FIFA presented its new video archive at SportelMonaco in October 2007. Soccer’s world governing body has grouped together all of its unique video archive material from various parts of the world in Zug, Switzerland, where FIFA Films is located. FIFA Films consists of over 30,000 hours of reels and videotapes dating as far back as 1930, the year of the first FIFA World Cup in Uruguay. It also includes moving images from all FIFA competitions to date such as the various World Cups at youth level and events for women, futsal and beach soccer. In addition, it also provides unique footage of FIFA's other events such as the various draws and galas - to name but a few. For full matches as well as official films, formats include 16mm, 35mm and standard-definition (SD) television format. High-definition (HD) footage has been in existence since 2002, starting with the FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan. The 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany was the first to be fully produced in HD.
Media gangplank unveiled
A group of digital media organisations has issued a set of guidelines on copyright protection. The group, which includes Viacom, Walt Disney, Microsoft, Fox, MySpace and NBC Universal, has agreed to use technology to eradicate pirated content circulating online, and to stop such material before it becomes widely available.
London 2012 announces tenders
London 2012 has recently announced tenders for Broadcast Monitoring; Delivery Management System (DMS); and its Supermap. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) are looking to appoint a company to provide a comprehensive service to monitor all national and regional broadcast media and in particular news bulletins which may be running stories about the London 2012 Games. Meanwhile, the DMS will be used to monitor vehicle movements, from off-site Logistics Centres to and around the Olympic Park and within the Olympic Park construction site boundary. The ‘London 2012 Supermap’ will be a web and mobile-based geographic information service for users from all around the world. Providing a ‘Supermap’ service is a core part of the London 2012 New Media strategy and a foundation for a series of interactive web applications.
WCSN enters the race
World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) delivered live coverage of the 30th Annual LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on 7 October 2007. More than 45,000 runners were set to race at the event, alongside the world's elite competitors. Among the men's roster was former Chicago champion Evans Rutto (2003-04) and Felix Limo (2005), as well as top finishers Ben Maiyo, Jaouad Gharib and Daniel Njenga Muturi. Each race was available on WCSN.com and broadcast on WCSN TV. WCSN also provided same-day delay coverage for the 2007 FINA Swimming World Cup, which began on 19 October in Durban, South Africa.
New UK online sports community
Social networking website Sportme.org has been launched in the UK. Its vision is to connect sports people through a universal online sports community - a portal specifically built for athletes, teams and clubs of all sports to promote, network and represent themselves in the sports world. Sportme is a completely free social network that aims to assist grassroots and semi-professional sports clubs, teams, individual athletes and fans to interact online and share their sporting experiences with one another. From soccer to archery, netball to bowls, Sportme will offer everyone involved in sports the chance to share their exploits with others in the sporting community, according to the creators. Clubs, teams and individuals can create custom profiles and use the development functions to keep up to date with their sports schedules; co-ordinate practices, matches and tournaments and find local teams with whom they can compete. Members can also communicate with their sports peers, develop friendships with other sporty people and promote themselves and their groups via the internet using Sportme message boards, sports forums, blogs, calendar and photo/video sharing functions.
Italian sportsbook launch for 888.com
Online gaming company 888 has launched its Italian sportsbook 888.it. Following the tender opened by the Italian Monopoly (AAMS) in October 2006, 888 was granted an online sports betting licence. As per the licence, the web offering is restricted to sports betting and skill games, with possible extension to any other new games that the Italian regulator may wish to introduce in the future. 888.it, together with Cogetech, a local partner specialising in the Italian market, will offer fixed odds initially related to all national sports events and international events that are of a national interest (excluding horse races). At a later stage 888.it is expected to expand its offering to include national horse races and skill games. Meanwhile, Petter Nylander, the CEO of Unibet, was detained on 21 October by Dutch authorities under a European arrest warrant issued by France, after checking in to a flight to get back to his home in the UK. He has since been released following an international outcry that included criticism from the European Commission. Nylander's Belgian lawyer Ewout Keuleers told Associated Press: "We just want this circus to end as soon as possible." It is understood that Petter will travel to France to face the judge who issued the warrant. His arrest has caused some embarrassment as the French government is currently trying to reach an understanding with EU officials on how France's internet gambling monopoly can comply with EU law.
A1 Team GB belts up
A1 Team Great Britain has announced a one-year commercial sponsorship deal with Playseats, a company that makes driving simulator seats for use with gaming platforms like Sony PlayStation.
Timely venture for Tissot
Swatch Group member Tissot has become the Official Watch/Timekeeper of China’s CBA Professional Basketball League, starting with the 2007-08 CBA season, which tips off officially end of October. The agreement will last five years, covering all games of the CBA League, including the play-offs and the hugely successful annual CBA All Star Game. The CBA League is currently the most popular sports programming on television in China. Its ratings have led all other Chinese sports programmes in recent years and coverage is increasing as the new League format gathers momentum. Its aggregate TV audience last season reached 420m (from 315m the previous year and that was a 41% increase over the season before that). This is unmatched by any other league, foreign or local, basketball or other sport in China. Coverage of the CBA League is further complemented by a comprehensive online platform offering in depth coverage of the league and all of Chinese basketball from all angles at www.cbachina.com. In addition, Tissot has acquired an exclusive licence to manufacture CBA League and club branded watches and time pieces, which the company sees as a key part of its sponsorship activation strategy. This strategy has been successfully applied in some of Tissot’s other major sponsorships, including the MotoGP, NASCAR and the IIHF World Championship.
SecondsOut.com back in the ring
SecondsOut.com won the exclusive live rights to Evander Holyfield's world heavyweight comeback fight in the UK, Eire and Germany on 13 October in Moscow. No UK broadcaster screened the fight between the veteran challenger Holyfield and Russian Sultan Ibragimov who beat Shannon Briggs to take the WBO World Heavyweight crown in June. On the night, Holyfield came up well short against Ibragimov (pictured right courtesy of Getty Images Sport/Al Bello), but proved he could still battle. The deal secured the latest in a series of world title fights that have been available live and exclusive to SecondsOut.com viewers but ignored by traditional broadcasters. In all, SecondsOut.tv aims to screen at least 35 live events a year from around the world.
Kangaroo TV hops into Sao Paolo
Kangaroo TV, which offers a handheld multimedia device programming service at every Formula One Grand Prix worldwide as well as NASCAR in the US, launched new and exclusive content by supplying specially-produced off-track programming to Kangaroo TV users at the Brazilian Grand Prix held in October. The unique content included team news updated daily from Sao Paolo; drivers and team personnel shared race previews, insights into the demands of the Interlagos circuit, and even answered specific questions posed by fans. This aired during between events. Kangaroo TV will deliver live race action and behind-the-scenes information to fans at the circuit in the 2008 Formula One championship.
Page from ArkSports' Sport and Technology (www.sportandtechnology.com) on 2008-10- 6 : News - October 2007 : http://www.sportandtechnology.com/news/0539.html
FIFA presented its new video archive at SportelMonaco in October 2007. Soccer’s world governing body has grouped together all of its unique video archive material from various parts of the world in Zug, Switzerland, where FIFA Films is located. FIFA Films consists of over 30,000 hours of reels and videotapes dating as far back as 1930, the year of the first FIFA World Cup in Uruguay. It also includes moving images from all FIFA competitions to date such as the various World Cups at youth level and events for women, futsal and beach soccer. In addition, it also provides unique footage of FIFA's other events such as the various draws and galas - to name but a few. For full matches as well as official films, formats include 16mm, 35mm and standard-definition (SD) television format. High-definition (HD) footage has been in existence since 2002, starting with the FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan. The 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany was the first to be fully produced in HD.
World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) delivered live coverage of the 30th Annual LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on 7 October 2007. 
Online gaming company 888 has launched its Italian sportsbook 888.it. Following the tender opened by the Italian Monopoly (AAMS) in October 2006, 888 was granted an online sports betting licence. As per the licence, the web offering is restricted to sports betting and skill games, with possible extension to any other new games that the Italian regulator may wish to introduce in the future. 888.it, together with Cogetech, a local partner specialising in the Italian market, will offer fixed odds initially related to all national sports events and international events that are of a national interest (excluding horse races). At a later stage 888.it is expected to expand its offering to include national horse races and skill games. Meanwhile, Petter Nylander, the CEO of Unibet, was detained on 21 October by Dutch authorities under a European arrest warrant issued by France, after checking in to a flight to get back to his home in the UK. He has since been released following an international outcry that included criticism from the European Commission. Nylander's Belgian lawyer Ewout Keuleers told Associated Press: "We just want this circus to end as soon as possible." It is understood that Petter will travel to France to face the judge who issued the warrant. His arrest has caused some embarrassment as the French government is currently trying to reach an understanding with EU officials on how France's internet gambling monopoly can comply with EU law. 
ve rights to Evander Holyfield's world heavyweight comeback fight in the UK, Eire and Germany on 13 October in Moscow. 
