The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) have agreed a production and distribution services agreement with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship season.

Under the contract, the EBU’s production subsidiary EPC (Eurovision Production Coordination) will continue to film and produce the season’s programming entirely in HD, while the EBU will provide distribution services to a global audience.

Since forming a relationship with the FIA in March this year, the EBU has successfully secured consistent and efficient worldwide distribution of the FIA World Rally Championship, notably by drawing on its solid links with its Members, but also by engaging with other broadcasters.

In addition to renewing agreements with previous broadcast partners, the EBU has been able to add prestigious new networks to the WRC portfolio, including among others, RAI in Italy, TVE in Spain and SVT in Sweden, ensuring comprehensive worldwide coverage to viewers in 120 countries.

The EBU’s ‘BEST’ streaming solutions will also provide online video services to WRC.com, the official website of the FIA World Rally Championship. With more than 50 million page views since the beginning of 2012, an increase of 15% compared to a similar period last year, WRC.com is confirming its position as one of the world’s leading motorsport websites.

Russian billionaire and 27 per cent shareholder in English Premier League soccer club Alisher Usmanov says he will not sell his Arsenal shares after fellow shareholder Stan Kroenke triggered a mandatory buyout offer.

Kroenke increased his stake in the club earlier this week to nearly 63 per cent having bought Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith’s 15.9 per cent stake along with Danny Fiszman’s 16.1 per cent, who sadly passed away yesterday.

Doing so meant that he was forced to make an offer for the remaining shares under UK law but Usmanov told Bloomberg: “I’m not going to sell my stake.

“I love Arsenal, that’s why I’m a shareholder.”

A spokesperson for the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust (AST) welcomed Usmanov’s stance, stating: “AST welcomes Red and White Holdings’ [Usmanov’s investment company] commitment to Arsenal and calls on all shareholders to work together.

“Their priorities should firstly be making Arsenal a successful football team, secondly placing no leveraged debt on the club or taking dividends and management fees out of the club, and thirdly helping supporters be directly involved in the club’s shareholding.”

When news broke that Kroenke had become the majority shareholder, BBC business reporter Robert Peston reported that he had been told Usmanov was “hopping mad” and felt he had been “stitched up” by Arsenal.

Russian billionaire Usmanov bought into Arsenal in August 2007, when he paid former vice-chairman David Dein about £75m (US$122.4m) for his 14.65 per cent stake and in December 2009, Usmanov increased his interest to just over 26 per cent.

The supporters trust has already indicated it will not sell its shares, adding: “Arsenal is too important to be owned by any one man.”

Sunset+Vine Global Television has today been announced as the host broadcaster for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Australian located Global Television will be broadcasting the Commonwealth Games for the third time in a row and will collaborate with London based Sunset+Vine to form SVGTC, creating 1000 jobs in the process.

A partnership will also be formed with colleges and universities to produce an education and training course which will incorporate creative and technology skills with an anticipated 120 students set to start a broadcast career during the Glasgow games.

Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland, declared that the selection of the host broadcaster was the biggest contract of the Glasgow 2014 games; broadcasting the event to a possible one billion viewers.

“It will not only mean an enormous contribution towards the successful delivery of the Games, but will give a huge boost to Scotland’s creative industries,” Salmond explained.

“The positive legacy that Sunset+Vine and Global Television will leave behind is also pivotal. At least 120 graduates from Scotland will work with them during the Games, creating a talent pool that I know will be highly sought-after when Scotland hosts other sporting events in years to come – not least of which will be the 2014 Ryder Cup,” he added.

The Japanese Football Association (JFA) has announced a u-turn in its original decision to withdraw its national team from the Copa America 2011, having been crowned AFC Champions earlier in the year, in the aftermath of a massive earthquake and tsunami.

The disasters on 11 March severely damaged a nuclear power plant in the country’s north-east, causing widespread electricity cuts that forced the temporary suspension of the country’s elite soccer competition J.League.

However a statement released by FIFA confirmed that JFA vice-president Kozo Tashima had told a news conference: “We, as the Japan Football Association, reached the conclusion today that we will take part in the Copa America. We are preparing to send a letter to the South American Football Confederation about our participation.”

J.League clubs have said they are opposed to sending top players to the Copa America, which will run from 1 to 24 July in Argentina but the JFA decided at an executive meeting today that it would send a squad mostly made up of Europe-based players, who will be having a pre-season break at the time.

Bellator Fighting Championships today announced that the promotion has signed a new deal with mun2, which now will serve as the exclusive Spanish-language broadcast partner of the organization in the U.S.

The cable network, which aired 22 live events during Bellator’s second and third seasons, relaunches its Bellator programming on Friday with a taped airing of Bellator 60. The first live event of the new deal to air on the network will be Bellator 72, which takes place July 20 at USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla.

“Both Bellator and mun2 have experienced tremendous growth since our earlier alliance, so when the possibility of re-aligning with mun2 for anything/everything Bellator Spanish-language in the U.S., the move was a natural fit,” Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney stated. “Since our first event, Bellator has recognized and respected Hispanic consumers as some of the greatest MMA fans in the world, and this partnership ensures that audience will have a new spectacular home where it can watch Bellator live and ‘best of’ on a weekly basis.”

mun2, which launched in 1993 as GEMS Television and was renamed/relaunched in 2001, is part of the Telemundo Communications Group. Billed as the “leading Hispanic cable network for young millennial adults 18-34,” mun2 currently reaches 38 million homes. 

“We’re all very excited to have Bellator return to mun2,” mun2 exec Flavio Morales stated. “mun2 is all about bringing Latinos their stars, music and sports. There is no question Latinos love MMA, and we are glad to make mun2 the home for Bellator once again.”

Following the conclusion of Bellator’s first deal with mun2, the promotion partnered with MTV’s Tr3s channel in time for the company’s fourth season. That move coincided with the company’s English-language broadcasts moving from FOX Sports Net to MTV2.

Bellator’s first season aired in Spanish on ESPN Deportes.

It was announced yesterday, March 13, that former Arsenal board member, Danny Fiszman had died aged 66, after a protracted battle with throat cancer.

Fiszman, who made his fortune as a diamond dealer, was best known for his crucial role at Arsenal soccer club, of whom he was a lifelong fan, and first joined the board in 1992.

He first acquired his original 8 per cent stake in the North London club from then vice-chairman David Dein and played an instrumental role in the side’s relocation from Highbury to Ashburton Grove, now known as the Emirates Stadium.

In 2007 he became the majority shareholder in the Premier League club, from which point he drove the move and construction of the fantastic 60,000 all-seater stadium despite Dein having been known to favour a switch to King’s Cross or the restored Wembley.

Having increased his stake in the club to a high of 33 per cent, he sold a block of 659 shares to American Stan Kroenke, the man to whom he relinquished his eventual 16 per cent shares just days before the tragic news of his death.

Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has described Danny as a “visionary director, gentleman and true Arsenal fan,” adding: “We are all deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend Danny. His voice, wisdom and presence around the club he so dearly loved will be sorely missed.

“Arsenal will forever be indebted to Danny for his invaluable foresight and contribution during the move from Highbury to our new stadium.

“Our thoughts at this time are with Danny’s wife Sally, family and friends. We have lost a much-loved husband, father, grandfather and friend.”

iSportconnect advisory board member, Michael Cunnah added: “It was very sad to hear that Danny passed away yesterday. Danny was a driving force behind Arsenal and the move to the new stadium.

“Whenever I met him, usually at a game at Highbury and then The Emirates, Danny was very charming, always making time to welcome you to his Board room.”

From the entire team and membership at iSportconnect we send our whole-hearted condolences and best wishes to his family following this saddening news.

The stature of the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters will be amplified as the Asian Tour event will be beamed live for the first time in the tournament’s history this September, story organisers said today.

The Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters has been a popular fixture since joining the Asian Tour Schedule in 2008 and this year, denture it will enjoy a huge boost when the final two rounds are beamed live to a global audience.

Over 200 countries and 650 million homes will receive the broadcast on the expansive Asian Tour’s worldwide television platform via the Live, allergy Highlights, Golf Show and Golfing World programmes.

Defending champion Joonas Granberg of Finland, who won the tournament last year, will headline the RM1.2 million event (approximately US$395,000) alongside many of the leading Asian Tour players at the resplendent Kota Permai Golf and Country Club from September 5-8, 2012.

For the fifth successive year, Worldwide Holdings, a 100 per cent subsidiary of PKNS, will title sponsor the Selangor Masters. The state-linked company has an impressive portfolio of businesses which include property development and investment, environmental management services and investment holding in Selangor. 

Worldwide Holding’s support of the Selangor Masters is part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) where apart from sports sponsorships, it also supports the underprivileged through various community projects.

“On behalf of Worldwide Holdings, we are delighted to announce the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters will be staged on a grander scale with live coverage over the final two rounds. We are pleased to reach this new milestone as it will further enhance our flagship tournament and promote the state of Selangor and Malaysia to a wider and global audience,” said Worldwide Holdings Chairman, Datuk Mohd Arif Ab. Rahman.

“Golf has come a long way in Malaysia and it is our fervent hope that our event will help to further grow the game in the country and across the region. We have seen many worthy champions emerge from the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters and it is our hope that another local player will follow in the footsteps of Ben Leong, who won the event in 2008.”

Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han said the live television coverage will benefit the tournament and sponsors tremendously.

“The live television broadcast will give added value to all sponsors associated with the Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters as the tournament will be showcased around the world on our vast TV platform,” said Han.

“We are proud to be associated with the Selangor Masters since 2008 and I would like to extend my gratitude to Worldwide Holdings and the Selangor government for their outstanding support in enhancing the sport in the region.”

Spanish La Liga soccer giant Real Madrid will play two friendly matches during the first week of August during their China Tour this year, partnered by Singapore-based Centurion Group.

On 3 August they will play the newly promoted Guangzhou Evergrande at Tianhe Stadium. They will then travel to face Tianjin Teda, last years CSL runners-up, at the iconic Water Drop Stadium on 6 August.

The tour, which will be Real Madrid’s first to Asia since 2005, will see the full first team travel to China.  In addition to the two matches, Real Madrid will also be organizing other initiatives that will allow their fans and football enthusiasts to get up close and personal with their football heroes.

Emilio Butragueño, Real Madrid’s director of Institutional Relations, stated: “This is more than just a typical pre-season tour for us. We have more than 100 million fans in China and it is a great opportunity for us to get out here to meet with the fans and thank them for their support. We want to showcase the very best of Real Madrid and can assure our fans of a great sporting occasion. But also, as the biggest brand in football, we also seek to explore how we can help grow and develop the sport in China.”

Sports Marketing group IMG has inked an eight-year agreement with Italian media company RCS to try to boost broadcast revenues for its cycling events, capitalising on growing international interest in the sport.

The sports event arm of RCS, which publishes Italian newspapers Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere della Sera, is seeking a bigger worldwide audience for races it organises, such as the three-week Giro d’Italia (Tour of Italy).

“We are sure that IMG Media’s expertise will help us to improve the value and increase the international visibility of the Giro d’Italia and other RCS races,” said Giacomo Catano, the RCS Sport chief executive.

RCS Sport runs 32 days of international cycling each year, including the Milan-San Remo one-day classic.

Catano said he did not believe that the Giro, held in May, was condemned to live for ever in the shadow of the Tour de France, the world’s best-known cycle race, which begins this weekend. The Giro is currently broadcast to 165 countries, compared with 190 for the French race.

“We don’t feel in competition with the others. We want to increase the value of cycling,” Catano told a press briefing in London. “In the United States, cycling has a fantastically positive trend. Some say cycling has become the new golf.”

RCS Sport’s managing director, Michele Acquarone, said the deal with IMG would build on efforts to bring more international riders to the Giro in recent years and experiment with starting the race in other European nations.

“We are sure that IMG can help us to improve our product,” he said.

RCS has worked with Italian state broadcaster RAI to produce and distribute content internationally.

The agreement with IMG runs until 2020 and covers global distribution of audiovisual rights in all forms – to broadcasters and digital media.

Scottish Premier League soccer giant Rangers are reportedly on the verge of agreeing a takeover of the club after owner Sir David Murray agreed a deal to sell the club to Craig Whyte.

Scottish tycoon Whyte has been locked in talks for some time over Murray’s 75 per cent stake with partner Andrew Ellis due to become a 25 per cent partner.

Whyte has brokered a deal that will see him buy the team’s home stadium, Ibrox and the surrounding land along with the club’s Murray Park training ground, if approved by the club’s board.

The deal is expected to cost Whyte around £28m (US$45.5m), though the overall financial implications of the deal for the new owner is expected to be twice as much having given assurances that he will invest £5m ($8.1m) in the playing squad in each of the next five seasons.

The new investment is set to clear the club’s Term loan with Lloyds Banking Group immediately, which is believed to be in the £18m ($29.2m) region, and the other smaller loans will be cleared over time.

Whyte’s offer will now be presented to Rangers’ board for approval and it is expected they will ratify it due to any long-term complications that could arise due to lack of future investment.