Murdoch Unveils Global Pay Tv Sports Drive

He said the purchase of those rights would also buy his way into the worlds sporting establishment.

Sport absolutely overpowers film and everything else in the entertainment genre, Murdoch told shareholders at the annual meeting of News Corp, his global media group.

We have the long-term rights in most countries to major sporting events and we will be doing in Asia what we intend to do elsewhere in the world, that is, use sports as a battering ram and a lead offering in all our pay television operations, said Murdoch, News chairman and chief executive.

News Corp has spent big money on acquiring sports programming rights worldwide over the last five years and has set up sports programme distribution deals with some of the industrys biggest players in the past 12 months. Murdochs global media and entertainment group set up a worldwide sports programming joint venture with US cable television giant Tele-Communications Inc (TCI) and Liberty Media of the United States in January.

 

Two weeks ago, News Corp formed an Asian sports programming joint venture with its former competitor Walt Disney Incs sports broadcaster ESPN.

Sport will remain very important and we will be investing and acquiring long-term rights and becoming part of the world sports establishment, said Murdoch, News chairman and chief executive.

Football, of all sports, is number one, said Murdoch, who sails as a sporting pastime.

News Corp has spent millions on football programming rights over the past few years.

It has bought the rights for the National Football League (NFL) in the U.S. and Premier League soccer in the United Kingdom and is setting up its rebel rugby league competitions in Australia and Europe. We expect the next three World Cups will have a significant place on our platforms, said Murdoch, referring to the soccer and Rugby Union world cups.

Murdoch received a boost to his Australian sports broadcasting plans two weeks ago, when the Australian Federal Court overturned a Court ruling in March that banned the launch of News rebel rugby league competition, Super League.