WGBA, Channel 26, in Green Bay, and WTMJ, Channel 4, in Milwaukee have reached an agreement with the Green Bay Packers in a multi-year partnership to lead the Packers Television Network.

The partnership between the Packers and the Journal Broadcast Group will include airing of Packers preseason games and “The Mike McCarthy Show,” as well as other programs. Journal Broadcast also owns WTMJ (620 AM), the flagship station of the Packers Radio Network.

“The Packers are excited to be working with the Journal Broadcast Group on the Packers Television Network and its programming,” Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy said Friday.

The Packers’ statement did not disclose either the length of the deal or its financial terms.

In addition to the television programming, the partnership calls for an increase in cross-produced content with the Packers Radio Network.

“Our radio network partnership with the Packers dates back to 1929, and we are very excited to add the TV network to our long-standing relationship,” said Carl Moll, director of network operations for Journal Broadcast Group.

The Packers Television Network affiliate lineup is still being finalized. Other television programs are being developed.

WFRV, Channel 5 in Green Bay, had partnered with the Journal Broadcast Group on the Packers’ state TV network since 2003. Before that, WBAY, Channel 2, was the Packers’ local TV broadcast partner for more than 20 years.

by Ismail Uddin

UEFA announced that they have awarded all media rights for the 2012–15 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League in the Philippines to ABS-CBN.

Free-to-air channel Studio 23 and basic cable TV channel Balls will both broadcast one live game and a highlights programme each UEFA Champions League matchnight, pharmacy as well as one delayed game each matchweek.

Regarding the UEFA Europa League, sick up to three live matches per matchweek will be shown across the two channels. In addition, case a highlights programme and one delayed game will be screened every matchweek on each channel.

by Ismail Uddin

English soccer club,Sheffield Wednesday face a “distinct possibility” of going into administration, BBC Sport understands.

The Australian Rugby League Commission has ensured American households will have access to Rugby League through a key broadcasting agreement with American cable and satellite network FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Soccer.

The exclusive US media rights agreement brings live coverage to FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Soccerbeginning March 1 through to the end of the 2013 season.

The network has committed to live coverage of the Telstra Premiership Grand Final, doctor | all three Harvey Norman State of Origin matches, see two live games from the Telstra Premiership each week and a half hour highlights program that features the key moments of every game in each round.

“By bringing the NRL Telstra Premiership to our family of networks, we have ensured that Rugby League fans across the United States have access to the sport’s most esteemed competitions,” said David Nathanson, General Manager of FOX Soccer.

“The NRL is an exciting, fast-paced brand of Rugby League, with some of the richest rivalries in the sport today. Coupled with the historic State of Origin series, we are providing our fans with a full slate of premier Rugby League properties.”

Australian Rugby League Commission Chief Executive, Mr David Gallop, said today that the partnership provided tremendous exposure for Rugby League.

“There is a strong competition being played in the US and healthy audience of people there who look for coverage of our games,” he said.

“This agreement gives a real sense of certainty around our telecasts going forward and the opportunity to expose the game to more fans.

“Rugby League is an amazing television sport and it is one that we believe can grow audiences in the US.”

by Ismail Uddin

The NBC will air the first two races of the America’s Cup, sailing’s marquee regatta which will be staged in San Francisco Bay on September 2013.

According to the Associated Press the deal with the NBC Sports Group also includes three broadcasts on NBC this year from the America’s Cup World Series. The remaining races in the America’s Cup match will be on cable on NBC Sports Network.

The deal is big for regatta organizers who hope to showcase the modernized America’s Cup to mainstream fans. Racing will be on a short course close to shore rather than miles out to sea, and in fast, wing-sailed catamarans rather than plodding sloops.

With the exception of ABC showing Race 1 of the 1992 America’s Cup in San Diego, every other race shown live since the epic Race 7 in 1983 has been on cable.

“It’s fantastic because it’s obviously mainstream TV and a lot of people are going to see the racing as a result,” said Russell Coutts, who sailed undefeated through three straight America’s Cup matches as a skipper for two different countries, and added a fourth title in 2010 as CEO of Oracle Racing. “Frankly, I think it’s the best TV result for sailing, certainly in my experience with the America’s Cup. This is going to be great for sailing and really, really good for the America’s Cup.”

The NBC Sports Group also acquired rights to the Louis Vuitton Cup in the summer of 2013 in San Francisco, which will determine which foreign syndicate meets Oracle Racing, owned by Silicon Valley maverick Larry Ellison, for the oldest trophy in international sports.

Richard Worth, the chairman of the America’s Cup Event Authority, said NBC will televise the final day of racing from three stops on the America’s Cup World Series (ACWS) this summer as well as the opening two races of the 34th America’s Cup match on Sept. 7 and 8, 2013.

NBC Sports Group is not paying a rights fee. Worth said America’s Cup officials will acquire air time and offer commercial time first to their own sponsors.

The biggest risk in televising the America’s Cup is the capriciousness of the weather. Delays because of too much wind, not enough wind or wildly shifting breezes can easily mess up broadcast schedules. Organizers believe they’ve largely avoided that problem by switching to catamarans that can sail in a wide range of conditions. Races have been shortened to better fit into TV time slots and will be sailed close to shore.

Worth said the final races in ACWS stops in Plymouth, England, and San Diego last fall proved that organizers can provide racing on schedule even in brisk conditions that sometimes had boats sailing on edge, with an occasional capsize.

The ACWS is being contested in 45-foot catamarans with high-tech wings as mainsails. The Louis Vuitton Cup and America’s Cup match will be sailed in 72-foot cats.

The first NBC broadcast is scheduled for July 1, the final day of the America’s Cup World Series in Newport, R.I. The other dates on NBC are Aug. 26 and Oct. 7, so America’s Cup organizers will fit events to those slots. Organizers are exploring having an ACWS stop on the Hudson River in New York, which would end on Aug. 26. If that’s not possible, there would be ACWS stops in San Francisco ending with televised races on Aug. 26 and Oct. 7.

Each boat will carry an HD camera and 14 microphones. America’s Cup officials have developed a system called LiveLine that will insert graphics into live shots from helicopters. Lines similar to the yellow first-down line used in football broadcasts will be used to show which boat is ahead, distance to the marks and course boundaries.

by Ismail Uddin

Tottenham made a £6.6m loss after tax for the year ending 30 June 2010 following the investment in a squad that clinched fourth place in last season’s Premier League and a place in the Champions League.

Increased prize money for the north London club’s highest position since 1990 contributed to record revenue of £119.8m in the annual report released today, but the team could not match last year’s £23.2m profit after buying players including Sébastien Bassong, Peter Crouch and Younes Kaboul. Profits before player trading were £22.7m.

Still, qualification for the lucrative Champions League was expected to boost income further this season. “We are benefiting now from our investment to date in the first-team squad,” the chairman Daniel Levy said.

Tottenham said total income was up 6%, despite a lack of European competition, due to a season of sold-out home matches and increased broadcast revenue.

But that lack of European midweek matches contributed to a drop in sponsorship and corporate hospitality income to £25.8m from £27.4m, while revenue from ticket sales dropped by a similar amount for the same reason even though all 38 Premier League matches at the 36,310-seat White Hart Lane stadium were full.

Since 30 June, Tottenham have added William Gallas, Stipe Pletikosa, Sandro and Rafael van der Vaart to their squad for around £20m. That expense will feature in next year’s results, although Tottenham should compensate for that in Champions League income.

Source: Guardian.co.uk

UEFA has announced today they have awarded the 2012–15 UEFA Champions League media rights to The Sports Channel in Israel.

The Sports Channel has acquired all rights to the competition and will broadcast three live matches each matchnight on Sport 5, asthma Sport 5+ and +5GOLD. In addition Sport 5 will also show a highlights programme every matchnight.

by Ismail Uddin

Staff of Arsenal Football Club, allergy including CEO Ivan Gazidis will be sleeping out on November 11 to help raise money for the Club’s Charity of the Season, Centrepoint.?

A total of eleven members of staff including senior management will join others at Old Spitalfields Market in giving up their bed for the night at Centrepoint’s annual Sleep Out, to show solidarity with some of the most marginalized people in society.?

Centrepoint is Arsenal Football Club’s Charity of the Season for 2010/11 and through its ‘Be a Gooner. Be a Giver’ campaign, the Club has set itself a fundraising target of £500,000 which will be used to create a state-of-the-art service in a refurbished building in Soho. The centre will help homeless young people across London to develop essential life skills to get back on their feet and stay off the streets permanently.?

CEO Ivan Gazidis said: “This is a great way for our staff to connect and engage with the club’s Charity of the Season, Centrepoint. It will provide a rare insight into some of the challenges that young homeless people in London are faced with. We are heartened by the response of staff and hope this event will push us further towards our season-long fundraising target of £500,000.”?

The Club will match staff’s fundraising endeavours as part of Arsenal’s ongoing commitment to reaching the campaign’s ambitious target and will also be dedicating its Premier League fixture against Fulham on December 4 to the charity, when players and directors will donate a day’s wages to Centrepoint.

To find out more about Arsenal’s Charity of the Season and see how you can donate, visit www.beagoonerbeagiver.org

IMG Media, arthritis part of IMG Worldwide, capsule the global sports, cough fashion and media company, today has launched EDGEsport, the first-ever 24-hour premium action sport channel, to the Asian market.

Aimed specifically at the active and athletic urban young adult, the channel will feature top action from key sports disciplines such as surfing, snowboarding, BMX, mountain biking, skateboarding, Supercross, skiing, base jumping, freestyle motocross and wakeboarding.

In addition there will be films, documentaries, athletic profiles and biographies, lifestyle programming and magazine shows – all in High Definition.

Adam Kelly, Marketing Director for IMG Media, said: “We are investing in action sports as we see the long term potential in this area. Our belief is that with the right approach and development this content will deliver the audiences of tomorrow for sports channels and platforms around the world. EDGEsport will help deliver the exposure needed for our clients to develop their distribution initially in Asia and then in the rest of the world.”

Graham Fry, Managing Director Sports Production Worldwide for IMG Media, added: “Action sports already has a young dedicated following and we see huge growth potential in this genre so we are delighted to be offering this 24-hour channel. It’s also an exciting new challenge for our team based in Singapore who are responsible for the output.”

IMG Media is producing the programming and distributing the channel globally and has already secured deals in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia with others in different stages of negotiation. The channel is being broadcast across various Pay TV cable, satellite and IPTV platforms.

EDGEsport will have over 700 hours of content from launch and will show major events such as the World Snowboarding Championships, ASP World Surfing Tour, BMX Supercross World Cup Series and H2O racing.

Other top events will be added to the EDGEsport channel throughout the year and the programming also has the ability to be simulcast digitally online and to mobile.

by Ismail Uddin