Welcome to user pays soccer

Wang Guohua comes home early on Saturdays, eats dinner with his family, sits down with some beers and peanuts and turns the television to free-to-air network BTV-6.

His weekend indulgence has become an all-important part of the Beijing taxi driver's hard-working life, but the hard-earned respite ends this Saturday when the first round of the 2007-08 English Premier League (EPL) kicks off.

Tiansheng TV, a subsidiary of Guangdong Provincial Television, has acquired EPL broadcasting rights on the Chinese mainland and Wang will now have to pay for the privilege of following his soccer idols.

Tiansheng, which bought the rights for three years last September, will charge viewers 188 yuan ($24) a month or 588 yuan ($77) a year for its Eurosoccer Channel.

"It is too expensive for a taxi driver," said Wang, 40, who fell in love with the sport when China started a professional league in 1990."

"It is such a pity as watching England soccer has become a habit every weekend and also a good way to relax coming off a hard day.

Like Wang, a large number of people earn just 2,500 yuan ($338) a month in Beijing and won't be able to afford Tiansheng's fee, which is expected to limit subscriber numbers for the season beginning this weekend.

It will take time to wean Chinese sports fans off free-to-air channels, especially the main viewers of Premier League fixtures: students.

"I think it is impossible for us to pay and we just hope there will be matches on the internet and the price will be much lower," Li Yong, a Tsinghua University student, said.

Before the end of last season, China's EPL addicts could watch games live on ESPN-Star, a joint venture between Walt Disney and News Corp, via a local cable TV broadcasting service for much less money.

EPL is the most popular soccer league among Chinese, boasting more than 30 million fans.

Growing audiences for premier league matches featuring Chinese players are translating into boosted broadcast values in China.

Tiansheng bought the rights for three years for $50 million, 40 percent more than the bid by incumbent carrier, ESPN-Star.

"The deal signals the start of a serious TV rights market in China," Asia director for sports consulting firm FMM International Dan Fletcher said.

Prices to stream European soccer through broadband Internet connections also are rising precipitously.

Earlier this year Broadband TV, owned by Hong Kong telecommunications firm PCCW, paid $200 million for three years of exclusive Asian rights to the EPL and Europe's Champions tournament, a 122 percent hike on the previous deal.

Soccer channel

Tiansheng TV emerged a surprise winner to outbid CCTV and ESPN.

As well as the Premier League, the company's Eurosoccer Channel will broadcast a range of European soccer matches from Spain's La Liga, Germany's Bundesliga and Italy's Serie A.

The network also broadcasts domestic league matches in Japan and South Korea.

"We will broadcast all the games of the Chinese overseas players; we have won the rights of 18 events worldwide," Tiansheng TV CEO Song Zheng said at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

The company announced its co-operation with Beijing Gehua CATV Network, specialists in receiving and transmitting broadcasts, and digitial TV marketing firm Beijing All Media and Culture Group.

The deal marks an important step for Tiansheng in one of the nation's biggest cities.

"Beijing is the capital city and also one of the biggest cities," he said. "It has a huge number of soccer fans and it means a lot for the channel's development.

"I am so glad we can reach the deal with Gehua right before the start of a new season."

So far, Tiansheng has settled terminal deals in 58 cities but is still yet to open the market in big cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Difficult negotiations with terminal companies have caused several headaches, but success in a major city like Beijing will help Tiansheng secure more partners elsewhere.

Song is confident other cities will join in and more people will reach into their pockets before hitting the on switch.

"We are offering the best program for the fans," he said. "We have the best production team and also the best commentators. People will know soon the price to watch such kind of high level programs is worth it."

Tiansheng Eurosoccer Channel's first Premiership match is at 19:45 on Saturday between Sunderland and Tottenham.

The network has also completed deals with internet companies like Sina.com and is exploring internet as another platform for its content.

Fans could pay a relatively lower price for the right to watch EPL matches on Sina.com.

Meanwhile, Wang Guohua won't return home this Saturday night to enjoy the company of his family before settling in front of one of the greatest sporting shows on earth.

Instead, he'll be scouring Beijing's streets for extra fares in the new world of users-pays TV.

"Some of my best friends are choosing to go out and work again on Saturday night," he lamented.

(China Daily 08/10/2007 page22)