Video Age International October 2015

10 World October 2015 V I D E O A G E (Continued from Page 8) China’s TV Coverage Upsets Italian Fans I talians were upset by the unprofessional TV coverage that Shanghai TV offered to football fans during the final between Italian clubs Juventus and Lazio for the Italian Super Cup title (won by Juventus two-nil). Complaintswerewagedagainst shots without the ball in play, missing action, incorrect replays anddistractingbackgroundnoise. Even the official clock displayed the wrong time. The match was held at China’s Shanghai Stadium, because the Italian Football League had been attracted by the 3.3 million euro paid by the Beijing-based, Chinese-owned United Vansen International Sports (UVS) to stage the Italian Super Cup final. Each team received 1.5 million euro, plus 0.9 percent of TV rights. The League received the balance of 300,000 euro. UVS also paid travel and accommodations for both teams. The three-year deal with UVS for the Super Cup finals was signed in 2011. Subsequently, UVS farmed out the matches’ TV coverage to Shanghai TV. In Italy, the match was carried by RAI, the state-owned broadcasting organization, which paid the League and its Zug, Switzerland-based partner Infront, 66 million euro for the past three years of Super Cup and Italian Cup TV rights. Since viewers in Italy saw the amateurish coverage as a RAI- branded broadcast, the Italians tried to dispatch their on-site personnel to the control area, but were told that RAI only owned the broadcast rights and did not have production responsibilities. There were 35,000 spectators in attendance at Shanghai stadium. Letters I loved [ VideoAge ‘s May 2015] edition. I thought it was one of the best put out by any publisher at any time. Your story about Joe Lucas was warm and fuzzy. You made it very personal. Thank you for your continuing interest in international distribution. Herb Lazarus, president Carsey Werner International Distribution, Encino, CA A merican-style productions at Viacom’s Italian Comedy Central channel are now available on the Sky Italia platform. Six specials were produced in three Italian resort towns by Rome-based Romanimata, on behalf of Viacom Italia. Two specials were produced in each town, each one featuring six different stand-up comedians. The specials, part of the Comedy Central Tour summer program, were recorded last July and aired the following month. Pictured at right is one of the specials recorded in Giulianova, a town on the Adriatic coast of the Abruzzo Region. Comedy Central’s Italian Tour: Viacom’s Subsidiary Learning from Parent Company