Univisions’ Broadcast of Mexico vs. Argentina Match Shatters All Previous Records; Univision Network Doubling and Tripling Previous World Cup Ratings

With an audience totaling 6.7 million Persons 2+, including 4.3 million Adults 18-49, the Univision Network’s UVN telecast of Saturday’s Mexico versus Argentina World Cup match broke all previous audience records. These results place the game as the single largest sports telecast among Hispanic viewers ever, including all previous Superbowls, as well as the #1 most-watched sports telecast in Spanish-language television history, breaking the record set previously during this year’s tournament. Also, even though it was not a primetime telecast, it also secured the #5 most-watched broadcast of any type on Spanish-language television ever.

Through Saturday, June 24th, the Univision Network’s 2006 World Cup coverage is doubling and tripling past World Cup averages. (Read full article…)

June 26 2006

It really is unbelievable how a gutsy Italian win can rankle journalists and commentators everywhere.

Look around the web and at broadsides tomorrow and you will find tall tales of Australian heroism, their grit and wit, their strength and courage and, of course, inevitably how all that failed in the face of dour Italy, an Italy who were not only lucky but were perpetrators of grand theft.

Of course, all of this is rubbish. Italy were the ones who were the real heroes. Reduced to ten men six minutes into the second half after a scandalous red card for Marco Materazzi, Italy produced a masterclass in defending. They thwarted Australia time and time again and despite being a man short they played valiantly.

When the underdog does not triumph, commentators should have at least the decency to take their hats off to the top dog.

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Portugal and Holland. 2 impressive football nations with an attack minded football met today in the round of 16 at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. All seemed fine as both teams stood for their national anthems. Shorlty after a evenly matched, tense and vigourous game began. With both teams sizing their opponents out in the first few moments, it was Holland that first tested their attack. In the opening minutes a hard shot from Van Bommel from the 22 yard range went whistling by Ricardo’s left post. As the game progressed, Holland showed Portugal that it meant business as both Van Bommel (2′) and Boulahrouz (7′) both were shown yellows for harsh fouls on the talented Cristiano Ronaldo. The latter foul proved to be worthy of a red as it ended Ronaldo’s game after a few attempts of treatment on the sidelines. HOwever Ronaldo, was still in it, albeit in demonstrative pain, Ronaldo at the 23rd minute, controlled the ball, passing it off to Deco where a nifty pass by the Brazilian born Portuguese national, in the box gave Maniche an opening for a solid finish to the right of Van Der Sar. Goal. Golaco! - Portugal.

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British soccer fans will be able to watch World Cup matches free on the internet broadcast from BBC website, which is expected to distract office workers around the United Kingdom. According to BBC website, all of the 2006 World Cup matches will be available via live stream. The live video streaming of World Cup will be available only to UK broadband users due to sports right arrangements, where the broadcaster is limited to operate in a single country. In addition, four-minute highlight packages will be available from every game on demand. They will be streaming live on the internet 23 of the first-round matches, as well as the knockout stages. Audience will be able to listen to the same commentary and stream identical coverage as on conventional terrestrial television. The BBC declined to disclose how much did the broadband rights cost them. The deal was done with Infront Sports and Media, organization overseeing sales of the World Cup broadcast rights worldwide. (Read full article…)

Argentina have played Mexico on 23 previous occasions and they have won eight, drawn 11 and lost four. They won 6-3 in the inaugural World Cup in 1930. This is their only meeting in the competition finals.

A year ago, Argentina beat Mexico 6-5 in a penalty shoot-out in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup. In a match in which Javier Saviola (Argentina) and Rafael Marquez (Mexico) were red-carded, Argentine Esteban Cambiasso converted the deciding penalty after Mexico defender Ricardo Osorio had missed. (Read full article…)

Flag-flying patriotism is a rarity in England, but there are few things that seem to make people as proud of being English as a major football tournament, and this year’s World Cup is no exception.

The country is awash with bunting and St. George’s Cross flags and people who usually have no interest in the ‘beautiful game’ suddenly care deeply about how England’s boys are performing on (and off) the pitch.

And you don’t even need to know much about football to take part in the national obsession. Water cooler talk about David Beckham’s hair, Wayne Rooney’s foot, or indeed the scandalous exploits of the so-called WAGs (wives and girlfriends), led by queen bee Victoria Beckham, means nobody need feel left out. (Read full article…)

Joseph (Sepp) Blatter highlighted today that certain alterations will be promoted in the calculating formual for the FIFA Football Country rankings which is published on a monthly basis.

The much-ridiculed FIFA world rankings are to be revised and the new system unveiled on July 6, 2006.

Germany in particular have complained about being 19th in the rankings while Mexico are fourth and the United States fifth.

“The rankings system is to be modified,” said Blatter. “It will only take into account the results from the last four years and not eight.

“The new format will be unveiled on July 6,” added the Swiss, who highlighted the case of fifth-ranked the United States as a case in point declaring that they had been hugely disappointing.

Visitors to the 2006 World Cup may not know it but each and every ticket holder will be carrying an RFID tag.
All of the 3.2 million tickets issued for this year’s tournament will come equipped with an RFID chip inside, which is scanned whenever a fan arrives at the gates of any of the 12 stadia.

According to Philips, which supplied the RFID tech, the track-and-trace chips have been included in the tickets to combat counterfeiting and ensure only those with legitimate tickets can get in to watch the matches.
Each of the tickets is now personalised with the holder’s name in an effort to stop touting and prevent hooligans from getting access to World Cup matches.
Cord Bartels, business development manager at Philips, said the tickets are “bulletproof” but admitted that without installing more privacy-invasive measures, it would be impossible to kill off the black market in World Cup tickets altogether. (Read full article…)

A member of FIFA’s executive committee was caught selling World Cup match tickets for three times their value and ordered home from the tournament as a result. Ismail Bhamjee of Botswana was uncovered through a sting operation by the “English Mail on Sunday” newspaper, which then produced the evidence to soccer’s ruling body.

Bhamjee confirmed in a written statement that he sold 12 category one tickets for the match between England and Trinidad & Tobago for 300 euros each, 200 euros above face value. “I deeply regret this incorrect act and apologize to FIFA for violating the relevant terms and conditions governing the sale of tickets for the 2006 FIFA World Cup,” he said in a statement. (Read full article…)

Chances are if you’re watching highlights from the FIFA World Cup matches on television, you are seeing Apple technology hard at work. Highlights from the world’s most popular sport are being prepared using multiple Apple products and technologies.

The biggest of the television networks using Apple products is the Host Broadcast Service (HBS), which is a collection of production groups brought together specifically for the 2006 World Cup. From its master control center to the dozens of cameras at each match, the production team is responsible for everything from managing the feeds coming back to the Munich headquarters to quickly delivering highlights to mobile phones within minutes of the action happening on the field.

The HBS delivers its highlight clips to 50 networks around the world as the games are happening. To accomplish this the group is using four Power Mac G5s, PictureReady software and AJA Kona cards to DVCPRO HD 1080i50. The feeds from the games are recorded into a 20TB Apple Xsan. (Read full article…)