Univision and ISE in 2006 World Cup Internet and mobile rights deal

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Infront Sports & Media has announced two new media agreements for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. With significant numbers of new media agreements operating in every continent and more in the pipeline, all indications are that coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup will be the most diversified of any international sports event to date.

Univision Communications Inc. is licensing the Spanish-language Internet and mobile telephony rights in the United States to all 64 matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, as well as archive access to 2002 FIFA World Cup matches. Univision's acquisition of 2006 FIFA World Cup Internet and mobile telephony rights assures its audience unprecedented coverage via Univision's multiple platforms. Univision, which is already a FIFA World Cup television rights holder, will exploit the Internet rights on the Univision website and mobile telephony rights with one major U.S. mobile operator - the name of which is still to be announced.

The International Sports Events Company (ISE) is also licensing Internet and mobile telephony rights to all 64 matches and archive access to 2002 FIFA World Cup matches for the territories of the Middle East and North Africa. The agreement covers a number of languages appropriate to the region, including Arabic, English and French. The International Sports Events Company is already a television rights holder and will sublicense its new media rights for all markets within the territory.

Internet and mobile telephony rights will enable the transmission of a limited number of video clips of key footage (such as goals) over the Internet and via mobile networks to mobile phones, geo-blocked for user access only within each territory.

New media services are becoming an increasingly important medium for transmission of highlights of top sporting events. Oliver Seibert, an Executive Director of Infront, said: "We can state with confidence that new media coverage will come of age with the 2006 FIFA World Cup - we are extending the frontiers of new media coverage for football".