On the Scene: FIFA Services Benefit World Cup Broadcast Rights-Holders

(ATR) FIFA will offer more services for the rights-holders of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa than previous tournaments. Innovations in broadcasting the June 11 to July 11 event are also coming, an audience at Sportel in Monaco heard Tuesday.

Swiss-based Host Broadcast Services (HBS) will produce not only the live coverage, but also provide complete coverage of every team in the tournament, according to HBS chief executive Francis Tellier.

"In 2006 in Germany, a lot of the rights-holders requested reports from the last training by the big teams like Brazil, Germany or Italy. Now, we cover all 24 teams during training and press conferences… the complete stay in South Africa,” Tellier told delegates at the international sports convention for television and new media.

He said the rights-holders are only obliged to pay the technical costs but no additional licensing fee.

"The reason for this offer is that South Africa is a huge country, three times bigger than Germany. So we have to offer this service," Tellier said.

Non-rights holders will not benefit from this service in South Africa. "For hotels, press conferences and trainings camps, you don't need a credential, so they can report on their own,” FIFA television director Niclas Ericson told the audience at Sportel.

In cooperation with the telecommunications company Ericsson, a more comprehensive mobile and internet package will be made available for the 2010 World Cup.

"The most important thing is we need simple solutions and different packages for the different markets,” Ericson said.

“It is the first time you can watch all 64 games on mobile phones and we will offer a lot of different packages with clips,” he added.

Tellier noted that specific graphics are required for the feed to mobile phones. "But from the quality, if you watch on mobile, you will not be disappointed,” he said. “And if you are a fan and in a region without TV, you will watch on mobile. The only problem is the battery of your mobile."

Host Broadcast Services, owned by Infront Sports & Media, handled the host broadcast of the 2002 World Cup co-hosted by Korea and Japan and the 2006 edition in Germany. The last FIFA showpiece was the first ever World Cup to be delivered entirely in High Definition television. HBS also broadcast the 2009 Confederations Cup and is contracted for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Tellier said the standard of production of the 2010 World Cup provided by HBS will be better than any previous tournament.

"In 1998, we had 16 cameras, in 2010, we will have 29 to 32,” said Tellier, who was the managing director of TVRS 98, host broadcaster of the France 98 World Cup.

All South Africa 2010 games will be broadcast in HD and new innovations in broadcasting will be introduced, he promised. FIFA TV is working on a 3D-project in cooperation with Japanese company Sony.

"But it must be a commercial application, to get revenues,” Tellier said "You need six additional cameras… the challenge is to find a place for them in a World Cup stadium where there are 32 cameras.”

High turnout for Sportel

Sportel CEO David Tomatis told Around the Rings that he is pleased with convention's turnout despite the global economic crisis.

About 900 companies from 70 countries made the trip to Monaco.

"We had no high expectations and the result was better than my initial expectations," said Tomatis. "One reason the crisis hasn't hurt us so hard like other events is that the companies have to come to us because we are the only one in the marketplace. Only eight percent less people come to us, at other places it was 20 to 30 percent."

Meanwhile, exhibitors told ATR they were generally satisfied with attendances and their experience of the 20th edition of Sportel, which ended Wednesday.

Caroliene Götz, vice president of corporate communications at Sportfive, said: "It is not so busy like in the years before. We also come with less people like in the past. Also our booth is smaller."

Romi Sung Ae Cho, project manager at Dentsu, said: "Compared to the last, there are not so many people. But motorsport and fighting sport [delegates] are more than in the past."

Nicole Anhalt, business manager at Eurovision, suggested two reasons why numbers were down at Sportel: "One is the financial crisis, not all companies could afford the money. And the second, there also other meetings in October like 'Leaders in Football' [held last week in London] where the same people had met."

Alberto Elia, a marketing executive at Legia Calcio, said: "We are the first time at Sportel. For us, it was a good opportunity and a successful event. We have launched the tender of our football rights... with more than 100 journalists."

It was the eleventh Sportel for Ronald Chan, director for international sales at ESPN Asia Pacific, and he indicated there was no lack of interest in his company from delegates. "For us it was a busy time. If it is less people here, we have a similar amount of meetings," he said.

Written by Heinz-Peter Kreuzer

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