3GTV?

It's no use hiding behind that bald head. We can still see you.

Hutchison 3G. Colin Tucker. Who says old Orangemen never die? What exactly are they up to?

Think of Ipswich Town last season and George Burley's rise to managerial glory and that's a good example of where they're at. Only craftier. While Ruud van Nistelroy and David Beckham exchange group hugs as they work out as new bosom buddy team mates on the passing game across the soccer pitches of Europe this season, off the park they'll be tussling for supremacy on other perhaps more lucrative playing fields of England and beyond.

The 3G insurgent operator - the UK's new fifth operator with the widest slice of radio spectrum in the known wireless universe - is definitely the digital dark horse this season. Hutch has just bagged a real coup in the nascent 3G broadband multimedia content arena, nabbing a deal that will doubtless be the envy of the industry, cracking in an opening volley so deadly in the hearts and minds of the footie-mad mobile masses, and at the same time setting a new benchmark for the other to follow in the future.

In the digital dugout, Hutchison 3G's agreement with the UK's Premier League Football Association secures them the TV rights to provide Premier League soccer action in the form of mobile content to Hutch's 3G mobile phones and wireless devices. Under the terms of their deal, Hutchison 3G will hold the exclusive Premiership rights for 'all mobile technologies including existing GSM and UMTS' services from next month until the end of the season July 2004.

Love it or loathe it, football is the most widely followed sport in the UK with around 17 million men and women watching it regularly on television according to the FA, and football supporters are some of the most passionate and enthusiastic folk in the UK. Even the hooligans are believed to enjoy the odd game or two.

'This is the first time that the FA Premier League has sold mobile rights' says Richard Scudamore, CEO of the FA. 'We are sure that Hutchison 3G will be able to provide a valuable and innovative range of new services for football fans to enjoy up and down the country. We believe that this announcement is great news not only for the fans but also for the sport as a whole.'

Sports sponsorship is fast becoming big business in European technology marketing, at the same time as wireless makes its way into the arena of the brand wars. And with the imminent arrival of third generation wireless services in a pan-European context, with Germany's soccer Bundesliga and Italy's Serie A spending billions each year on players and advertising, the ball's definitely in mobile's half.

'We are putting together a wide range of sports services for customers, ahead of our launch in 2002' beams Hutchison CEO Tucker as he knocks a ball skillfully around in the air playing keepy-uppy to make even Besty look like a batty boy.

'This is a great starting point for us,' Tucker smirks knowingly. 'We believe these rights give us a head start on our competitors and will be a strong subscription driver at launch.' Tucker believes that football supporters are already major users of mobile phones and online services. 'So we feel this will make our products very attractive' he says, heading a soccer ball skywards and knocking a colleague's glasses off.

All is not well in the visiting teams changing rooms. Turnips and other vegetables aside, the UK's four other 3G players will be chasing shadows. The rights enable Hutchison 3G to provide just the kind of action for young fans not only in the UK but also in the Republic of Ireland. These rights may also be extending to FA Premier league fans all over the world. Along with a range of other Premiership content and official data, Tucker's cool customers will be able to receive not only video clips of matches with the much-vaunted footage of the goals just seconds after they've been scored, but also match commentaries, archive material of still photos, match results, top goal-scorers and full fixture listings.

But some mobile operators have already got their brand names plastered on first team and replica shirts. 'Shirt sponsorship is a good little earner isn't it boss?' Not at £60 million which was what Vodafone slipped Manchester United last year for the honour. Conversely, though undisclosed, the portable TV rights for Hutchison went for 'much more' than that according to sources close to the deal. And what of Cellnet's lacklustre deal with Middlesborough? Er, what of it? Erskine's gone, Robbo's gone, El Tel's off and by 'eck, if it isn't Juninho on the training pitch once again. Is that Steve Claridge on the subs bench too, or is Hans Snook looking for a game now that he's effectively on a free transfer?

One saving grace is that Man City won't be tarting themselves on the devices. They're in the Nationwide First Division this season and may just be on 3G screens in time for the launch of 4G if they manage to get promoted next season.

But with Kevin Keegan at the helm, don't hold yer breath in the Kippax lads. Bath time.

What's the latest score thus far?

Hutchison 1 - Others 0...

'They think it's all over. It is now.'

Interested in this topic? Check out the Streaming Media Europe 2001 Wireless conference track!