(14 March 2008 4:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Global digital sport and entertainment specialist Perform and Australian internet service provider BigPond have signed an agreement for a video portal that will serve Australians living abroad.

BigPond holds exclusive online rights to the Australian Football League (AFL), the National Rugby League (NRL) and the V8 Supercars championship, each among the most popular spectator sports in the country.

Perform, who has an office in Sydney, will market and deliver sporting content online to fans from BigPond’s online inventory of rights on a video portal called Aussie Sport TV.

Premium content will include full-length replays and highlights from the AFL, the NRL and V8 Supercars, as well as feature content on a team by team basis, round-by-round analysis and news desk programmes for each sport. Over 4,000 videos will be added to the channel throughout the year, which will also include an extensive archive catalogue.

Overseas fans will be able to choose from a range of viewing packages, from a four-day access pass to monthly and yearly subscriptions. All packages will be available on a sport-by-sport basis.

As well as managing all technical aspects of the day-to-day running of the site, Perform’s Australian operation will be responsible for the marketing and commercialisation of the site, including brokering and managing affiliate partnerships and site sponsorship deals.

“These properties are the crème of Australian domestic sport, with a huge following throughout the world, and it speaks volumes for Perform’s reputation in delivering revenues for rights holders that a major regional rights owner such as BigPond should seek our expertise. We are looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership.”

BigPond group MD Justin Milne said, “BigPond’s online sporting content has won Australian and international awards and there is strong demand for overseas access to it so we are pleased to partner with Perform to ensure high-quality delivery.”

In September 2007, Premium TV and Inform Group merged to create Perform, a global market-leading digital media company with branded and white label channels, production, distribution, rights management and sales functions. The merged company is led by joint CEOs Oliver Slipper and Simon Denyer, and has offices in the UK, Singapore, Australia and Italy.