Internet and mobile wireless communications rights

[one-eyed]

Footy chiefs kicking net rights higher
John Lehmann
The Australian
January 04, 2006

AS SEVEN and Ten prepare to lodge a $780 million bid on Friday to wrest the AFL television rights away from the Nine Network, football chiefs have begun negotiations to increase the price paid for internet and mobile wireless communications rights.

The AFL has opened "preliminary discussions" with Telstra, which was awarded both sets of rights for $5 million in 2001, a source close to the negotiations said yesterday.

With the use of third-generation mobile phones expected to soar, the AFL will consider selling the mobile phone and internet rights separately, for the first time, if it fails to stitch up a deal with Telstra.

"The AFL believes the value of the rights has increased over the last five years and will be looking for an outcome that reflects that," the source said.

The quality of sports action supplied through mobile handsets is expected to improve significantly in the coming years, driving up the price of sports rights as rival telcos compete for content.

Telstra held the right to an "exclusive negotiating period" with the AFL as part of its existing 2002-06 contract, Telstra spokesman Warwick Ponder confirmed yesterday.

"You would certainly think that with 3G services becoming available around the country there will be a greater use of such sports content over the next 12 to 24 months," Mr Ponder said.

Telstra also holds the 3G rights to the National Rugby League and the A-League soccer, while Hutchison 3G Australia has the rights to Australian international cricket matches.

The value of sports internet rights is also expected to grow quickly, with 40,000 new broadband services being taken up weekly over the past year.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17723682%255E36035,00.html

[mightytiges]

I hope this time around we follow Essendon's lead and go with our own independent official website instead of the generic Telstra ones. It would be great if everyone could access replays and highlight clips as was the case with the old AFL site even if its restricted to the EOTT section for RFC members. It's a joke that if even you were willing to pay for highlights you can't because you're not a Telstra bigpond customer. So much for promoting the game and the club  . 

[WilliamPowell]

I hope this time around we follow Essendon's lead and go with our own independent official website instead of the generic Telstra ones.

I don't think it will happen. You need to have a company basically pay (sponsor) for the site. In the Bummer's case they have Channel 7 (ooh the irony ) and they make heaps because of the arrangement they have.

The $$$ clubs get from the Telstra deal are substantial and probably offset the fact they are generic sites.

I have to say I wasn't aware of you only being able to get the highlights if you are a bigpond customer. At home we only upgraded to broadband about 4 months ago and that was the first time I'd bothered looking at what was on offer

[mightytiges]

I have to say I wasn't aware of you only being able to get the highlights if you are a bigpond customer.

Well legally lol. The Telstra sites aren't Fort Knox. You definitely need broadband in any case.

[one-eyed]

Telstra, AFL discuss mobile deal
Breaking News - The Age
January 4, 2006 - 4:00PM

Australian Football League (AFL) fans are set to benefit from a new mobile phone coverage rights deal that may allow Telstra customers to view live footy content on their handsets.

Telstra said it was in preliminary discussions with the AFL to renew a contract to send AFL scores, news and video highlights to fans on their mobile phones.

The telco has exclusive rights to a negotiating period with the AFL because it holds an existing four-year contract that expires this year.

Telstra declined to comment on what the new deal might be worth, but it's expected to run into the millions.

"At the moment AFL fans can get information about their clubs and their favourite players, including news and pictures and they can also see video highlights of the game as well as score updates as they happen," Telstra spokesman Warwick Ponder said.

And users could in the near future be watching AFL live on their mobile phones, in a similar deal to Hutchison's live coverage of Australian cricket Test matches.

"That is something to be seen into the future," Mr Ponder said.

"Content will become increasingly important on mobile phones into the future as phones get faster and the technologies improve to make the content more easily accessible by a customer.

"We will see more and more people using these technologies for entertainment like AFL."

The Nine, Seven and Ten television networks are currently battling it out to win the AFL TV rights for the 2007-11 period.

Nine and Foxtel teamed up last week to announce a $780 million offer for the rights, with the Seven and Ten Networks expected to match the offer in coming days.

Telstra also holds the mobile phone rights to the National Rugby League.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Telstra-AFL-discuss-mobile-deal/2006/01/04/1136050484774.html

[Razorblade]

I have to say I wasn't aware of you only being able to get the highlights if you are a bigpond customer.

Well legally lol. The Telstra sites aren't Fort Knox. You definitely need broadband in any case.

LOL! 

You can only watch them "legally" if you have telstra broadband!

[one-eyed]

Yahoo!7 alliance eyes AFL net rights
John Lehmann
The Australian
January 31, 2006

THE new online partnership between Kerry Stokes's Seven Network and Yahoo will consider bidding for the AFL internet rights this year if the football code does not strike a new deal with Telstra.

The AFL is talking with Telstra, which holds the rights to an exclusive negotiating period as part of its existing $5 million a year contract over internet and mobile telephone rights.

If a deal is not reached by the end of March, the AFL will open discussions with other internet and telephony players.

Industry sources predict the AFL's internet and mobile wireless communications rights could be worth at least $20 million a year over a five-year period, beginning in 2007.

Seven director Ryan Stokes, who yesterday launched the new website (www.Yahoo7.com.au), said the new 50-50 joint venture was likely to be interested in the AFL rights.

"At some point that's something that we'd be naturally inclined to investigate - it clearly depends on Telstra's relationship with the AFL," Mr Stokes said.

The new company, called Yahoo!7, comes after James Packer's Publishing & Broadcasting developed a successful online portal, ninemsn, in a joint venture with Microsoft.

Seven will tip $10 million in matching capital into the new business, along with promotions on air and through its Pacific Magazines subsidiary.

Also in the mix is a call option over the network's 33 per cent stake in the M.Net mobile content distribution business.

Yahoo's senior vice-president of international operations, John Marcom, indicated that Yahoo!7 would look to build a digital alliance with a telecommunications carrier.

"We continue to have that kind of conversation with lots of different people all the time and certainly if that comes about I think we'd certainly be a more powerful partner that we otherwise would have been," said Mr Marcom, who will chair a six-person Yahoo!7 board.

"The telephony landscape is going to change very quickly as voice, and IP communications converge."

He declined to outline the venture's advertising revenue targets.

Mr Stokes said he expected the online alliance to expand audiences for Seven's broadcast and magazine content, rather than cannibalising them.

"It's extending the experience, and ... if the audience is moving that way, we would rather be there to capture them," he said.

An advertising campaign will be launched next Monday.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17987475%255E36035,00.html

[Mini Tiger]

I thought this was a thread about telling me my right to borrow from other peoples wireless internet connections....

doh! 

[Mini Tiger]

It looks like 7 and Yahoo might be gearing up to doing something on the web, they have an AFL part to their site, it is small at the moment but maybe they are thinking of doing something similar to their sevensportdotcom thing that they had a while back.?.

[F0551L]

I hope this time around we follow Essendon's lead and go with our own independent official website instead of the generic Telstra ones. It would be great if everyone could access replays and highlight clips as was the case with the old AFL site even if its restricted to the EOTT section for RFC members. It's a joke that if even you were willing to pay for highlights you can't because you're not a Telstra bigpond customer. So much for promoting the game and the club 

couldn,t agree more with this comment  if you live outside of VIC you couldn't rely on the "official" website to keep up to date  and even with broadband yoy need to be spend in excess of $70 per month just for unlimited content  money i would much prefer to spend watching real footy or save to watch and support the boys when they visit   eat em alive 06 Tiges feeling lucky

[one-eyed]

Strong interest for AFL internet rights
Michael Sainsbury and John Lehmann
The Australian
May 25, 2006

THE Australian Football League will find out tomorrow whether its $100million price tag for the internet and mobile phone rights to the competition has found a buyer.

Media has learned that the AFL has asked for bids for a five-year contract, starting next year, to be submitted by the end of the week and hopes to finalise a deal by mid-June.

The AFL recently sent a letter to prospective bidders, outlining its timetable.

The incumbent holder of the rights, Telstra, passed on the AFL's price and others in the industry say it is much more than they would be willing to pay.

Telstra faces competition from internet portal players Ninemsn and Yahoo!7. Fairfax Digital and The Australian's publisher News Limited's interactive arm are also believed to have been in talks, as have a range of telcos including Optus.

Hutchison Telecommunications "3" is understood to be interested in the mobile rights, having secured a five-year deal with Cricket Australia for Vodafone. The successful bidder will have the right to show an expanded series of near-live highlights from games.

Under the contract, the AFL will allow mobile phone and internet rights holders to show two 30-second action clips during each quarter of a game, a three-minute highlights package after each quarter and a five-minute package at the end of the game.

The Seven and Ten networks, which jointly paid a record $780million for the television rights, were aware that the new media rights holders would be able to show up to 18 minutes of action per game.

While some telco and media companies have scoffed at the AFL's push for $20 million a year for the rights, AFL executives believe the final value obtained from the rights will surprise some observers.

AFL general manager of commercial operations and business development Gillon McLachlan said the AFL had received "a strong level of interest".

"The process is getting towards the business end," he said. "We're anticipating completing negotiations in early to mid-June."

Telstra still has an exclusive negotiating window until the end of June with the NRL and the two groups are believed to have commenced talks on a fresh five-year deal.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19244824-36035,00.html