Marine motorsport series Powerboat P1 SuperStock UK and P1 AquaX championships will be viewed by more people than ever before after they agreed a new deal with television production and distribution company Greenlight TV.

The Isle of Man and Manchester-based producers will bring Powerboat P1’s UK series onto screens in more than 30 countries around the world, including major population centres such as China, India and Russia, when the season starts next month.

Dedicated P1 SuperStock programmes will be shown in the UK on Sky Sports HD, with additional coverage through magazine shows on Channel 5, Sky Sports HD and ESPN UK to give a estimated total of more than 3,000 broadcast minutes.

Greenlight TV is planning to enhance the coverage through the use of more on-board cameras.  The popular webisodes will again be shown on www.p1superstock.co.uk which already carries almost 30 edits from the 2011 race season.

P1 AquaX coverage will be boosted by a new end-of-season review programme on a number of channels including Sky Sports HD. Each round will have its own webisode specially produced by Greenlight TV and shown online via www.p1aquax.com

“High quality television coverage is essential to the development of our two championships, and the enhanced production capability with more on-board cameras and the extended distribution will benefit everyone involved in the series” said P1 commercial director James Durbin.

by Ismail Uddin

Falling attendances are a concern to, English soccer team, Sunderland’s chairman Niall Quinn who has stated that the revenue lost may impact on manager Steve Bruce’s budget.

Last time out Sunderland beat Bolton 1-0 at the club’s home venue, the Stadium of Light, though only 35,000 fans were in attendance, 14,000 below capacity. The crowd would have been effected significantly by the bitterly cold temperatures but the lunch time kick-off hosted 3,000 fewer than the club’s average attendance sparking a concerned reaction.

Quinn told the Sunderland Echo: “It would be a shame to start downsizing.

“I wouldn’t be doing my job if I recommended that we should be paying big sums for players and the people weren’t supporting the club.”

“I thought if we were in the top half of the Premier League, we would be getting crowds well into the 40,000s, but the reality is we are in the mid-30s,” Quinn continued.

“The plan was always to improve and while we are doing that on the pitch, off the pitch the lifeblood of the club is just starting to get to a worrying area.

“I am not having a go at people who are economically challenged, but I know there are friends of mine who say it’s easier to go to the pub and have a few drinks with their mates and walk home afterwards. But these games are shown illegally.

“I don’t want to alarm people but, for me, there are a few question marks.

“I’m not saying we are perfect, but I always thought I could rely on the support of a massive crowd.”

FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG), sale has reached a multi-year, multi-media agreement with Golden Boy Promotions to provide live boxing content in the United States and internationally.

Golden Boy Promotions, mind owned by renowned former Ten-Time World Champion Oscar de la Hoya, is the first Hispanic-owned boxing promotional company in America doing business domestically and internationally. 

Domestically, Golden Boy fights will be carried on FOX Deportes, the leader in U.S. Latino sports media, on FOX Sports regional networks, the nation’s leading provider of local sports and FUEL TV, FSMG’s dynamic sports network for males and television’s fastest-growing cable network. One originally produced boxing event per month from the United States airs live on FOX Deportes, FUEL TV and FOX Sports regional networks. Additionally, live boxing events from cities throughout Mexico will be carried on FOX Deportes.

The first U.S. event is scheduled for Friday, May 4 (11:00 PM ET/8:00 PM PT), live from The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and features an all-Mexican battle between former World Champion Daniel Ponce De Leon of Cuauhtemoc and Juarez’s Eduardo “El Chucky” Lazcano in a 12-round main event for the vacant WBC USNBC Super Featherweight title and, in the co-feature, perennial contender and Las Vegas favorite Ishe “Sugar Shay” Smith facing Derrick Ennis in a 10-round junior middleweight bout. 

During the first year of the partnership, FOX Deportes is scheduled to air a total of 44 live events originating in both the United States and Mexico; for every year thereafter, the network airs 36 live events. In addition, FSMG networks gain access to classic fights from the Golden Boy fight library which features fights of past and current world champions such as Oscar de la Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. 

“Led by the incomparable Oscar de la Hoya, Golden Boy Promotions has developed a great reputation over the last few years for putting together very exciting cards,” said Bill Wanger, Executive Vice president, Programming & Research, FOX Sports Media Group. “It’s great that we’ve been able to establish what we hope will be a fruitful relationship that benefits multiple networks within the FOX Sports Media Group for years to come.” 

Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions, added: “We are excited about our new partnership with FOX Sports Media Group. This is another step in ensuring that fight fans around the world don’t miss out on any of the great boxing action we present, both in the United States and Mexico. It’s a very important move towards increasing viewership and knowledge of our great sport. We are thrilled about this new partnership.” 

by Ismail Uddin

The British Olympic Association (BOA) is clashing with some of the British home soccer bodies over the selection of non-English players for the London 2012 Olympics.

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) reiterated that Welsh players, such as Tottenham star Gareth Bale, would risk suspension if they take part in London 2012 just days ago. BOA Chief Executive, Andy Hunt told insidethegames that “our selection policy has to comply with the Olympic Charter”.

He reiterated that the “possibility of practising sport without discrimination of any kind” must be available: “We cannot have an explicit agreement that excludes non-English players from the team if they have expressed a wish to be selected”.

In a recent interview Bale, one of the players who would be widely expected to join up with a probable strong English contingent in a GB team, stated that “I would love to play in the Olympics, especially as it would be a part of a Great Britain team.”

The South Africa Football Association (Safa) have secured a deal with South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) for the public network to air all the national football team’s matches for the next three years.

Details of the deal will be revealed to the public in May once the boards of both associations formally approve the deal, said the Sapa news agency.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng, acting chief operating officer, SABC, said: “For the SABC this is a historic milestone for both parties, as previously we negotiated on a game to game basis.

“Once the contract has been signed, South Africans can rest assured that for the next three years, they will be able to watch the national soccer teams whenever they play home games. The agreement has been structured in a way that all parties, but especially the South African public, wins.

“This agreement will further strengthen the relationship between the SABC and Safa, as it was perceived to be on shaky ground,” he said.

Ensuring the South African public could see the matches free to air was key to the deal, said Mandla Mazibuko, acting president of Safa.

by Ismail Uddin

The proposal to move the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to the winter months has been backed by the world footballers’ union, FIFPro. The suggestions have been supported by various FIFA officials, including FIFA president Sepp Blatter, due to summer temperatures potentially reaching 50C in the Middle Eastern Gulf.

In a statement, FIFPro said it “does not foresee any insurmountable problems in this regard”. The event which is traditionally held in June and July may well be hosted in January for the 2022 edition.

Tijs Tummers, secretary of FIFPro’s technical committee, did however question the decision to award Qatar the tournament based on it still being held in the summer. “It is not sensible in a country with an average temperature of 41C in June and July, a midday temperature of 50C and, above all, extremely high humidity”.

“Tourists are advised not to travel to Qatar in the summer months and inhabitants leave the country en masse during this period” added Tummers. “The summer months in Qatar also do not provide suitable conditions for a festival of football such as the World Cup should be, including for the supporters.”

However Tummers did support a switch to winter in order to counter the climate issues and also stated that the player’s may well be in better condition than usual after a long European season.

“Space will have to be made for the tournament, even though many countries already have a winter break,” added the secretary of FIFPro’s technical committee. “In Europe, competitive matches will have to be played in August and the second half of May and the first half of June.

“If you look at what happened last weekend with weather problems in Europe because of heavy snowfall, you could see this as an advantage rather than as a problem. And it might, perhaps, turn out that the players will be fitter at the start of a winter World Cup than was the case last summer at the World Cup in South Africa” concluded Tummers.

Modern Times Group (MTG), impotent the international entertainment broadcasting group, sale sale today announced that it has acquired live TV broadcasting rights to UEFA Champions League football in the Czech Republic from the start of the next season until the end of the 2014/15 season.

The rights include broadcast coverage on free-TV and exclusive rights to pay-TV, mobile and internet coverage in the Czech Republic.

MTG will have exclusive broadcasting rights to Tuesday matches and all but one Wednesday match from the qualifying matches, the group stages and the play-offs through to the semi-finals. The games will be broadcast live and in highlights shows on the Prima COOL free-TV channel and include local language commentary, studio analysis and interviews. MTG has also secured the exclusive pay-TV rights for the final.

Prima COOL is a general entertainment channel targeting 20-40 year old male viewers and is distributed via the Czech digital terrestrial network, as well as through cable, satellite and IPTV networks. MTG also operates the Prima Family and Prima LOVE channels as part of its Czech free-TV media house. The three channels have a combined commercial share of viewing amongst 15 to 54 year olds of approximately 37%.

MTG holds the TV broadcast rights to the UEFA Champions League in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Ghana.

Hans-Holger Albrecht, President and CEO of MTG, commented: “The acquisition of these hugely popular rights for Prima not only builds on our long and successful partnership with TEAM and UEFA, but will also add a new dimension to Prima’s programming schedules. The Champions League is Europe’s premier club competition and features leading players from all over the world. Both Czech players and teams have played in the League and the interest amongst football fans is growing every year.”

by Ismail Uddin

The Russian Premier League has seen its second casualty in less than a year after it was announced on Tuesday 21 that soccer side Amkar Perm had pulled out of the nation’s top flight due to financial difficulties. The Urals-based club will drop down to the second tier of Russian soccer, following FK Moscow who were forced to withdraw from the league earlier this year after their main financial backer, Norilsk, withdrew its support.

Amkar’s president, Valery Chuprakov confirmed his resignation on the club’s official website and released a statement revealing that he had written an official letter to the league to inform the body of Amkar’s decision.

“In light of the difficult financial situation, the club has voluntarily decided to play (in Russia’s second division),” Chuprakov stated on www.amkar.org. “As of today, the club has accumulated debts of 167 million roubles ($5.4 million) and negotiations with potential sponsors have not come to fruition.”

US satelite television network, SPEED and the ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) have reached an agreement on a multi-year deal that includes expanded digital rights with the Le Mans 24 hour-race.

“The 24 Hours of Le Mans certainly is one of the crown jewels of motor sport,” said SPEED President Scott Ackerson. “Together with our coverage of the Daytona 24, this deal cements SPEED as the continued home for the world’s premiere sports car endurance racing.”

When SPEED rolled out its first-ever programming lineup on New Year’s Eve 1995, live coverage from Le Mans certainly was one of the highlights, and on June 16 of this year, the 17-year relationship continues with SPEED’s live coverage of the 80th running of the world’s oldest sports car endurance race.

“Le Mans has taken on the aura of one of a select group of sporting events that belongs to the entire world,” said former racer and SPEED analyst David Hobbs, who competed 20 times in the event. “It belongs with such events as Wimbledon and the Indy 500.”

Supermarket chain Waitrose, food shop of the John Lewis Partnership, have renewed their contract with English soccer’s nPower Championship side, Reading FC. The deal will see the side continue to wear the Waitrose sponsored home, away and training kits for a further two seasons, 2011/12 and 2012/13.

The supermarket will provide the food for away matches for the Royals and also offer exclusive deals to Reading FC season ticket holders under the new agreement. The renewal sees the club remain as the only English side to be sponsored by a food retailer.

Reading FC commercial director, Pat Coyne spoke of the deal: “We are absolutely delighted that Waitrose have extended their contract with us. Our partnership to date has been very successful and we are looking forward to continuing that for a further two years at least. We share the same brand values, together we are very proactive in a number of joint initiatives, especially engaging with fans in the local community, and we are proud to wear the Waitrose logo on our shirt.”

We’re delighted to extend our commitment to Reading Football Club and its supporters by sponsoring the team for the next two seasons. The partnership has already enabled us to support the community in one of our prime retailing areas and broadened the exposure of our brand on both a local and national level. We look forward to building on the success of the partnership and further realising its potential in the years ahead.” added Waitrose commercial director, Mark Williamson.