BBC doco, 'More than a game', kicks off in Asia

The BBC documentary about the 76-year history of the FIFA World Cup, More Than a Game (6x60'), has chalked up its 35th overseas territory, with Asian buyers now taking the show. The series, which promises to be the definitive account of the tournament, has been licensed to Discovery Networks India, Hong Kong Cable TV, MediaCorp in Singapore, SBS in South Korea, Channel 9 in Thailand and SBS in Australia. The deals were unveiled in the run-up to Sportel Asia 2006 in Shanghai.

"Millions of Asian TV viewers will now be able to share in the excitement and anticipation surrounding this year's event in Germany," Richard Hornsby-Smith, sport sales manager at BBC Worldwide, said. The BBC Bristol production was coproduced by BBC Worldwide and FIFA's archive partner, Infront Sports & Media, and features a combination of official FIFA World Cup film archive, interviews with the greats and behind-the-scenes moments from the tournament's history.