shinn says there is no valid reason both Broadband Infraco and Sentech should have financial obligations to two separate cable systems.
Sentech has been in financial dire straits for several years and has battled to source funding for some of its major projects. These include the roll-out of digital migration across SA, expected to be completed by 2011; and its involvement as a backup service to Telkom for the 2010 World Cup this year.
The SABC would broadcast the Africa Cup of Nations starting from Sunday, the state broadcaster said on Saturday. The SABC had sent a team of negotiators to France in a bid to find permission from SportFive - the rights agent for the Confederation of African Football - to broadcast the tournament. This follows SportFive forcing the SABC to pay over R1bn in terms of a series of agreements allegedly entered into between the parties in 2008. The broadcaster said the agreements were invalid because it was not authorised in terms of the South African statutes governing the SABC.
Installation of the fiber optic cable which will link Zimbabwe with the rest of the world should be complete by March in time to enable visitors during the 2010 World Cup to enjoy reliable and fast Internet connections, according to Information Communication and Technology Minister Nelson Chamisa. He said the government was determined to ensure that Zimbabwe benefited fully from the world soccer showcase to be held in neighbouring South Africa from June 11 to July 11 this year. Finance Minister Tendai Biti had made available 5.0 million USD in the 2010 National Budget for installation of the fiber optic cable.
ESPN, one of the world’s biggest sports broadcasters, will film 25 of the World Cup matches in 3D at this year’s tournament in South Africa. It is the first time that a 3D broadcast will be seen in anyone’s home, after years of technology experts predicting that 3D would take off. The announcement was made as television companies prepare to unveil their latest 3D sets at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The likes of Sony, LG and Samsung are all expected to announce that 3D televisions will be available for sale in the States and Britain in a matter of months, after unveiling prototypes a year ago.
ESPN, one of the world’s biggest sports broadcasters, will film 25 of the World Cup matches in 3D at this year’s tournament in South Africa. It is the first time that a 3D broadcast will be seen in anyone’s home, after years of technology experts predicting that 3D would take off. The announcement was made as television companies prepare to unveil their latest 3D sets at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The likes of Sony, LG and Samsung are all expected to announce that 3D televisions will be available for sale in the States and Britain in a matter of months, after unveiling prototypes a year ago.
When June approaches, there could be a small outflow of deprived Singaporeans to Malaysian and other cities to watch televised coverage of World Cup 2010. The reason is Singapore’s surprising failure to gain the rights to telecast what is equivalent to football’s Olympics from June 11 to July 11. The rejection by FIFA over money, lots of it has delivered a heavy blow to a small army of soccer fans, as well as Singapore’s image as a sporting hub.The debacle is first and foremost about escalating cost of sports for TV fans. First, the English Premier League and now FIFA have raised charges for television rights.
The 2010 LOC says it will work with the SABC to ensure uninterrupted television feeds during the World Cup next year. The Cape Argus reports that this comes after incoming SABC chief executive officer Solly Mokoetle, in a shocking admission, expressed concern over the broadcaster’s readiness for the tournament. Millions of South Africans, and hundreds of thousands of visitors at the fan parks, will all depend on the SABC to bring them the games live during the World Cup. A glitch in the system could result in millions of blank TV screens around the country.
Singapore’s major telecommunications firms have rejected FIFA’s asking price for the broadcast rights to next year’s 2010 World Cup. The Times reports that SingTel and StarHub recently submitted a joint offer for the rights to air the 2010 World Cup in Singapore, and have now issued a joint statement saying that rights fees had ’escalated substantially’. The companies said in the statement that ’in an attempt to reach a value that is acceptable to FIFA to bring the World Cup to Singapore, the price offered to FIFA would sacrifice all World Cup margins for both SingTel and StarHub while keeping the price affordable for consumers.’
Incoming SABC chief executive officer Solly Mokoetle expressed concern over the company’s readiness regarding broadcasting requirements for next year’s 2010 World Cup, notes a report on the News24 site. He said that earlier in the day he had been scheduled to speak on one of the company’s radio stations and was privy to some technical difficulties linking SAFM with Lesedi. Mokoetle, a former Telkom Media chief content officer, will start on January 1.
FIFA tells SABC not to fret over coverage - 26/11/2009
FIFA says SA audiences would still be able to view World Cup matches next year even if outside broadcast vans were not delivered to the SABC on time it would just mean the absence of more localised content. According to a Business Day report, this contradicts the SABC’s argument in court papers in which it is trying to prevent a contract regarding the provision of outside broadcast units from being overturned. The issue is at the heart of a court battle over a R400m tender awarded to Sony SA to supply outside broadcast vans to the SABC. Black-owned company Digital Horizon is opposing the tender, saying it was originally awarded the tender, but the SABC has warned in court papers that overturning the tender could see it without the required outside broadcast vans during the tournament.
The SABC does have an agreement with Fifa to be the official broadcaster of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the broadcaster said on Wednesday.
This after a newspaper report claimed it did not have a broadcast contract with Fifa. The Star reported on Monday that the SABC ’used the World Cup as an excuse to avoid an interdict overturning a questionable R400-million contract’ for outside broadcasting (OB) units. It reported that lawyers for Fifa’s agent, Host Broadcast Services (HBS) had indicated in court documents pertaining to the tender matter that there was no contract.
It has emerged that the SABC, which used the World Cup as an excuse to avoid an interdict overturning a questionable R400m contract, does not have a broadcasting contract with FIFA. That, says a report in The Mercury, is what the Johannesburg High Court is expected to hear today when the public broadcaster is hauled back to court by Digital Horizons over a tender dispute. Last year, the national broadcaster told the court it had obligations to FIFA to televise the June Confederations Cup and World Cup, and could not delay the awarding of a contract to buy four high-definition outside-broadcast vans from Sony South Africa even though competing bidder Digital Horizons claimed that the award was unfair. In response to a subpoena, lawyers for FIFA’s agent, Host Broadcast Services (HBS), said there was no contract, notes the report.
The government has approved a proposal to issue a temporary mobile television broadcasting licence, which will allow subscribers to watch TV on their handsets, notes a Daily Dispatch report. The decision by Cabinet is specially designed to allow spectators to watch 2010 World Cup matches in this way. It is, said Cabinet spokesperson Themba Maseko ’in line with South Africa’s commitment to provide mobile television broadcasting during the 2010 World Cup’. The licence will expire two weeks after the World Cup finals.
With the SABC drowning in debt, the corporation’s interim board is desperately trying to renegotiate a billion-rand deal signed for the TV rights to all games of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in the next eight years. It remains unclear what CAF games are at issue. The existence of the contract was revealed by interim board member Leslie Sedibe at a hearing of Parliament’s communications committee on Tuesday. However, the Mail & Guardian is the first to disclose its precise nature. The contract price paid was allegedly not authorised by the former SABC board. It was signed by Mvuzo Mbebe, the group executive for content enterprises, who was recently suspended by the interim board.
The 2010 World Cup has been a catalyst for the information and communication technology (ICT) industry in South Africa; however, customer service delivery is critical for the event’s success, says call centre technology company Inter-Active Technologies. Engineering News reports that Inter-Active Technologies CEO Brendan van Staaden says companies need to manage an expected increase in volumes in preparation for the 2010 World Cup, as an increase in demand across the board of the ICT sector is also expected to occur. He adds that the ability to consistently and reliably meet customer service demands during this phase will underpin an organisation’s level of success.
Current broadcasting plans will leave roughly seven million South Africans without high-definition (HD) TV, until long after 2012. With neither etv, nor the SABC keen to offer HD channels on the current structures, it is unlikely those without access to DSTV will experience high-definition until long after the digital migration process is completed in 2012. ITWeb repots that the SABC says it will also not broadcast HD, since the current iteration of regulations does not cater for the service. Many had hoped the SABC would provide an HD service for the coming 2010 World Cup.
In order to provide country-wide viewing for the 2010 World Cup, the SABC is installing low power transmitters. The latest is in Philopolis in the Free State, which recently went live with SABC1, 2, 3 and Lesedi FM. Bixcommunity.com reports that the aim is to ensure that every South African has access to the 2010 World Cup in a medium and cultural relevance of their choice. Other municipal areas that will get new transmitters during the course of the year include Indermark and Vhulaudzi in Limpopo and Agterwitzenberg and Genadendal in the Western Cape. It is envisaged that that the low-power initiative will address the needs of approximately 1.5 million people without access through the deployment of about 300 low power transmitter sites over a three-year period.
Pay-television rivals battle it out for 2010 rights 14/10/2009
Singapore’s two pay-television rivals will lock horns on the soccer pitch once more in their bid to snap up broadcast rights for the upcoming 2010 World Cup tournament. The Business Times reports that Singapore Telecommunications has confirmed that it will be looking to add the World Cup trophy to its string of sports programming triumphs over StarHub. ’Yes, we plan to throw our hat into the (World Cup 2010) ring as well,’ said SingTel Singapore CEO Allen Lew. If SingTel succeeds in it bid for the event, which kick-offs next June in South Africa, it will corner nearly all major soccer-related content in the local pay TV market.
