Singapore – The Sports Content Forum, presented as part of a multiple forum collaboration organized by Reed Exhibitions with support from MDA as part of AMF saw delegates explore opportunities and challenges in covering the Beijing Olympic Games. Julian Jackson, Senior Vice President, Media, of sports marketing agency Total Sports Asia noted that even if the media content business has been growing, the increasing number of media content providers and platforms make the “slices (of the market) thinner”. He also believes quadruple-play (broadband, TV, telephony, and wireless) service providers were the most advantageous for a content provider. In addition, Jackson predicted new media including IPTV and mobile TV will “make large strides in gaining audiences” by 2010. Alexandre Callay, EurodataTV Worldwide Manager with market research firm Mediametrie, maintained new media has not eroded TV viewership as TV has managed to gain in viewership each year. Bharadwaj Ramesh, Regional Director of media buyer Mindshare, Singapore, expects the Beijing Olympics to shift ad spending to the month of the event, August, as well as into sports channels, with benefits spilling over to print and new media. He forecasts 70% of people who own a television will watch the opening and the closing ceremonies while 4 out of 10 people will watch some events through the Games. All panelists agreed that an individual’s success in a sport exemplified by Chinese basketballer Yao Ming’s exploits in the NBA, will add value to that particular sport media content in the athlete’s home and regional markets. Nick Wilkinson, Vice President, Programming, ESPN Star Sports said; “We find that localization (of content) is the best way for us to make money. As a broadcaster, you have to serve the viewer. So it’s a mix of altruism and commercial necessity (to provide localized content).”