CONVENTION-NOVEMBER 2010RIO DE JANEIROBringing<strong>the</strong> worldof footBalltoge<strong>the</strong>rThe first truly <strong>global</strong> business event tobe held in Brazil, ahead of <strong>the</strong> 2014 FIFAWorld Cup <strong>and</strong> 2016 Olympic Games.“Brazil provides <strong>the</strong> perfect scenario<strong>for</strong> an event of Soccerex’s magnitude.In <strong>the</strong> coming years, it will bring withit <strong>the</strong> most relevant football industrymatters <strong>and</strong> present <strong>the</strong> world with<strong>the</strong> beauty of this wonderful sportthat transcends <strong>global</strong> boundaries.”Ricardo Terra Teixeira(President, 2014 FIFA World CupLocal Organising Committee)$890 billionThe amount expected to be spent by<strong>the</strong> Brazilian Government to improve<strong>the</strong> country’s infrastructure aheadof 2014 FIFA World Cup <strong>and</strong> 2016Olympic Games.To join <strong>the</strong> football world at <strong>the</strong> Soccerex Global Convention, please contact us on:t: +44 (0)208 742 7100 e: promotions@soccerex.com w: www.soccerex.com
INTERNATIONAL FOCUSGERMANYWINTER OLYMPICS BID OFF THE GROUNDToyota H<strong>and</strong>ball Bundesliga at The Sparkassen Arena - Getty Images Sportnearly 35 million television households, leadingpay-broadcaster Sky has around 2.5 millionsubscribers. And <strong>the</strong> News Corporation-backedSky Germany - which pays €250m per year <strong>for</strong>Bundesliga football - is in trouble.In August, Sky announced plans to raise€340m in fresh cash through a bond-issue - <strong>the</strong>broadcaster’s seventh share sale since 2005 - asit looks to become <strong>the</strong> first ever German pay-TVoperator to run in <strong>the</strong> black.Sky boss Brian Sullivan is targeting <strong>the</strong>company’s earnings to be more in 2011 thanin 2010, but it will be a tough ask givena loss of €97m in this year’s first quarter<strong>and</strong> a net gain of just 1,000 subscribers.Sky needs three million subscribers tobecome profitable.“Easier technical access to pay-TV <strong>for</strong> abroader audience, lower subscription rates <strong>and</strong>increased exclusiveness would push Germanpay-TV,” says Hasenbein.“But a successful business like <strong>the</strong> oneBSkyB enjoys in Great Britain is hardlyaccomplishable.”Despite Sullivan’s bullish predictions, pay-TV’s struggles are set to continue in GermanyTop 10 sport sponsors in Germany 2009-10<strong>for</strong> a number of reasons, primarily due to <strong>the</strong>strength of <strong>the</strong> free-to-air market.Germany state broadcasters ARD/ZDF aresome of <strong>the</strong> best-funded in <strong>the</strong> world <strong>and</strong> with<strong>the</strong> average German paying a monthly licencefee of up to €18 per TV broadcasting device,many are hesitant to add at least €19.90 <strong>for</strong>a Sky subscription. And Bundesliga football,German pay-TV’s most exclusive content, isshown time-delayed <strong>and</strong> in highlights <strong>for</strong>m onmultiple free channels.Sky is also facing new competition in <strong>the</strong>guise of Deutsche Telekom’s IPTV plat<strong>for</strong>m‘Liga Total!’, a Bundesliga channel carried on<strong>the</strong> Entertain plat<strong>for</strong>m. The channel, whichbroadcasts live Bundesliga football in HD <strong>and</strong>without commercial breaks, currently has justover 100,000 subscribers. Deutsche Telekom ispaying €25m a year <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> IPTV rights <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong>Bundesliga – a tenth of what Sky pays <strong>for</strong> pay-TV <strong>and</strong> internet rights.“I see a dynamic development in digital <strong>sports</strong>ervices, online plat<strong>for</strong>ms <strong>and</strong> mobile devices,”says Hasenbein. “Product costs are sinkingwhich means a higher volume of production<strong>and</strong> better chances <strong>for</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>sports</strong>.”Rank Company Total sum national sponsorship (€m)1 adidas / Reebok 59.52 Audi 51.23 Sparkassen 49.04 Daimler / Mercedes-Benz 47.35 Deutsche Telekom 33.86 Volkswagen 32.27 Bayer 27.08 Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken 21.79 Nike 18.910 Porsche 16.5Munich’s bid to host <strong>the</strong> WinterOlympics Games in 2018 is now in full<strong>for</strong>ce, with bid <strong>the</strong> team overcomingsome serious challenges in <strong>the</strong>irbattle against Annecy in France <strong>and</strong>PyeongChang in South Korea.In July stakeholders in <strong>the</strong> bid votedunanimously in favour of increasing itsbudget by 10 per cent to €33 million,however a number of recent personnelproblems <strong>and</strong> environmental criticismsthat hit <strong>the</strong> bid had to be overcome.Firstly <strong>the</strong> bid committee’s managingdirector Richard Adam stepped downin March, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> man in charge, WillyBogner, had to resign last month due toproblems with his health after less than10 months in <strong>the</strong> job.The 68-year-old <strong>for</strong>mer skier, fashiondesigner <strong>and</strong> filmmaker is sufferingfrom a digestive disease <strong>and</strong> hisdeputy, managing director BernhardSchwank, was promoted to bid. Bognertakes a less dem<strong>and</strong>ing position on <strong>the</strong>supervisory board with double Olympicfigure skating champion Katarina Wittbecoming <strong>the</strong> campaign’s new face.Siegfried Schneider, head of <strong>the</strong>Bavarian State Chancellery, alsoreached an agreement last month withGarmisch-Partenkirchen on <strong>the</strong> plan tosecure <strong>the</strong> l<strong>and</strong> required to stage <strong>the</strong>Games in 2018.Bernhard Schwank said <strong>the</strong>agreement signalled a “keybreakthrough” after only a week be<strong>for</strong>e<strong>the</strong> German nature conservationring (DNR), which represents 96environmental groups, said <strong>the</strong> bid’splans to host part of <strong>the</strong> Games innearby Garmish-Partenkirchen woulddamage <strong>the</strong> environment.Under <strong>the</strong> new planned agreement,<strong>the</strong> Stieranger green belt - <strong>the</strong> socalled‘Green Lung’ of Garmisch-Partenkirchen - will remain completelyuntouched. The proposed location <strong>for</strong><strong>the</strong> Snow Village is on <strong>the</strong> current siteof railway buildings <strong>and</strong> Garmisch-Partenkirchen’s Olympic Ice Stadium,built originally <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> 1936 Olympics.The Media Village will also no longerrequire <strong>the</strong> use of any agriculturalareas in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.Instead, media will be accommodatedin a number of separate locations. Oneof <strong>the</strong> current options is <strong>the</strong> FederalArmed Forces barracks in Murnau.The International Olympic Committeewill make a final decision in July 2011.Source: Sport+Markt74 SportBusiness International • No.161 • 10.10
Change language