ASIA-PACIFIC After a frenetic round of bidding, ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has managed to secure the lucrative rights to broadcast English Premier League (EPL) matches in 12 out of the 15 markets under review.
ESS lost out, however, in Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong.
The network successfully retained the rights until 2010 in Malaysia, Korea, Brunei, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Taiwan and Macau - and also added the terrestrial rights in Indonesia, where they were previously held by TV7.
In Thailand, UBC has reportedly secured the EPL rights, although representatives from the country's dominant cable operator declined to comment. In Singapore, SingTel was outbid by cable operator StarHub - which reportedly doubled the previous tender to win the rights for an estimated US$75 million.
The result bears out a trend across the region, where EPL prices have seen rapid inflation. In Hong Kong, for example, the rights cost Now TV an estimated $200 million, compared to incumbent i-Cable's successful $100 million bid in 2004. "Rights have become very expensive,"said a source. "But the levels at which you sell advertising spots have also increased quite a bit. The companies which have experience of selling sports can recoup their investment."
ESS' original support programming for the EPL includes Nokia Football Crazy, Tiger FC Locker Room, Here We Go and First Edition.
See Media 2, page 13