TV rights key in Washington baseball deal
For years Baltimore Orioles majority owner Peter Angelos was able to head off the reimportation of Major League Baseball into the city on the other end of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. Part of the ransom he was able to extract from MLB was in the form of a telecasting deal, terms unknown.
The gist of the deal is this: The Orioles and the as-yet-unnamed Washington National League team (nee-Montreal Expos) will share a regional sports network. Angelos will get the lion's share of the proceeds.
Currently, the Orioles sell a split of game rights, with some going to a Comcast regional cable channel, and some going to local broadcast stations.
Senator heralds success of Alhurra and Radio Sawa
In a press conference last week, Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, laid out a comprehensive plan to reach the Islamic world on a global scale. In his report, Initiative 911, Sen. Biden points to the success of Alhurra and Radio Sawa, the Arabic-language satellite television and radio networks and proposes using them as a model for future broadcasting efforts throughout the world.
"Now, thanks to Radio Sawa and Alhurra TV, we are doing a better job -- much better job -- of communicating with the people of the Middle East. A few years ago, barely two million Arabs listened to our international broadcast services; today more than 27 million do. As important, major research indicates majorities of Radio Sawa and Alhurra audiences find their news reliable," the report states. "Radio Sawa and Alhurra TV have set a new standard for innovation in U.S. international broadcasting."
Alhurra is operated The Middle East Television Network, Inc. MTN is financed by Congress through a grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
Chicago Gay Games signs with QTV for broadcast rights
Chicago organizers of Gay Games VII announced a multi-million dollar cash and barter deal assigning television and radio broadcast rights to the Q Television network. Q Television Network and Chicago Games, Inc. signed a Letter of Intent marking the final negotiation period for an agreement transferring the media rights to the California-based cable network.
The LOI outlines the broad terms of the proposed deal, including broadcast rights, joint development of Gay Games-related programming, broadcast airtime for advanced Gay Games advertising, and live and taped coverage of Gay Games VII events from 7/15-7/22 2006. As part of the proposed agreement, Q Television, a subscriber-based television network affiliated with RCN Cable and other providers, will unscramble its signal during live coverage of the Gay Games in 2006. Q Television would also serve as the agent for the redistribution of television and radio broadcast rights, allowing for access beyond Q Television's cable footprint, especially in international markets. The media rights being sold would not prohibit standard news coverage.
Q Television Network was organized to create and develop a network devoted to providing television programming for the gay and lesbian community. The company's programming is available on a subscription basis and is now broadcasting on the RCN Cable Network in markets across the US and Puerto Rico. Gay Games VII Sports and Cultural Festival will feature 12,000 athletes from more than 100 countries will compete in 30 sports ranging from softball to dancesport, swimming to tennis.
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