welcome to our world of media rights

Transcription

WELCOME
TO OUR WORLD OF
MEDIA RIGHTS
1
+30,000 +25
Broadcast hours per year
Sports
4,000
+25
Event days delivered per year
Offices
+600
18
160
13
Employees
Rights holders
World Championships
TRANSFORMING
INTERNATIONAL
SPORTS BUSINESS
Infront Sports & Media is the world’s most respected full-service
sports marketing company with a capacity for innovation that is
helping to transform the industry. These innovations have enhanced
every area of sports marketing, including distribution of rights, host
broadcast, digital media and entertainment, programme production,
event operations, brand development and sponsorship.
Countries with offices
© Infront Sports & Media AG 2015 Corporate Communications. All rights reserved.
Editorial Contact: info@infrontsports.com
Photography provided by Action Images/Reuters, Getty Images, Osports, RDB/Blicksport
www.infrontsports.com1
OUR EXPERIENCE. SHARED PASSION.
YOUR SUCCESS.
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CONTENTS
INFRONT SPORTS & MEDIA — OVERVIEW
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SUMMER SPORTS & ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
63
EHF European Handball Championships
65
CEV European Volleyball Championships
69
CEV European Beach Volleyball Championships
73
UCI World Championships
77
Tour de Suisse
81
31
BMW BERLIN-MARATHON
85
Champions Hockey League
35
CBA League & CBA All-Star Game
89
FIBT World Cups & World Championships
39
Team China Basketball
93
WCF World & European Curling Championships
43
Turkish Basketball League
97
2016 Olympic Games
101
WINTER SPORTS
17
FIS World Cups
19
2019 & 2021 FIS Alpine & Nordic World Ski Championships
23
2017 FIS Freestyle Skiing & Snowboard World
Championships
27
IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship
FOOTBALL
47
DFB National Team
49
The DFB Cup
53
Lega Serie A Archive
57
FIFA Films
61
WORLD-CLASS MEDIA PRODUCTION
Host Broadcast Services (HBS)
105
107
Infront Media Production
111
Digital Media Solutions
115
Case Study: 2014 FIFA World Cup™
119
Case Study: Lega Serie A
125
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SOLUTIONS FOR
MEDIA COMPANIES
As one of the leading international producers and distributors of high quality
sports content, Infront Sports & Media provides access to the world’s best
sports properties. Infront understands the needs of the global media
community and has the experience and capacity to tailor productions of any
scale - developing convenient and coherent, high quality content.
Capturing the big moments in sport
Infront helps to make the vital link between event and viewer, transforming the way sport is perceived. The
sheer quality and variety of our offering has been shaped by over 30 years of experience as host broadcaster
of major sports events.
One-stop shop
From live coverage, programming, to archive services and digital solutions, Infront has dedicated teams of
experts covering all aspects of media production and distribution. Through major event experience and a
variety of tailor-made services, Infront understands the unique nature of each sport to deliver the best
media solution.
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Winter Sports Portfolio
Champions Hockey
League
FIBT World Cups
& World
Championships
FIL World Cups
& World
Championships
FIS World Cups
FIS Freestyle Skiing
& Snowboard World
Championships
IBU World Cup
& World
Championships
Biathlon
IIHF Ice Hockey
World Championship
Select National Ice
Hockey Teams and
Leagues
Vierschanzentournee
WCF World
& European Curling
Championships
FIS Alpine & Nordic
World Ski
Championships
Swiss Ice Hockey
Cup
NUMBER ONE
IN WINTER SPORTS
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Infront is the strongest, most experienced marketing agency
in the winter sports arena, representing all seven Olympic
winter sports federations. As a result, we are able to offer
the very best winter sports opportunities from one central source.
Federations, Leagues and Teams
Key Events *
Media Rights
Marketing Rights
Media production
Coloured boxes signify properties showcased in this brochure
*Selection of key events from the Infront portfolio.
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Football Portfolio
DFB National Team
Lega Serie A
& Serie B
The DFB Cup
FIFA Films
Swiss Super League
& Challenge League
FIFA World Cup™
& Other FIFA events
Selected Bundesliga,
Serie A & Ligue 1
Clubs
Indonesian Super
League
A UNIQUE HERITAGE
IN FOOTBALL
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No other sports marketing agency has the same depth of involvement
supporting the game at every level. In total, Infront represents almost 40 major
football properties, including national associations and football clubs.
Federations, Leagues and Associations
Key Events *
Clubs
Media Rights
Marketing Rights
Media production
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Summer Sports & Active Lifestyle Portfolio
2016 Olympic Games
B2RUN
BMW BERLINMARATHON
CBA Professional
League
CBA Team China
Basketball
CEV European
Volleyball and Beach
Volleyball
Championships
EHF
European Handball
Championships
French Rugby Clubs
Happy 10k
IRONMAN
Turkish Basketball
League
Tour de Suisse
UCI World
Championships
World Marathon
Majors
LEADING IN
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
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Infront is a renowned player in various summer sports and active lifestyle
disciplines and acts as a long-term partner to the respective rights holders,
handling the media and/or marketing aspects of their flagship events.
Federations, Leagues and Teams
Key Events *
R
Media Rights
Marketing Rights
Media production
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Host Broadcast
Production
Infront Media
Production
Archive
Management
Digital Media
Solutions
WORLD-CLASS
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Infront is one of the world’s leading producers of the highest
quality sports content, covering the entire spectrum of media
production and management. Its wholly owned subsidiary HBS
is a dedicated, independent host broadcast specialist, helping
rights holders worldwide to broadcast their events in the
most exciting way.
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Host Broadcast & Media Production Services
Digital Media Services *
*Selection of key services and consultancy from the Infront digital media portfolio.
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WINTER SPORTS
MEDIA RIGHTS
FIS World Cups
19
2019 & 2021 FIS Alpine & Nordic World Ski Championships
23
2017 FIS Freestyle Skiing & Snowboard World Championships
27
IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship
31
Champions Hockey League
35
FIBT World Cups & World Championships
39
WCF World & European Curling Championships
43
WINTER SPORTS
FIS
WORLD CUPS
The FIS Ski World Cups are the most
exciting winter sports series worldwide.
With up to 10,000 broadcast hours, the
events ensure top television ratings in
major international broadcast markets.
Key Facts
• The serial nature of FIS World Cups guarantees
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Spirit of the sport and the series
The FIS Ski World Cup events are the ultimate in ski competition,
aside from the unique role of the Winter Olympic Games. The series
stretch across the entire winter season and are carried out in
Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined,
Snowboard and Freestyle Skiing. Considered by many to be the
most valuable title in winter sports, the FIS World Cup demands an
extremely high level of performance in the respective disciplines
throughout the season – not just in one single competition.
The FIS Alpine and Nordic Ski World Cup races are held between
October and March across a variety of European, American and
Asian countries. The geographical spread of the FIS Snowboard
and Freestyle World Cup is of an equal international scale.
continuous audience suspense from October to March
• Infront offers broadcasters access to a vast majority of
FIS World Cup events in Alpine, Nordic, Snowboard and
Freestyle disciplines
• Infront distributes media rights all over the world
• Live, delayed and magazine programming (25 minutes)
as well as news clips available via satellite, tape or
ftp-server
The cumulative TV audience for the 2013/14 Infront-marketed FIS
Alpine World Cup events is over 2.72 billion. The Nordic skiing
World Cup events attract an average number of viewers per race of
approximately 12 million for Men’s Ski Jumping, 8 million for
Cross-Country and 5 million for Nordic Combined, and a cumulative
TV audience of all Nordic disciplines of around 2.5 billion. For
Snowboard & Freestyle World Cups, the cumulative TV audience is
over 275 million.
• HD/SD 16/9 feed produced according to FIS TV standard
– supervised by Infront
Media Rights Contact:
Anna Guarnerio, anna.guarnerio@infrontsports.com
19
WINTER SPORTS
FIS WORLD
CUPS
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Events 2015/16 season
FIS Alpine Ski World Cup
October 2015 – March 2016
RIGHTS OPPORTUNITIES
MEDIA PRODUCTION PROSPECTS
Infront Sports & Media is the commercial
partner of most national skiing federations
that host the FIS Alpine, Cross Country, Ski
Jumping, Nordic Combined, Snowboard and
Freestyle Skiing World Cup events.
Taking a long-term perspective, Infront is
developing the FIS properties as a
coherent, high-level television
entertainment product. A top quality world
feed is produced to FIS TV Standards and
developed to suit each discipline
individually. This is also in line with the FIS
objective of raising audience interest in the
races and the continuity of the competition
— in particular among a younger audience.
FIS Cross Country World Cup
November 2015 – March 2016
FIS Ski Jumping World Cup
FIS Nordic Combined World Cup
FIS Snowboard World Cup
FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup
December 2015 – March 2016
Managing the media and/or marketing rights
of more than 90 per cent of the FIS World Cup
events on a collective basis, Infront ensures
the effective co-ordination of television
coverage, high broadcast standards and an
exciting television showcase for the
competition.
Infront also offers access to an extraordinary
range of archive footage, which can be
tailored to meet broadcast needs.
Additional specialist resources applied by
Infront also include management,
consulting and operational teams based in
Austria, Finland, Italy and Switzerland as
well as a comprehensive host broadcast
experience.
All FIS World Cup races are offered live
and/or delayed and increasingly in full HD
production quality. In addition, Infront
produces and distributes weekly TV
magazine programmes throughout the
winter season including the FIS Alpine Ski
World Cup Report, the Snowboard FIS
World Cup Magazine and the Freestyle FIS
World Cup Magazine.
Each magazine series is made up of a
number of shows (for the 2014/15 season
Infront is delivering 16 episodes for Alpine
Skiing, 15 for Snowboarding and 16 for
Freestyle Skiing) with each 25 minute show
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top competitors, venue presentations,
backstage shots and items of interest from
the world’s top winter sports resorts. The
programmes are available via satellite, tape
or ftp download and include English
voiceover on a separate track – full English
scripts are also supplied.
Furthermore, Infront produces video news
releases for the FIS events in various
disciplines. In particular for the
broadcasters – quality coverage of top runs,
interviews and competition reports are
made available with reference to
Snowboard and Freestyle through a web
portal, for easy and immediate access after
the race.
www.infrontsports.com/FIS
21
WINTER SPORTS
2019 & 2021 FIS ALPINE
& NORDIC WORLD SKI
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Held every two years, the FIS Alpine and
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships see
the world’s best competitors in each
discipline come together to establish world
leading status. Whilst Alpine Skiing is the
longest-established and best known
discipline, all of them have a major impact
– attracting television audiences
throughout the world.
Key Facts
• In the month of February – each odd-numbered year –
the FIS Alpine and FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
feature the world’s best ski competitors across each
discipline, holding high appeal in all major international
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Spirit of the sport and the competitions
Due to their strong international appeal, the FIS World Ski
Championships are the highlights of the ski calendar – with the
Alpine and Nordic events undoubtedly standing out as the most
popular.
The appeal of the events derives from a perfect mix of top sports
performance and outstanding atmosphere, the latter provided by
the most beautiful ski venues worldwide.
Infront has been chosen by the International Ski Federation for the
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responsibilities ranging from media rights distribution to TV
production, from marketing and sponsorship to merchandising and
hospitality.
The 2019 Alpine and Nordic World Championships will be staged
respectively in Åre, Sweden and Seefeld, Austria. Bidding is
currently underway to select the host location for the 2021 FIS
Alpine and Nordic World Ski Championships.
markets
• Infront handles and distributes worldwide broadcast
rights for the 2019 & 2021 FIS Alpine and FIS Nordic
World Ski Championships
• Live and delayed programming as well as news clips
are available
• Infront provides high quality media production
23
WINTER SPORTS
2019 & 2021 FIS ALPINE
& NORDIC WORLD SKI
CHAMPIONSHIPS
The FIS World Championships in the Alpine
and Nordic Events have demonstrated their
status amongst the most important winter
sports events. We are confident that the new
partnership between FIS and Infront to
market and produce the Championships in
2019 and 2021 can develop them even further
and especially on a global basis.
Gian Franco Kasper, FIS President
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
BACKGROUND APPEAL
Infront Sports & Media manages the
worldwide media rights to both the 2019
and 2021 events. The rights encompass all
forms of television, Internet and mobile,
both for linear and on-demand
transmissions, as well as apps and digital
extensions.
Infront handles the production of 2019 and
2021 FIS Alpine and Nordic World Ski
Championships. Broadcasters will receive a
quality of picture and level of support that
matches the highest standards in sport
today.
In total, 812 hours of the FIS Alpine World
Ski Championships 2013 in Schladming
(AUT) were broadcast on TV worldwide,
which represents an increase on the
previous 2011 event.
All games will be produced in the most up
to date and state-of-the-art technology and
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conceivable angle.
Regarding the FIS Nordic World Ski
Championships 2013 held in Val di Fiemme
(ITA) 698 hours were broadcast live and
delayed on TV, here again an improvement
in comparison to the previous Nordic World
Ski Championships held in Oslo.
25
WINTER SPORTS
2017 FIS FREESTYLE
SKIING & SNOWBOARD
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Following the successful 2015 FIS Freestyle
Skiing and Snowboard World
Championships in Kreischberg – for the
first time ever staged together and
awarding medals to racers from 20
different countries – the 2017 edition to
be held in Sierra Nevada is anticipated to
deliver some of the best thrills in the
world of winter sports.
Key Facts
• The FIS Freestyle Skiing and FIS Snowboard World
Championships have been united to form one
spectacular event
• Multinational: athletes from 45 nations have attended
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Spirit of the sport and the competition
With more than 45 nations attending, the Freestyle Skiing and
Snowboard World Championships are a truly global event –
awarding the prestigious FIS World Champion medal in each
discipline.
A mix of adrenalin and style, snowboarding and freestyle skiing are
synonymous with freedom and unlimited energy. They have grown
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young and dynamic audience that enjoys the anticipation and
exhilaration of such diverse disciplines.
The snowboarding competitions include Big Air, Parallel Slalom,
Half pipe, Parallel Giant Slalom, Snowboard Cross and Slopestyle.
Freestyle consists of Moguls, Dual Moguls, Aerials, Ski cross,
Slopestyle and Half pipe.
The 2015 edition was held from 15 to 25 January, in Kreischberg,
Austria and the 2017 event will be staged in Sierra Nevada, Spain
– combining the backdrop of incredible mountain landscapes with
top freestyle skiing and snowboarding performances.
previous events in both disciplines
• Infront markets the worldwide media rights (except for
domestic territories)
• A high quality TV signal is produced to FIS standards
27
WINTER SPORTS
2017 FIS
FREESTYLE SKIING
& SNOWBOARD WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIPS
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Upcoming Events
2017 FIS Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard
World Championships
Sierra Nevada, Spain
BACKGROUND APPEAL
Managing the international media rights
– excluding domestic territories – for the
2017 FIS Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard
World Championships, the rights on offer
encompass all forms of television, Internet
and mobile, both for linear and on-demand
transmissions.
Up to 12 commentary positions have been
booked by broadcasters to provide
up-to-the-minute detail of the action from
the slopes. Over 150 media representatives
across television, print and online media
were present at the 2015 event reporting
extensively over the full ten day schedule.
Snowboarding is one of the fastest growing
sports in the world today. Although still a
relatively young sport, over the past few
decades it has grown tremendously to claim
more than 25 per cent of the people who
participate in winter sports – an amazing
accomplishment in such a short period of
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seriously in the 1960s and early 1970s and
was a demonstration event at the 1988
Winter Olympics in Calgary. The FIS
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in 1979 and brought in new regulations
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jump techniques in an effort to curb the
dangerous elements of the competitions
without losing any of its excitement.
Besides the live and delayed international
feed, Infront also offers additional
tailor-made programming such as highlights footage and interviews, based on
client’s need.
For 2015, Infront negotiated broadcast
coverage into almost 100 countries and
territories. Agreements for the FIS
Freestyle and Snowboard World
Championships were sealed with close to
30 broadcasters with full HDTV coverage
guaranteed worldwide.
29
WINTER SPORTS
WORLD CLASS
ICE HOCKEY
For 17 days at the end of April/beginning
of May, the world’s 16 best national ice
hockey teams play 64 exciting games and
establish the new IIHF World Champion
of the sport. It is the biggest annual
winter sport event worldwide, thrilling
television viewers and finding new
audiences every year.
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
The IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship is the biggest annual
winter sport event worldwide and goes from strength to strength
every year.
The 2015 edition of the tournament will involve strong ice hockey
competitors from, Austria, Belarus, Canada, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Russia,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.
Each national team plays seven games in the preliminary round
against pre-planned opposition. The top four teams in each group
advance directly to the quarter-finals (without an additional
qualifying round), making the schedule much more predictable for
fans as well as broadcasters.
Key Facts
• The biggest annual winter sport event, held for two
weeks in April/May of each year
• The world’s best 16 national ice hockey teams compete in
The teams ranked in positions 17 to 28 of the IIHF World Ranking
play in the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I (Group A
and B) – also marketed by Infront. The two top teams from Division I
Group A will qualify for the main tournament in the following year.
64 games
• Infront exclusively offers worldwide media rights
• Live, delayed and highlight (2 minutes) programming
provided at venue, via satellite or tape
• HD 16/9 host broadcast production features more than
20 cameras per game and is supervised by Infront
Amikam Kranz, amikam.kranz@infrontsports.com
31
WINTER SPORTS
WORLD CLASS
ICE HOCKEY
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Upcoming Events
2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship
1 – 17 May 2015
Prague and Ostrava, Czech Republic
Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia
Colgne, Germany and Paris, France
The experienced Infront team knows the
spirit of the IIHF events, the objectives of its
commercial partners as well as the needs of
ice hockey fans worldwide better than any
other party.
René Fasel, IIHF President
BACKGROUND APPEAL
As the exclusive media and marketing
partner to the International Ice Hockey
Federation (IIHF), Infront Sports & Media
handles all forms of electronic media rights
for the event including TV, radio and digital
media for live, delayed and highlights
coverage on a worldwide basis.
In close collaboration with the IIHF, Infront
delivers the host broadcast production,
providing broadcasters with a quality of
picture and level of support that matches
the highest standards in sport today. All
games are produced in 16/9 HD, using more
than 20 cameras for each game positioned
in key locations to cover the heart of the
action.
Infront has been the exclusive marketing
partner to the IIHF since 1981, and today
represents all major commercial rights.
This unique and very special relationship
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opportunity to introduce innovations and
improvements on a consistent basis.
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transmitting a high quality signal and
providing support for broadcasters in their
unilateral production. It also includes
transmission and commentary facilities
along with the provision of live statistics.
Infront’s Broadcaster Servicing team looks
after the contracted broadcasters,
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venues and acts as the link between
broadcasters and the production operation.
Year on year, Infront and the IIHF
continuously exceed previous benchmarks.
With 6,123 broadcast hours across over 150
countries and territories, the 2014
tournament has surpassed its previous
records – while the cumulative audience of
over 945 million marks the second best
result in history.
www.infrontsports.com/IIHF
33
WINTER SPORTS
CHAMPIONS
HOCKEY LEAGUE
With 48 teams playing 157 games in the
2015/16 season, the Champions Hockey
League features the top European clubs.
The high-quality, seven-month tournament
runs from August to February, thrilling
fans in the battle for European supremacy.
Key Facts
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
The Champions Hockey League delivers fast-paced excitement to
dedicated club fans. The event creates additional value – sportive
and emotional – to the European clubs, leagues and fans by
showcasing a best-of-the-best international ice hockey
competition.
The league is owned and organised by a consortium involving key
stakeholders such as top European clubs, national leagues and the
IIHF as governing body. The majority of the entity’s shareholding is
with the clubs involved. The season includes 48 clubs from the
top-pro leagues in Austria, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Denmark,
Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden,
Switzerland and the UK take part, including the respective national
champions and regular season winners.
• The premier European club ice hockey competition
features Europe’s best ice hockey clubs competing to
become the undisputed club champion of Europe
• Infront represents the worldwide distribution of
media rights
• HD 16/9 host broadcast production features up to 10
cameras per game
Uzi Kakuda, uzi.kakuda@infrontsports.com
35
WINTER SPORTS
CHAMPIONS
HOCKEY LEAGUE
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Group Stage
August – October 2015
BACKGROUND APPEAL
Infront Sports & Media is responsible for
the worldwide distribution of media rights,
the centralised marketing rights, as well as
the high-quality multimedia production of
all 157 games in HD format. In addition,
Infront will provide substantial support to
the rights holders in the overall
development of the new competition,
delivering services in the area of digital
media and rights delivery.
High-quality media production will be
implemented in 16/9 HD standard for all 157
league games, and exploited through all
platforms. The majority of the Group Stage
games, as well as all Playoff games, will be
produced for TV coverage with up to ten
cameras per game. All games will be made
available for online exploitation (live
streams of selected games, VoD content
and highlights with English commentary)
through the dedicated website. Overall, a
state-of-the-art digital media strategy will
be developed featuring a cross-platform
activation plan including the league website
with a dedicated game centre, and a social
media platform.
Ice hockey clubs, players and fans will now
have the opportunity to feel club devotion
and national pride throughout a panEuropean competition. The Champions
Hockey League will provide fans another
chance to support their clubs and share the
glory of being European champions.
Playoffs
November 2015 – February 2016
The time is now right to establish a
pan-European league for top club ice hockey.
We all believe in the potential of this project
and we are positive that with all stakeholders
closely involved and having Infront as proven
marketing partner in world ice hockey, we
will put in place a successful, competitive and
financially viable league.
www.infrontsports.com/CHL
Anders Ternbom, Chairman of the ECC Board
37
WINTER SPORTS
BOBSLEIGH & SKELETON
EXHILARATING
SPEED
ON ICE
Synonymous with speed and exhilaration,
bobsleigh and skeleton racers put their
skills to the test at the FIBT World
Championships held annually in nonOlympic years, showcasing all disciplines
over two weekends in January and/or
February. Similarly, the FIBT World Cup
attracts hundreds of millions of viewers
from November to January to watch top
athletes speed through a series of eight
adrenaline-charged races.
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
The Olympic disciplines of bobsleigh and skeleton, once a ‘niche’
sport, now attract a global audience which has rapidly increased by
over 84% in the last few years. During a typical 60-second
bobsleigh run, speeds of more than 140 km/h are reached with the
crews subjected to more than four times the force of gravity. Races
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have a standard length of 1,500 metres and up to 14 curves,
depending on the track.
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athletes take a face down position. Skeleton competition returned
to the Olympic Winter Games in 2002 and participation has
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Key Facts
• Infront distributes worldwide media rights for all FIBT
World Cup events and the FIBT World Championship
• The World Cups and World Championship events per
season (from November to February) feature five
disciplines: women’s bobsleigh, two man and four man
bobsleigh, women’s and men’s skeleton
• A full HD 16/9 production is carried out at highest
international standard
• Live, delayed and highlight (2 minutes) programming
available at venue, via satellite, tape or ftp server
39
WINTER SPORTS
BOBSLEIGH & SKELETON
EXHILARATING SPEED
ON ICE
As a reliable and well-established partner in
both a media and marketing capacity, Infront
has supported us in driving our sports
forward and developing its popularity on a
global basis. The Group’s long-standing
experience in media production will not only
be a gain in efficiency but also a guarantee
for consistent quality and progress
throughout the period of the contract. We
look forward to continuing our fruitful
collaboration with the Infront team as we
will reach a milestone 25 years of
partnership in 2018.
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
BACKGROUND APPEAL
Infront Sports & Media’s role includes the
marketing of the key sponsorship packages
for bobsleigh and skeleton’s top-tier
sponsorship programme as well as the
worldwide distribution of media rights for
the men’s and women’s FIBT World Cup and
World Championship events. Programming
includes live, delayed and highlights
coverage on TV, radio, Internet and mobile
gcXk]fidjÅn`k_jg\Z`ÓZj\^d\ek\[
packages on offer.
Infront manages the media production for
all FIBT World Cup and World Championship
races. Supplying a highly polished
broadcast production, programming is
f]]\i\[è?;(-&0]fidXkÓcd\[Yplgkf
30 cameras covering the action along the
track, ensuring the key criteria of
broadcasters, sponsors and fans across all
markets are met with the highest quality
and technical controls. The production is
done in cooperation with the FIBT and is
considered as one of the highest across
various international winter sports.
Working closely with the Fédération
Internationale de Bobsleigh et de
Tobogganing (FIBT) since 2003, Infront has
embarked on a path of expansion that has
resulted in impressive levels of
international television coverage.
With strong TV viewership in Germany,
Russia, Switzerland, Canada, Latvia, the UK
and others, the 2013/14 World Cup
competitions were broadcast in 17 countries
and reached a cumulative audience of 497
million watching a total of 707 broadcast
hours.
www.infrontsports.com/FIBT
Ivo Ferriani, FIBT President
41
WINTER SPORTS
CURLING
A WINTER
SPORT ON
THE RISE
Strategic and tactical, with over 500 years
of rich history, curling has risen to
popularity. Every year, the World Curling
Championship and the European Curling
Championships showcases the top men’s
and women’s curling teams. The World
Curling Championships is played over nine
days, with the women’s event played in
March and the men’s in April, while the
European Curling Championship captivates
audiences over one week in November/
December.
Key Facts
• Worldwide media rights (except for Canada) for major
WCF events
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
The game of curling— contested between two teams of four, played
n`k_jkfe\jfe`Z\ÆnXj]\Xkli\[Xkk_\ÓijkFcpdg`ZNèk\i>Xd\jè
Chamonix, France in 1924. After a gap of 74 years, it returned as an
Olympic Winter Sport at the 1998 Nagano Winter Games, with both
men’s and women’s tournaments. The game is both tactical and
strategic, compared to “chess on ice” with a skilful and teamorientated ethos.
There is an annual schedule of international events at World and
European level for both men and women. The World Curling
Championships involve the top 12 curling countries in the world. Each
Championship takes nine days and is played in a round robin format to
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The Men’s and Women’s European Curling Championships take place
in November/December and are split into A and B groups, with group
8ZfekXèè^k_\kfgk\e<lifg\XeeXk`feXck\Xdj%K_\ÓeXckfg\`^_k
of group A qualify for the next World Curling Championship. The two
lowest ranking teams in Group A are relegated to Group B for the next
European Curling Championship.
• World Women’s and World Men’s Curling
Championships take place in March and April, the
European Curling Championship in December
• The WCF production team ensures high standards of
delivery for the HD 16/9 signal
• Live, delayed and highlight programming available at
venue, via satellite or tape
43
WINTER SPORTS
CURLING
A WINTER SPORT
ON THE RISE
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Upcoming Events
2015 World Women’s Curling Championship
14 – 22 March in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
BACKGROUND APPEAL
8jf]ÓZ`Xcd\[`XXe[dXib\kè^gXike\if]
the World Curling Federation, Infront
Sports & Media consults the federation on
the development of the sport and handles
all forms of worldwide media rights (except
for Canada) for the forthcoming WCF top
events, including TV and new media
– offering live, delayed and highlights
coverage.
The World Curling Federation has its own
dedicated in-house production, using an
international team of up to 40 members to
cover each event. This set-up ensures that
expertise is constantly carried forward to
guarantee the full HD signal is of a
consistently high standard. With
approximately 10 cameras in the stadium
covering all the action, the production
consists of one live feed as well as
highlights of any simultaneously played
games.
Curling is played throughout the world and
its popularity is increasing, along with the
global expansion of winter sports. The
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Germany, Scotland, Scandinavia and
Switzerland, whilst growing fast in Eastern
Europe and Asia (mainly China, Japan and
South Korea). In total, 53 member
associations belong to the WCF and the
number is rising.
2015 Ford World Men’s Curling Championship
28 March – 5 April in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
2015 Le Gruyère European Curling Championship
20 – 28 November in Esjberg, Denmark
With its unique experience and network in
winter sports, Infront was and is the best
choice in partner for curling as an emerging
sport. The passion and dedication behind
this integral media and marketing approach
has been substantial and has helped to
spread interest in curling around the world.
The foundations are now in place for the
future growth and development of our sport.
Curling works extremely well on television;
with direct and simple competition, and
audible players’ voices, viewers feel very
much part of the game.
The 2014 World Men’s Curling
Championship reached an impressive
cumulative audience of 85 million from 196
hours of coverage. Likewise, the 2013
European Curling Championship reached a
cumulative audience of 31 million from 85
hours of coverage.
www.infrontsports.com/WCF
Kate Caithness, President of the WCF
45
FOOTBALL
MEDIA RIGHTS
DFB National Team
49
The DFB Cup
53
57
FIFA Films
4761
WINTER SPORTS
DFB NATIONAL TEAM
Following an impressive 2014 FIFA World
Cup™ win, the German national team is
currently number one in the FIFA World
Ranking and generates huge attention
worldwide.
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Spirit of the team
One of the world’s greatest football nations and among the most
successful international teams: Germany holds four FIFA World
Cup™ titles (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) and three UEFA EURO™ titles
(1972, 1980, 1996). Until 2018, the German national team will play
around 10 - 15 home friendly matches — attracting high levels of
attention from football fans all over the world and viewers in more
than 200 countries and territories.
Key Facts
• Current FIFA World Cup™ champions following victory
in Brazil
• Infront markets the international media rights for the
team’s home friendly matches
• An international live signal is provided with English
commentary and international graphics
• All games are produced in HD 16/9 format, involving
more than 20 cameras
• The current squad is thriving with young talent and
playing highly competitive football
49
WINTER SPORTS
DFB NATIONAL TEAM THE PINNACLE OF
GERMAN FOOTBALL
We have celebrated a huge success in Brazil.
However, there are still other goals we want
to achieve. The 2014 FIFA World Cup™ was a
highlight for all of us, but it is not the end.
Joachim Löw, Manager German National Team
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
BACKGROUND APPEAL
As media rights advisor, Infront Sports
& Media currently supports the German
Football Association (DFB) in its media
rights sales for the international market
with the exception of German speaking
territories and the home market of the
respective competitor (i.e. second party
rights). Infront also handles media rights
for the U21 national team home matches,
outside of existing Eurosport territories,
and archive rights for all previous DFB
national team matches.
The German national team matches are
produced to international standard in HD
16/9 format involving more than 20
cameras. The international live signal is
provided with English commentary and
international graphics. The kick-off times
Xi\efkÓo\[#Ylk^\e\iXccpj\k]fiXifle[
8.45pm (CET).
The relationship between Infront and the
DFB is among the longest in the industry
– dating back over three decades. Besides
its international media advisory role,
Infront handles the stadium advertising for
the German national team games and
markets the DFB Cup.
Infront advises on the exploitation of rights
for all home friendly matches of the
German national team with coverage
available across all media platforms
extending until 2018.
Infront’s Broadcaster Servicing team builds
the direct link between broadcasters and
the production operations, ensuring all
agreements are implemented smoothly.
Top players in the German national team:
• Mario Götze (FC Bayern München)
• Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)
• Sami Khedira (Real Madrid)
• Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund)
• Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern München)
• Mesut Özil (Arsenal FC)
• Bastian Schweinsteiger
(FC Bayern München)
• Andre Schürrle (Chelsea FC)
• Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
• Thomas Müller (Bayern München)
51
www.infrontsports.com/DFB
WINTER SPORTS
THE DFB CUP AUTHENTIC CLUB
FOOTBALL
The prestigious DFB Cup has achieved a
higher growth rate in fans than any other
European domestic club competition. The
tournament begins with 64 clubs, playing
six rounds across 13 match days between
August and May.
Key Facts
• The DFB Cup is amongst the most popular knock-out
competitions in European football involving top German
and international players
• The competition begins with 64 clubs, playing across six
rounds between August and June
• Infront advises on the exploitation of rights for the entire
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Spirit of the competition
Dating back to 1935, the annual knock-out tournament of German
clubs continues to grow in popularity. The 36 teams of the 1. and 2.
9le[\jc`^X#Xcfe^n`k_k_\kfg]fliÓe`j_\ijf]k_\*%C`^X#
automatically qualify for the tournament. The remaining slots are
Xjj`ê\[kfhlXc`Ó\[k\Xdj]ifdcfn\i[`m`j`fej%
K_\Óijkifle[`j_\c[è8l^ljk\XZ_p\XiXe[k_\;=9:lg=èXc
(DFB-Pokal Finale) takes place at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin in
May/June. The 2014/15 DFB Cup television coverage will be
extended to fans in more than 200 countries and territories
worldwide.
The excitement of the competition is based on various factors:
• Clubs of all standards compete – holding potential for a lower
division team to eliminate one of the top clubs.
• No replay-matches – extra time and if necessary penalty shoot
outs increase the suspense.
• Prestige of the German Cup title ensures even the top teams
nominate their very best players.
DFB Cup competition across all media platforms
• English commentary and international graphics are
provided for a total of 19 matches
• All matches are produced in HD 16/9 format
The DFB Cup is the second most important national title in German
football after the Bundesliga Championship and the sell-out
stadiums provide an unrivalled atmosphere. The Bundesliga is
among the strongest in Europe and features many of the FIFA
World Cup™ winning team, which further contributes to the strong
international interest around the DFB Cup competition.
53
WINTER SPORTS
THE DFB CUP AUTHENTIC CLUB
FOOTBAL
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
DFB Cup Calendar
Round
Round of 16:
HlXik\i$ÓeXcj1
J\d`$ÓeXcj1
Final:
Month
3 – 4 March 2015
.Å/8gi`c)'(,
)/Å)08gi`c)'(,
30 May 2015
German football currently inspires
worldwide. This is also reflected in the
media coverage which, in collaboration with
Infront, we have again increased for the
upcoming season. The matches of the 2014/15
DFB Cup will be seen on TVs around the globe.
Not only international football fans but also
the national clubs and the whole of German
football will benefit from this.
Denni Strich, Marketing Director of the DFB
BACKGROUND APPEAL
As media rights advisor, Infront Sports &
Media currently supports the German
Football Association (DFB) in its media
rights sales for the international market
with the exception of German speaking
territories. Infront also handles archive
rights for all previous DFB national team
matches. All rights extend to 2018.
All DFB Cup matches are produced to
international standard in HD 16/9 format
– with the production operation involving
more than 18 cameras. A significant four
games per round are provided with
international graphics and English
commentary. Additionally, a
complementary highlight show for each
round is available to broadcasters.
Top international players:
Infront advises on the exploitation of rights
for the entire DFB Cup competition across
all media platforms.
Infront’s Broadcaster Servicing team builds
the direct link between broadcasters and
the production operations, ensuring all
• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
(Borussia Dortmund)
• Giulio Donati (Bayer Leverkusen)
• Kevin de Bruyne (VfL Wolfsburg)
• Son Heung-Min (Bayer Leverkusen)
• Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Borussia Dortmund)
• Franck Ribéry (FC Bayern München)
• Arjen Robben (FC Bayern München)
• Ciro Immobile (Borussia Dormund)
The relationship between Infront and the
DFB is among the longest in the industry
– dating back over three decades. Besides
its international media advisory role,
Infront handles the stadium advertising for
the German national team games and
markets the DFB Cup.
www.infrontsports.com/DFBcup
Top German players:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Julian Draxler (FC Schalke 04)
Manuel Neuer (FC Bayern München)
Mario Götze (FC Bayern München)
Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)
Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern München)
Thomas Müller (FC Bayern München)
Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund)
Bastian Schweinsteiger
(FC Bayern München)
55
WINTER SPORTS
LEGA SERIE A ARCHIVE
THE MAGIC OF
ITALIAN FOOTBALL
The greatest source of the most
unforgettable games, close up drama and
incredible football performance. The
Serie A archive provides 60 years of
Italian football history - the visual
evidence behind the Italian League
champions’ immense global success.
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Unforgettable Italian football heritage
The spectacular collection of Lega Serie A archive footage brings
the past back to life capturing all the action of the Italian League
over the years – it is a comprehensive history of goals, saves,
penalties and intense Italian football fever.
It offers a full perspective and focus on the League’s top teams,
some of the most famous football players and clubs worldwide
- A.C. Milan, Juventus F.C., Inter Milan F.C., S.S. Lazio, A.S. Roma,
ACF Fiorentina, Genoa CFC, Udinese Calcio, Parma F.C., Cagliari
Calcio, Verona F.C. and U.S.C. Palermo.
Key Facts
• Professionally produced collection of unforgettable
Italian football heritage, featuring the top clubs
• Material of most clubs represented in the archive is
offered on a worldwide basis – for both traditional and
new media exploitation
• Match footage contains complete international feed
• Indexed material available on digital server – to be edited
by licensees directly or by experienced Infront staff
• Format depending on season – HD 16/9 for the most
recent matches
57
WINTER SPORTS
LEGA SERIE A ARCHIVE
THE MAGIC
OF ITALIAN FOOTBALL
What we see weekly on the
Serie A pitches is still one of
the most interesting expressions
of the game. It is terrific to see
the diversity one finds across
Italy as a country to likewise be
expressed in its football.
Goal.com
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Infront Sports & Media handles all rights to
k_\XiZ_`m\#èXÓijk$\m\iXkk\dgkkff]]\i
a complete library and full service to
producers, television networks and all other
media operators keen to access the
footage. The historic compilation of
material covers 1954 up to and including
this season. Archive rights are offered for
exploitation on both traditional and new
media platforms from nine days after the
event.
The match feeds are sent for archive
exploitation directly from the stadia to
@e]ifekÊjDXjk\i:fekifcIffdm`XÓYi\
optics in order to fully preserve their
quality. The archive footage is then
extracted from the international feed,
which also includes pre- and post-match
sequences to offer a deeper perspective of
the game. The material is digitalised and
indexed via state-of-the-art technical
facilities that enable online searches of the
entire archive.
The footage provides some of the best
archive material available. It offers close-up
and slow motion shots in high quality and
sharp focus. The archive allows fans that all
important recall of their teams’ most
unforgettable heritage and moments.
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
OPPORTUNITIES FOR BROADCASTERS
Licensees can screen, make queries on the
database, select and create their own edit
[\Z`j`fec`jkj%K_\`[\ek`Ó\[]ffkX^\n`cc
then be at their disposal to edit clips or to
produce programs. Alternatively, Infront
football experts and producers can perform
the editing activities in dedicated technical
facilities tailored to the broadcaster’s
customised needs – be it a focus on the
players, teams or historical goals.
www.legaseriea.it
Several customised opportunities are available — depending on broadcaster’s needs and the
programming, for which the archive content is used.
• Classical matches: a compilation of
unforgettable matches of the last 10
Serie A seasons
• Season’s pass: Access to the Serie A
Archive for six, nine or twelve months to
select footage from all matches available
• Clubs: the greatest victories and most
j`ê`ÓZXek[\]\Xkjf]j\c\Zk\[ZclYj
• Footage by minute: occasional use of
]ffkX^\#YXj\[fejg\Z`ÓZ\[`kfi`Xce\\[j
• GcXp\igifÓc\j1 the best action scenes of
the top champions
• Tailor-made agreements to satisfy client’s
jg\Z`ÓZi\hlì\d\ekj
• Edited programs: 26 and/or 50 minute
programs to be produced by Infront upon
k_\Zc`\ekÊjjg\Z`ÓZi\hl\jk
59
FIFA Films
A golden heritage of football’s greatest
The FIFA Films archive encompasses the most extensive footage
available from the FIFA World Cup™ as well as Other FIFA events
from both men and women’s football, including the FIFA
Confederations Cup, FIFA Women’s World Cup, FIFA Futsal World
Cup, FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup and FIFA U-17/U-20 World
Cups.
The material is a complete collection of documentaries, clips,
programs, films and behind the scenes footage offering the best
close-up drama from each uniquely featured event. The footage
can be used for editorial or commercial purposes and is valuable to
networks as well as production companies, sponsors and
advertisers.
FIFA Films Grafenauweg 2 P.O. Box 4442 6304 Zug Switzerland
Tel. +41-41-723 15 15 Fax +41-41-723 15 16 www.fifafilms.com info@fifafilms.com
Handled by Infront, the archive is catalogued on a purpose-built
database allowing the knowledgeable research team quick and
easy access for a fast turn-around to client’s requests. Some of the
historical material is re-mastered and colour graded from the
original 35mm film reels to HDTV (high definition quality).
FIFA Films also operates a broadcast standard facility area, catering
for client’s dubbing, compiling and production needs together with
an editing suite which generates promotional spots and archive
programming. All material is delivered in the most flexible formats
including quality animated downloadable assets such as team
line-ups, together with language neutral Classic Archive Clips for
Mobile and TV.
61
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA RIGHTS
EHF European Handball Championships
65
CEV European Volleyball Championships
69
CEV European Beach Volleyball Championships
73
UCI World Championships
77
Tour de Suisse
81
BMW BERLIN-MARATHON
85
CBA League & CBA All-Star Game
89
Team China Basketball
93
Turkish Basketball League
97
2016 Olympic Games
101
63
WINTER SPORTS
HANDBALL HITS
NEW HEIGHTS
Handball is the most popular indoor sport
in many European countries and as one of
the fastest sports worldwide, continues to
rapidly increase in popularity. The EHF
EUROs feature the best 16 top men’s and
women’s teams from across Europe and
take place every two years in January and
December respectively.
Key Facts
• Europe’s best handball teams compete in a biennial
cycle (even years)
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
This highly physical and demanding team sport is fast and exciting
to watch and more popular than ever before. Every two years
towards the end of January, Europe’s best men’s handball teams
meet to contest the EHF European Championships with the
women’s teams meeting in the December of the same year.
The big handball countries such as Denmark, Germany, France,
Norway, Spain, Sweden and Russia along with Eastern European
nations (such as Croatia, Hungary, Serbia and Poland) and many
other smaller countries are strong contenders, making the
competition inclusive and adding to its democratic appeal.
The event fascinates television audiences around the globe. For the
Men’s and Women’s EHF EUROs, broadcast agreements were also
closed for territories beyond Europe, including the Middle East,
North Africa, Australia, USA, Canada and entire South America.
• Worldwide media rights for Men’s and Women’s EHF
EURO (with 47 games each) and respective qualifications
• Live TV signal made available on satellite, and ready for
webcast, archive, or news uesage via ftp access
• State-of-the-art multi- and unilateral broadcast
production supervised by Infront
• All games covered with up to 18 cameras and distributed
in High Definition (HD)
Martin Roos, martin.roos@infrontsports.com
65
WINTER SPORTS
HANDBALL HITS
NEW HEIGHTS
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Upcoming Events
2016 Men’s European Handball Championship
17 – 31 January in Poland
BACKGROUND APPEAL
As marketing and media partner of the EHF,
Infront Sports & Media distributes all forms
of media rights for the EHF EUROs and its
hlXc`ÓZXk`fedXkZ_\jfeXnfic[n`[\YXj`j#
including all media rights (TV, radio, online).
This combination of rights under one roof
_Xjgifm\[_`^_cpY\e\ÓZ`Xc%
The host broadcasting for the EHF EURO is
overseen by Infront and provides a
state-of-the-art multilateral and unilateral
YifX[ZXjkgif[lZk`fe%K_`jèZcl[\jÓcdè^
and transmitting a high quality signal which
includes special effects equipment such as
SpiderCams and High Speed Superslomo
cameras to show the beauty of the game.
All games are covered with up to 18
cameras in total, produced in high
[\Óe`k`fek\c\m`j`fehlXc`kp?;KM Xe[
distributed with adapted and animated
on-screen graphics.
The partnership between the European
Handball Federation (EHF) and Infront
Sports & Media in respect of the Men’s and
Women’s EHF EURO has been a success
story since 1993 – with the current
agreement running until 2020.
2016 Women’s European Handball Championship
4 – 8 December in Sweden
14 – 28 January in Croatia
2 – 16 December in France
10 – 26 January in Austria/Norway/Sweden
6 – 20 December in Norway/Denmark
The successful partnership between the EHF and
Infront has seen the EHF EURO become one of the
leading international events on the indoor sports
market.
Jean Brihault, President of the EHF
Furthermore, Infront’s Broadcaster
Servicing team delivers all relevant
editorial and organisational information to
all rights holders. The team builds the
direct link between broadcasters and the
production operations, ensuring all
K\c\m`j`feZfm\iX^\Xe[Xl[`\eZ\Ó^li\j
have consistently increased over the years.
On average, the Men’s and Women’s EHF
EURO reaches a cumulative television
audience of 1.3 billion people, transmitted
into more than 200 countries and
territories worldwide.
Additional exposure is also secured through
the highly popular online EHF EURO
gcXk]fidjÅk_\f]ÓZ`Xcn\Yj`k\nnn%
\_]$\lif%Zfd #k_\f]ÓZ`Xc<?=<LIF
YouTube, Facebook and Twitter channels
– all of which have been developed by
Infront in conjunction with the EHF.
In 2014, a new digital content strategy
– providing more engaging content focusing
on video clips, behind-the-scenes, live blog
updates and social media posts with
pictures - created an overall increase of in
media value equivalence of over 43%
compared to 2012.
www.infrontsports.com/EHFEURO
67
WINTER SPORTS
2015 CEV MEN’S AND
WOMEN’S EUROPEAN
VOLLEYBALL
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Demonstrating their competitive spirit,
Europe’s top 16 national men’s and
women’s volleyball teams battle for the
title of European Champion every other
year. Fast and exciting, each Championship
attracts an average of over 100,000
spectators to its 36 games held over ten
days in September/October.
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Volleyball is fast, exciting and ever more popular. It receives high
levels of media coverage with the Confédération Européenne de
Volleyball (CEV) European Championships premier events taking
place biennially.
In 2015, the women’s matches will take place in Belgium and the
Netherlands. The men’s event will be held in Italy and Bulgaria.
The men‘s teams that have already qualified include: Belgium,
Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Czech
Republic, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Belarus. The last qualification
matches will be held in May 2015: Slovenia-Portugal,
Spain-Netherlands, Estonia-Sweden.
Key Facts
• Europe’s best national volleyball teams compete in a
biennial tournament (odd years)
• Infront distributes worldwide media rights for the men’s
The women‘s teams that have already qualified include: Belgium,
Croatia, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Turkey,
Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. The last
qualification matches will be held in May 2015: Ukraine-Belarus,
France-Slovenia, Azerbaijan-Slovakia.
and women’s tournament (with 36 games each)
• Live and delayed coverage as well as news clips provided
via satellite, tape and ftp-server
• State-of-the-art host broadcast production supervised
by Infront
Silvia Sordelli, silvia.sordelli@infrontsports.com
69
WINTER SPORTS
2015 CEV
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S
EUROPEAN VOLLEYBALL
CHAMPIONSHIPS
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Upcoming Events
2015 CEV Men’s European Championships
9 - 18 October
9lc^Xi`XJfÓXXe[MXieX Xe[@kXcp9ljkf8ij`q`fXe[Kliè
BACKGROUND APPEAL
2015 CEV Women’s European Championships
Partnering with the CEV for over 20 years,
Infront Sports & Media distributes worldwide media rights for both the men’s and
women’s European Championship
tournaments through to 2021. Based on an
expansion of its partnership with the CEV,
Infront will also distribute the international
media rights for the CEV Beach Volleyball
European Championships as well as the CEV
Beach Volleyball Continental Cup Finals in
2016 and 2020 – the decisive qualifying
competitions for the Olympic Games in the
respective years.
Throughout its involvement with the CEV
events, Infront has invested in the quality
of the television coverage providing a
framework for a state-of-the-art host
broadcast production. It supervises all
aspects of the broadcast in collaboration
with the chosen networks in each host
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including more than ten cameras in each
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and transmitting a high-quality signal,
Infront supports broadcasters in their
unilateral production, transmission as well
as commentary facilities and services.
With strong international appeal, the 2013
women’s and men’s CEV Volleyball
European Championship were broadcast by
over 30 TV stations worldwide, including
Europe, USA, Canada, Central and South
America, Asia and the Middle East.
26 September - 4 October
Netherlands (Apeldoorn, Eindhoven and Rotterdam) and
Belgium (Antwerp)
Dates and locations subject to change
www.infrontsports.com/CEVEuro
We have a very solid and professional partner
at our side and I am convinced this extended
cooperation will significantly help the
promotion and development of our sport.
André Meyer, CEV President, on the occasion of the contract
prolongation with Infront
71
WINTER SPORTS
CEV MEN’S AND
WOMEN’S BEACH
VOLLEYBALL EUROPEAN
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Europe’s top men’s and women’s beach
volleyball teams compete every year for the
title of European Champion. The multiple
day events are generally held from May to
August, with the Final attracting an
audience of over 75,000.
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
With two teams of two players each, beach volleyball is a fast and
exciting game, played outside on a sand court. Originating in
Southern California (USA), beach volleyball has achieved worldwide
popularity. In Europe, it receives high levels of media coverage with
the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball (CEV) Beach Volleyball
European Championships events taking place every year.
The 2015 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championships will
consist of at least three Masters events and one Final. Men’s and
women’s teams from all across Europe will compete for the title of
European Champion. Each event is several days long and regularly
attracts large crowds of onsite spectators.
Key Facts
• Europe’s best beach volleyball teams compete yearly
As a truly international sport, strong contenders in the past have
included Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy,
Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, and
Switzerland.
for the title of European Champion
• Infront distributes the international media rights for the
CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship from
2015 - 2021 and CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup
Finals in 2016 and 2020
• Live and delayed coverage is available
Silvia Sordelli, silvia.sordelli@infrontsports.com
73
WINTER SPORTS
CEV MEN’S AND WOMEN’S
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Upcoming Events
2015 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championships Final
28 July - 2 August in Klagenfurt, Austria
BACKGROUND APPEAL
In addition to distributing the international
media rights for the CEV Beach Volleyball
European Championships, Infront Sports &
Media also distributes media rights for CEV
Beach Volleyball Continental Cup Finals in
2016 and 2020 – the decisive qualifying
competitions for the Olympic Games in the
respective years. Since 1993, the company
has handled the marketing of the worldwide
multimedia rights of the biennial CEV
European Championships and has a long
term agreement through to 2021.
The TV production is composed of at least
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eight cameras for the Final. The total
matches produced include at least eight per
tournament per gender, including
hlXik\i$ÓeXcj#j\d`$ÓeXcjXe[ÓeXcj%
Beach volleyball gained popularity in
Europe in the 1930s, and has been an
Olympic sport since 1996. During the last
Olympic Games, beach volleyball was one of
the most popular sports and continues to
gain in appeal.
Infront supervises all aspects of the
broadcast in collaboration with the chosen
networks in each host country.
www.infrontsports.com/
CEVBeachEuro
2015 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championships Masters
21 - 24 May in Jumala, Latvia
3 - 7 June in Baden Austria
5 - 9 August in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland
Dates and locations subject to change
We look forward to another step of our
cooperation with Infront Sports & Media. By
taking into consideration the good results
stemming from the past few years, we have
decided to join our forces once more in order
to provide the Beach Volleyball community
with a first-class service when it comes to TV
production and the distribution of all
relevant media rights.
André Meyer, CEV President
75
WINTER SPORTS
SUSPENSE AND ACTION UCI CYCLING
From the daring stunts of BMX and the
skills of mountain biking to the speed of
the track and the suspense of road racing
– this is international cycling supremacy.
The UCI World Championship events are
the pinnacles of international cycling
featuring the very best athletes from
around the world.
Key Facts
• UCI Road, Track, Mountain Bike and BMX World
Championships take place annually, featuring the very
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
The UCI World Championships are the annual top events in
international cycling – covering well-established as well as growing
disciplines. Each with its own event, the World Championships in
Road, Track, Mountain Bike and BMX racing draw the attention of
spectators, cycling enthusiasts and the media year on year.
All the world championship events (except road cycling’s team time
trials) are ridden by national teams, not trade teams – which is
often the case at most other major races. All nations that have
qualified through previous UCI Events nominate their very best
athletes to participate in the competitions, leading to a global field
of starters. The UCI awards a gold medal and a rainbow jersey to
the winner of each discipline. The winner of each category is
entitled to wear the rainbow jersey for future events of the same
discipline (either mass start or time trial) until the next
championships.
best nations and athletes in each discipline
• Access to the UCI World Championship events and the
UCI Track Cycling World Cup
• Infront is distributing the global media rights (except
USA and Japan)
• Broadcast material offered for live, delayed, magazine
and highlights coverage
The UCI Track Cycling World Cup provides a serial showcase for
high-level track racing. The event is held every year with several
rounds each hosted in a different country. It features the world’s
most elite men and women cyclists competing against one another
across all track disciplines for the points that will ultimately
determine their international ranking and qualification for the next
Olympic Games.
Adam Mason, adam.mason@infrontsports.com
77
WINTER SPORTS
UCI CYCLING EVENTS SUSPENSE AND ACTION
ACROSS ALL DISCIPLINES
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Upcoming Events
UCI Road World Championships
19 - 27 September 2015 in Richmond, USA
2016 in Doha, Qatar
17 - 24 September 2017 in Bergen, Norway
UCI Track World Championships
18 - 22 February 2015 in Paris, France
2 - 6 March 2016 in London, England
UCI Track World Cups
3 events per season November 2015 - January 2016
UCI BMX World Championships
21 - 26 July 2015 in Zolder, Belgium
BACKGROUND APPEAL
The International Cycling Union (UCI) has
appointed Infront Sports & Media as its
media rights partner for the UCI Road,
Track, Mountain Bike and BMX World
Championships as well as the UCI Track
Cycling World Cup. Infront handles all forms
of media rights globally, with the exception
of the USA and Japan.
Broadcast material is offered in attractive
packages – with opportunities for live,
delayed, magazine and highlights coverage.
Perhaps the most traditional, the Road
cycling competition continues to grow in
popularity with some of the big races
attracting tens of millions of spectators and
TV viewers worldwide. Road cycling is
comprised of three types of event – Road
Race, Individual Time Trials and Team Time
Trial.
UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships
31 August - 6 Septermber 2015 in Vallnord, Andorra
The UCI World Road Championships stand at the
pinnacle of the cycling world calendar as one of
the great events in world sport and ranks
alongside the Tour de France as the most coveted
prize in cycling.
Involved across multiple disciplines, Infront
supports the UCI in the sustainable
development of both the well-established
and the growing events, ensuring access for
the broadest possible cycling fan base
around the globe. A particular focus of the
partnership lies on the development and
strengthening of the UCI World
Championship events as a TV product,
increasing its appeal for broadcasters and
digital media. Along with this approach, the
UCI is currently striving for a centralisation
of all media production operations, to
enable a consistent approach and highquality programming of all its events.
Track Racing consists of ten events divided
into three families – Sprint, Endurance
events and Combined (or Omnium). The
athletes are generally more powerful than
ifX[iXZ\ij[l\kfk_\jg\Z`ÓZ
requirements of the cycling track.
The Mountain Bike discipline has four
specialities – Cross-Country, Downhill,
Eliminator and Team Relay. Each requires
the rider to tackle technical descents,
forest roads, rocky paths and various other
obstacles.
Finally, BMX is by far the most youthorientated discipline attracting
adventurous athletes and audiences. There
are two BMX areas of expertise, SuperZifjjXe[=i\\jkpc\Åi\hlìè^Ó\iZ\
cycling ability along with brave stunts and
jumps.
www.infrontsports.com/UCI
Bike Exchange, Australia
79
WINTER SPORTS
WORLD CLASS
CYCLING EMOTION THE TOUR DE SUISSE
The Tour de Suisse is among the world’s
top cycling events and part of the UCI
World Tour and ranking calendar. Spread
over nine event days in June of each year,
it attracts a top-class international field
to the roads of Switzerland.
Key Facts
• The Tour de Suisse is among the world’s top
cycling events
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Daring cycling, speed and dedication is what can be expected from
the event - an annual feature on the Swiss sports calendar. A
leading international cycling tour, it fascinates approximately one
million spectators along the course and up to 50,000 spectators at
the start and finish areas of the event stages.
Attracting big international cycling stars, it allows riders to test
their form over varied and challenging parcours. In 2014, there
were a total of 167 cyclists on the starting grid with competitors
representing countries from all over Europe and beyond including
USA, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain,
Russia, Austria, Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland amongst
others. Both prestigious and traditional, the event will mark its
79th anniversary in 2015.
• The event over nine days in June of each year attracts a
top class field
• In 2015, the Tour de Suisse will be held between
13 - 21 June
• Infront is handling all media rights to the Tour de Suisse
and can offer 3 year deals
• Infront will coordinate the high level media production
to develop an exciting television showcase
Adam Mason, adam.mason@infrontsports.com
81
WINTER SPORTS
WORLD CLASS
CYCLING EMOTION TOUR DE SUISSE
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Upcoming Events
79th Tour de Suisse
13 – 21 June 2015
BACKGROUND APPEAL
Official marketing partner InfrontRingier
handles conceptualisation as well as
managing all aspects of organisation and
final marketing of the event. The
cooperation also includes the sustainable
and consistent development of Swiss
cycling in amateur, youth and recreational
sports.
The broadcast material of the Tour de
Suisse will be offered in attractive
packages, offering live rights to
broadcasters on a worldwide basis in HD
quality.
The Tour de Suisse is a very well
established brand; the Swiss factor of the
event provides even more character and
charm and takes the television audience
through a journey that covers impressive
landscapes.
80th Tour de Suisse
June 2016
81st Tour de Suisse
June 2017
With [Infront] we have gained a competent
partner who will support us with its
experience in the field of media and
commercial exploitation, brand development
and event management throughout the
enhancement process of cycling in
Switzerland. This comprehensive partnership
is an excellent starting point which will bring
cycling in Switzerland to the next level of
success.”
Infront Sports & Media’s role covers the
international media rights sales strategy
which is to open up new markets for the
Tour de Suisse as well as increase media
coverage in the midterm.
Infront ensures the effective coordination
of television coverage, high broadcast
standards and an exciting television
showcase for the competition.
On average, the event delivers a cumulative
television audience of more than 200
million viewers from over 200 hours of
coverage broadcast across more than 130
countries and territories worldwide.
Swiss Cycling was founded in 1883 as the
national governing body for all cycling
competitions in Switzerland and is
comprised of 16,000 members. As a
member of Swiss Olympic, the Union
Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the Union
Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC) it is the only
recognised partner of these sports
organisations, responsible for loading the
competitions at international level (World
and European Championships, Olympic
Games).
Melchior Ehrler, President of Swiss Cycling
TourdeSuisse
83
WINTER SPORTS
BMW BERLIN-MARATHON
BRINGING THE
STREETS ALIVE
Proving determination and stamina,
approximately 40,000 athletes from all over
the world push themselves to the limit for
the 42.2 kilometres (26.2 miles) of the
BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, part of the elite
World Marathon Majors. Held annually in
September, the race fascinates over
one million enthusiastic spectators.
Key Facts
• BMW BERLIN-MARATHON is part of the five World
Marathon Majors
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Taking the athletes and spectators through the incredible city of
Berlin, the race showcases some of the most historical and
Y\Xlk`]lcXjg\Zkjf]k_\cfZXk`fe%K_\Zflij\`jbefne]fi`kjÔXk
gifÓc\#\m\ejli]XZ\Xe[Z_\\iè^jg\ZkXkfijÅèk_\cXjk]\np\Xij
it has gauged increasing interest with over one million people
lining the streets to create a fantastic atmosphere.
Approximately 40,000 athletes from all over the world compete in
the race. As a result of the international appeal and high calibre of
the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, the men’s and women’s elite are
part of the starting grid. A total of 10 world records have been
established by the participants – more than at any other city
marathon in the world.
8cfe^n`k_Óm\fk_\iiXZ\jKfbpf#9fjkfe#Cfe[fe#:_`ZX^f#Xe[
New York), the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON forms the World
Marathon Majors, a series offering a USD 1 million prize that is
divided between the top male and female marathon contenders.
• A total of 10 world records established
• 26.2 mile road race with more than one million
spectators lining the streets
• HD signal produced by Infront’s subsidiary HBS
• Live and delayed footage available to broadcasters
Martin Roos, martin.roos@infrontsports.com
85
WINTER SPORTS
BMW BERLIN-MARATHON
BRINGING THE STREETS
ALIVE
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Upcoming Events
42nd BMW BERLIN-MARATHON
27 September 2015
Infront Sports & Media advises the
organising committee (SCC Events) on the
distribution of its worldwide media rights
on an international and national basis as
well as providing support on the
sponsorship and marketing of the events.
The race is produced in HD format by
Infront’s wholly-owned subsidiary Host
Broadcast Services (HBS) – industry leader
in host broadcast operations for major
sports events. The coverage is available as
live and delayed footage.
BACKGROUND APPEAL
43rd BMW BERLIN-MARATHON
26 September 2016
Along with the New York, London, Chicago and
Boston, the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON forms part of
the Worlds Marathon Majors (WMM) – the
Champions League of marathon races.
Spiegel Online, Germany
Working to international standards,
state-of-the-art production technology is
used to ensure broadcasters the highest
quality TV signal and programming. Infront
provides a dynamic, consistent television
product, increasing the quantity and quality
of BMW BERLIN-MARATHON event
coverage. More than 20 cameras – mounted
on vehicles that include a helicopter, lead
car and escort motorcycles – accompany
the running event. A world feed with
English commentary is produced alongside
magazine programming and news clips that
are distributed worldwide.
Infront also provides full support for rights
holders through its dedicated Broadcaster
Servicing team – coordinating operations
onsite and building the link between
broadcasters and the production operation.
With participants from all over the world
and a reputation for its high sportive level,
the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON attracts
strong international attention. Event
coverage is broad with coverage in over 100
territories following Infront’s move to a
territory-by-territory based sales approach.
An active online community keeps digital
engagement levels high with 1.3 million
unique website visits and almost 60,000
Facebook likes.
BMWBerlinMarathon
87
WINTER SPORTS
CBA LEAGUE ASIA’S LARGEST
SPORTS LEAGUE
The fastest growing Chinese sports
league is contested by 20 clubs playing as
many as 417 games to take fans on an
exhilarating journey from November to
April each year. With the season’s
highlight, the CBA All-Star Game, reaching
100 million on TV, it is an undisputed
premium property in Asia.
Key Facts
• Fastest growing and most popular Chinese sports league
with as many as 417 games played between November
and April – including the CBA All-Star Game as a special
highlight
• Growing appeal of the league reflected in the high
number of international players recruited by CBA clubs
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Spirit of the sport and the league
Basketball is China’s most popular team sport and at the same time
the CBA is the largest sports league in Asia. The future is bright as
more young people are encouraged to take up basketball as a
result of the national team’s success as well as more effective
promotion of the sport at every level.
The rising popularity of the CBA League not only attracts millions
of fans and achieves growing TV ratings in China, it also continues
to appeal to foreign players, sponsors and broadcasters.
Approximately 57 foreign players, many of them previously having
played in the NBA, were recruited by the CBA clubs to play the
current 2014/15 season – reflecting the growing appeal of the
league and the high calibre of basketball talent as a result.
The CBA League regular season runs from November to February
showcasing a total of 380 regular season games with 20
participating clubs throughout China, followed by the playoffs and
the finals. An additional highlight of the CBA League season is the
CBA All-Star Weekend, featuring the best and most popular players
from the North and South.
• Infront markets the worldwide media rights for all CBA
League games
• Live and delayed TV signal with international sound for
most games available on satellite and tape (on demand)
• High quality broadcast production in HD 16/9 format
Shirley Lv, shirley.lv@infrontasia.com
89
WINTER SPORTS
CBA LEAGUE ASIA’S LARGEST SPORTS
LEAGUE
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
CBA League - Regular Season
November 2014 – February 2015
BACKGROUND APPEAL
The CBA and Infront Sports & Media have
successfully partnered since May 2005,
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Infront together with the CBA has introduced
clearly defined production guidelines. All 16
host broadcasters will operate according to a
manual – guaranteeing a consistent high
quality TV image. Infront is also distributing a
30-minute summary program for each round
of the games.
Basketball is the most popular televised
sport in China, with every CBA League
game shown.
CBA League - All-Star Game
17 - 18 January 2015
CBA League - Playoffs
6 February - 6 March 2015
CBA League - Finals
10 - 24 March 2015
The CBA league comes across an opportunity
of a million that everyone involved should
treasure and make it a better place for fans,
sponsors and media.
Xinhua News Agency
Infront’s in-depth role involves every
aspect of marketing the commercial rights
and developing the CBA League to raise
international awareness of Chinese
basketball. Infront owns the media rights
for all CBA matches both globally and
nationally and in addition takes care of the
development of the new media platform.
As a result of Infront’s parallel role with the
CBA, there is a unique opportunity for
broadcasters and sponsors to focus on
Chinese basketball as a dynamic product.
The synergy between Team China and the
CBA League can be taken advantage of
- exploiting Chinese basketball as a
powerful vehicle to reach Chinese
consumers.
Infront collaborates with the CBA to upgrade
the television production quality and
distribution as well as produce the live TV
signal and international sound for all the
games. The production involves a minimum
of eight cameras and during the final stages
up to twelve, capturing all the actions of the
sport.
During the current 2014/15 season, 20
domestic television channels broadcast the
home games of their regional team live and
CCTV-5, the national sports broadcaster,
featured at least seven games per week
- four live games and three delayed, while
CCTV5+, the new HD sports channel
showcased an additional 3 to 4 games. The
CBA League also extended its partnerships
with China’s news portal Sohu.com and
leading video website PPTV.com for live
webcasts across their digital platforms this
year.
In addition, the CBA League games were
broadcast to the North American market
– based on an agreement between Infront
and One World Sports (OWS).
At the end of the 2013/14 season, Infront
had provided 840 hours of live signals for
all 335 games and achieved a cumulative
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games.
www.infrontsports.com/CBA
91
WINTER SPORTS
TEAM CHINA THE NATION’S
PASSION
Basketball is the number one sport in
China and the country is an emerging
power in the world game. Its national
teams compete in a total of around 20
home matches, played mid-year and are
avidly followed by a passionate and loyal
fan base.
Key Facts
• Basketball has developed into the most popular sport
in China
• The men’s and women’s teams are currently 14 and 8
in the FIBA World Ranking
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Spirit of the sport and the team
Attracted to the fast, dynamic, powerful and competitive spirit of
the game, the fan base comprises a mix of both male and female
fans. As one of the most popular televised sports in the country
basketball has overtaken football as the preferred domestic sport
with viewers.
Committed to reform, the new Chinese men’s team features
popular young and rising talent such as Wang Zhelin and Zhou Qi,
both of whom started representing the country at only 19 years of
age, and those established names with previous experience of
playing in the NBA such as Yi Jianlian (NBA player from 2007 to
2012). This year’s Chinese men’s team is considered a new
generation, recruiting a number of fresh but vigorous players,
aiming to regain their number 1 title in the upcoming regional
championships.
In the current FIBA World Ranking the women’s team is in eighth
position and the men’s team in fourteenth.
• Infront exclusively offers worldwide media rights for all
home games
• Live and delayed TV signal with international sound for
most games is available on satellite and tape (on demand)
• No less than 20 matches per season are produced by
CCTV Sports & Entertainment in HD 16/9 format
Shirley Lv, shirley.lv@infrontasia.com
93
WINTER SPORTS
TEAM CHINA THE NATION’S PASSION
FOOTBALL
BACKGROUND APPEAL
Infront Sports & Media is the exclusive
global marketing partner of the Chinese
Basketball Association (CBA) for the
country’s men’s and women’s national
basketball teams – Team China. The role
covers all key aspects of marketing,
including sponsorship, television, new
media image rights and the technical
development of the Chinese national teams.
Infront owns the global media rights for all
home matches of Team China.
Infront and CCTV Sports & Entertainment
(CCTVSE) have formed a strategic
partnership to support the television
coverage of Team China games. A total of
no less than 20 home games for the men’s
and the women’s team are scheduled and
produced per year with an average of 11
cameras capturing all the action in and
around the court. The TV signal is provided
in HD 16/9 format.
Infront’s unique task is more than
commercial; the ambition is to help raise
China’s position in the FIBA World Rankings.
This partnership between a Chinese sports
body and an international sports marketing
company creates a powerful synergy in the
promotion of Chinese basketball to the
world.
Infront worked with CBA in many aspects, not only
the teams’ marketing and promotion, but also
helped the teams to develop technically by
introducing top level foreign coaches, scouts and
physicians to China, and organizing high-quality
international friendly challenge games for Team
China to better prepare for big international
events.
Hu Jiashi, Vice President of the CBA
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
In 2014, the women’s team achieved a
cumulative audience of 79.77 million, while
the men’s team achieved a cumulative
audience of 40.20 million.
TeamChina
As a result of Infront’s parallel role with the
CBA, there is a unique opportunity for
broadcasters and sponsors to focus on
Chinese basketball as a dynamic product.
The synergy between Team China and the
CBA and WCBA Leagues can be taken
advantage of - exploiting Chinese
basketball to its maximum potential as a
powerful vehicle to reach Chinese
consumers.
95
WINTER SPORTS
TBL - EUROPEAN
BASKETBALL AT ITS
BEST
The Turkish Basketball League is contested
by 16 teams, competing from October to
June each year. Rapidly growing in Turkey,
basketball ranks only behind football in
terms of interest and participation.
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Spirit of the sport and league
The league is home to some of the best domestic and international
stars with more than 80 players coming from outside Turkey.
The season features home and away matches for all teams, with
the top 8 teams progressing to the playoffs to determine the
Champion, whilst the bottom ranked teams play against 2nd
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Key Facts
• Infront is the exclusive global media and marketing
partner of the Turkish Basketball League (TBL)
• Turkey’s 2nd most popular sport
• Content available throughout October – June each year
• Up to 119 matches (90 regular season and up to 29
playoffs)
• HD 16/9 production available on a European satellite
97
WINTER SPORTS
TBL - EUROPEAN
BASKETBALL AT ITS BEST
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
TBL Regular Season
October 2014 – May 2015 (240 matches, 90 produced per
season, approximately 4 games per match week)
TBL Playoffs
May – June 2015 (up to 29 matches, all produced)
Stars of Turkish Basketball
• Cenk Akyol (Turkey)
• Carlos Arroyo (USA)
• Justin Carter (USA)
• <dìGi\c[`Z¡Klib\p
• Darius Washington (Macedonia/USA)
Infront Sports & Media is the exclusive
global media and marketing partner of the
Turkish Basketball Federation and handles
all forms of electronic media rights for the
events including TV, radio and digital media
for live, delayed and highlights coverage
globally.
Games are staggered across the weekend
from Friday through Monday evening to
maximise broadcaster choice. Evening
matches typically tip-off at 20:00 EET,
while afternoon matches generally start at
14:00 and 16:00 EET.
Production is to the highest level with all
produced matches available in HD with a
minimum of eight cameras, increasing to 16
cameras for the biggest matches. All are
available on a European satellite.
www.infrontsports.com/TBL
Turkey is a true basketball nation – with the
league and national teams backed by millions of
fans. Together with Infront we now want to
build awareness of Turkish basketball beyond
our national boarders and elevate our
properties further to fortify a leading position
in Europe.
Of the 240 regular season matches, a
guaranteed 90 are produced each season,
meaning approximately four games are
broadcast each match week. Following the
regular season, there are up to 29 playoff
matches each season, all available for
broadcast.
Ali Özsoy, Secretary General of the TBF
99
WINTER SPORTS
RIO 2016
OLYMPIC GAMES
With more than 200 nations participating,
the Olympic Games bring together the
world’s best athletes in over 50
disciplines. Held every four years, the
Olympic Games and Olympic Winter Games
alternate by occurring every four years but
two years apart.
Key Facts
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Spirit of the competition
Followed by billions of sports enthusiasts across the globe both on
TV and online the Olympics make for a supreme viewing experience
– totally unsurpassed in terms of the variety – there is truly
something for everyone.
Infront Sports & Media collaborates with TV Media Sport, to take
the Sub-Saharan African media rights to market for the 2016
Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Rights are offered in 43 countries and territories within the region,
covering exclusive free-to-air television and radio rights, alongside
non-exclusive internet and mobile rights.
• Collaboration between Infront and TV Media Sport to
distribute media rights for 2016 Olympic Games
• Distribution in 43 countries and territories within
Sub-Saharan Africa
• Exclusive free-to-air television and radio rights,
alongside non-exclusive internet and mobile rights
• Live/delayed signal and highlights from all competitions
as well as full coverage of the opening and closing
ceremonies
Joel Speier, joel.speier@infrontsports.com
101
WINTER SPORTS
RIO 2016
OLYMPIC GAMES
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
5 – 21 August 2016
Led by Infront and supported with
operations by the French-based sports
event and television agency TV Media Sport
(TVMS), the programming on offer includes
a live/delayed signal and highlights from all
competitions as well as full coverage of the
opening and closing ceremonies. In addition,
broadcast sponsorship opportunities are
marketed to brands with a focus on the
African market.
This agreement reflects the global appeal of
the Olympic Games, and our aim is to reach
audiences in all regions across the globe with
the best broadcast offering. We want to not
only generate viewership for sports where
African athletes already perform successfully,
but also boost appeal for Olympic sports
gaining popularity on the continent.
Thomas Bach, IOC President
Broadcasters receive a quality of picture
and level of support that matches the
highest standards in sport today. All games
Xi\gif[lZ\[n`k_Xjg\Z`ÓZYifX[ZXjk
feed, tailored for an African audience. This
includes a focus on African athletes and
most popular competitions. The
programming is further enhanced with
commentary in French, English and
Portuguese.
List of territories covered:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African
Republic
Chad
Comoros
Democratic
Republic of
Congo
Republic of
Congo
Côte d’Ivoire
Equatorial
Guinea
Eritrea
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Sâo Tomé and
Principe
•
•
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•
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Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Swaziland
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
103
WORLD-CLASS
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Host Broadcast Services (HBS)
107
Infront Media Production
111
Digital Media Solutions
115
Case Study: 2014 FIFA World Cup™
119
Case Study: Lega Serie A
125
105
WINTER SPORTS
HBS
MAKING BROADCAST
HISTORY™
HBS’s innovative approach has inspired
dramatic changes in the way that the host
broadcast of major sports events is
handled and the company is now the
industry leader in the field.
The host broadcast of major international
sports events is highly sophisticated and
best done by a specialist company. This
vital function — once an obligation of the
national broadcaster — ensures that the
highest quality content is delivered to TV,
radio, and new media rights holders
worldwide.
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Independent host broadcast specialist
Host Broadcast Services (HBS), is an independent host broadcast
specialist dedicated to servicing sports federations, organising
committees and rights holders worldwide, enabling them to
broadcast their events in the most exciting and effective way.
Providing fully comprehensive and highest quality host broadcast
j\im`Z\j#Xjn\ccXjZfejlckXeZp#?9Jf]]\ijjkXik$kf$Óe`j_gifa\Zk
management for major events – a process that can typically involve
several years of planning, the provision of tailored facilities and
services and, depending on the relevant criteria, the building and
management of an International Broadcast Centre (IBC). A
dedicated team focuses on production-led projects, with shorter
timescales and a lighter infrastructure. HBS operates throughout
the world and is able to deliver a full solution, regardless of any
challenge or location.
Wolfgang Jauer, wjauer@hbs.tv
107
WINTER SPORTS
HBS
MAKING BROADCAST
HISTORY™
EVERY ASPECT OF THE PRODUCTION
The role of HBS is best summarised as
“from pitch to viewer”, bringing top events
to fans across the world, whether in the
venue or at home using apps and other
connected devices. HBS provides every
aspect of the production of the signal for
international sports events as well as world
feed satellite distribution.
Years or months prior to the event, HBS
steps in to perform an in-depth audit of the
event and location to establish delivery
e\\[jXe[cfZXci\jfliZ\j%?9J`[\ek`Ó\j#
on behalf of rights holders and event
organisers, along with their key customers,
what end user expectations will be and
designs cost-effective operations. HBS
j\im`Z\jXe[]XZ`c`k`\jXi\Zljkfd`j\[kfÓk
the needs of the event, MRL expectations
and budgets.
Responsibilities include contracting and
kiXèè^k\Xdj#Ócdè^Xe[kiXejd`kkè^k_\
feeds, as well as providing MRLs with
unilateral production, transmission and
commentary services and onsite facilities.
For big events where an IBC is essential,
HBS plans, builds out, manages and
dismantles the IBC as well as the
multilateral and unilateral onsite broadcast
facilities at all venues.
The highly experienced core team manages
each project utilising dedicated software
and co-ordinating the various elements to
ensure that the project works as a
mastered and cost-effective whole. HBS
handles risk assessments prior to the event
and knowledge management and legacy
archiving as required.
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
DELIVERING TOP EVENTS
YEARS OF PLANNING AHEAD
PRODUCTION-LED PROJECTS
INDUSTRY RECOGNITION
As host broadcaster of all FIFA World
Cups™ since 2002, HBS has consistently
built on its experience, enhancing
standards and services to introduce
award-winning innovations for FIFA. For
UEFA, HBS has built and managed the IBC
for all UEFA EUROs since 2000.
After a successful 2014 FIFA World Cup™,
HBS is already anticipating deliverables for
the following 2018 FIFA World Cup™ in
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assessing training. HBS will establish a local
f]ÓZ\#nfibè^[X`cpn`k_=@=8Xe[k_\CfZXc
Organizing Committee to make sure that
the ever-changing needs of the
international MRLs will be met.
HBS also has an established team dedicated
to expanding the Infront Group’s
multimedia and production capabilities and
to developing new business in this area. The
unit focuses mainly on production-led
projects, working on shorter time scales
with a lighter infrastructure and in synergy
with other Infront subsidiaries.
• SVG Award – Sport technology
Excellence, 2006
• Judges’ Award for New Media
Production – IBC, 2006
• Host Broadcast Award – ISEMS, 2007
• Judges’ Innovation Award – IBC, 2010
• Innovative Technology Award –
AIB, 2010
• SVG Outstanding Technical
Achievement, 2010
• Outstanding achievement in 3D –
IBC, 2011
• Best Slo-Motion sequence –
Golden Podium Awards, 2011
• Live Sports Special EMMY Award –
won in 2011 by ESPN and shared with HBS
• Public prize (Equipe TV) for Best Sports
Slo-motion – Golden Podium
Awards, 2012
• Judges’ Innovation Award – IBC, 2014
(group award)
The company also works with national
leagues, such as the Ligue de Football
Professionnel in France, and supports
major international events, such as the
Asian Games (both Summer and Winter
editions), the IRONMAN series with
multilateral and unilateral production and
distribution services, media server
implementation, daily magazine
programmes and infotainment.
Major events typically run for weeks or
even months, involve several years of
planning, the provision of tailored services
and facilities and the creation and
management of the IBC. This experience
means that HBS can cross-fertilise ideas
between projects, to achieve cost-effective
research and development while delivering
innovations on a regular basis.
The Infront Group is thus able to offer a
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world sports federations.
www.hbs.tv
WINTER SPORTS
INFRONT PRODUCTION DELIVERING CUSTOMISED,
SCALED SPORTS CONTENT
To transform sports events into an
appealing media product ready to
broadcast across any media platform,
Infront offers full service production
capabilities. Producing a high-level
broadcast signal and media content for
top sports events, Infront always delivers
a premium product, regardless of location
or challenge.
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
A key player in media production
Infront’s services include every aspect and scale of multimedia
production. As one of the world‘s largest producers of sports
content, we provide rights holders with support ranging from the
host broadcast design and operation for all kinds of major sports
events to digital media and post-production as well as archive
management.
Large-scale, globe-hopping events – such as the FIFA World Cup™,
the UEFA EURO™ or the Asian Games – often require the
construction of an International Broadcast Centre (IBC), whereas
smaller, production-led projects often have a serial character,
shorter lead times and a less extensive broadcast infrastructure.
Wolfgang Jauer, wjauer@hbs.tv
111
WINTER SPORTS
INFRONT PRODUCTION DELIVERING CUSTOMISED,
SCALED SPORTS CONTENT
CONSISTENT HIGH-LEVEL DELIVERY
Despite the scale, media production must
always be of the highest quality. Operations
usually provide a state-of-the-art
multilateral and unilateral broadcast
production that includes content
gif[lZk`fe#Ócdè^Xe[kiXejd`kkè^X_`^_
quality signal as well as supporting
broadcasters in their unilateral production,
transmission, editing and commentary
facilities and services. Events are covered
with multiple cameras positioned in
strategic locations to best capture the
sports action from every angle. Elaborate
production layouts deliver the best options
to display the sport in full speed and drama
as well as support the analysis of the action
and convey fan emotion.
Coverage is increasingly being captured in
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[`jki`Ylk\[è]fidXkjXe[jg\Z`ÓZXk`fej
that best meet the key criteria of individual
broadcasters. Adapted and animated
on-screen graphics, voiceover, commentary
provisions, multi-channel compilation for
larger events as well as other innovations in
technology – such as 3D, 4K or 8K Ultra HD
production – can also be tailored, managed,
planned and delivered as relevant.
BROADCASTER SERVICING
In many cases, Infront’s production role is
supplemented by the Infront Broadcaster
Servicing team. Infront supports contracted
broadcasters before, between, during and
after the events. The role involves ensuring
that contracts are implemented correctly,
handling accreditation requests for rights
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contact – as well as being the link between
the broadcasters and the operational
entities, prior to and during the event,
onsite in the host country.
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Successful Production Cases
CEV European Championships - Working with
the live world feed, Infront produces around 50
Lega Serie A – For 18 out of 20 Serie A Italian
the volleyball events, Infront supervises all
f]ÓZ`Xc=@J8cgè\Jb`#JefnYfXi[Xe[=i\\jkpc\
football clubs, Infront acts as host broadcaster,
aspects of the broadcasts in collaboration with
World Cup magazines per season offering race
providing mobile feeds for Vodafone and a
the chosen networks in each host country as well
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sophisticated and comprehensive logged
as providing the framework for a state-of-the-art
venue presentations, backstage shots and items
archive solution. This provides low resolution
host broadcast production
of interest. Infront also provides video news
previews for broadcasters, who can then select
releases (VNRs) delivering quality coverage
excerpts for high resolution delivery via FTP.
EHF EURO - In handball, Infront works in a
directly from the events to both fans (via
supervisory role – overseeing the now full HD
dedicated FIS websites) and to broadcast media.
production of all events. All games are covered
with up to 15 cameras. Infront delivers all
IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship - The
matches via satellite with animated on-screen
broadcast production for all 64 games each year
graphics to its media licensees. In addition,
is delivered by Infront and produced in HD. The
Infront provides streaming signals for live English
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commentary.
a high quality signal; providing support for
MediaProduction
broadcasters in their unilateral production, as
FIS World Cup - Infront is developing the FIS ski
well as transmission and commentary facilities
events as a coherent, high-level television
and the provision of live statistics and additional
entertainment product. Setting a framework for
services. Converting and coding the signals,
the highest quality production across the entire
Infront manages all types of digital media
season - independent of location. In addition to
streams.
113
WINTER SPORTS
DIGITAL MEDIA
SOLUTIONS
Through an in-depth understanding of
the sports market, Infront delivers digital
solutions to help rights holders, media
companies and sponsor brands build a fully
immersive and connected digital marketing
strategy – exploiting the full potential of
digital for commercialising sport.
Case Study: Milan Media Factory
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Specialised digital media experience
Today’s sports fan is digitally-immersed, mobile-active, social
media-savvy and content-hungry. To effectively target the digital
world, Infront offers proven marketing communication tactics that
engage online audiences, deliver real impact and enhance fan
interaction.
Infront understands sport and digital media. Our goal is to help
rights holders and their commercial partners take an
all-encompassing approach to content strategy, embracing a full
range of digital solutions that will resonate with consumers. Infront
helps clients develop engaging ideas, concepts and campaigns that
will not only stand out, but also provide sponsors with added value
and deliver measurable results.
A.C. Milan sought a partner who could provide expertise to
develop the “Milan Media Factory”, an integrated pool of top
quality content about A.C. Milan - tailored for various
platforms including broadcast, online (websites, webTV,
social networks) and mobile media.
Infront took over an array of separate broadly unsuccessful
digital activities and created one holistic integrated
approach. Infront’s centralised production unit developed
and now manages the official thematic channel, the website
acmilan.com, the web-TV Milan Time, the m-site and the
mobile applications. Infront provides end-to-end services
helping to exploit the potential of new media.
Stefano Sanvito, stefano.sanvito@infrontsports.com
Dejah Meldem, dejah.meldem@infrontsports.com
115
WINTER SPORTS
COMPETENCE CENTRE FOR
DIGITAL MEDIA SOLUTIONS
A ONE-STOP SHOP
The service offered by Infront includes
production, distribution, delivery,
protection and the billing of digital media
content. All of which is centrally managed
and produced from one source, a one-stop
shop to maximise a sport’s exposure.
Highly specialised consultants, designers,
web developers, editors and streaming and
encoding experts advise on and build
comprehensive solutions:
• Website and community management
• Mobile, responsive and adaptive web
solutions
• Second screen opportunities
• Social media strategy and content
delivery
• Streaming media solutions
• Interactive gaming
• Live data gathering and publishing
• Live match centre
• Live blogging
• Payment solutions
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
TAILOR-MADE SERVICES
WEB-TV SOLUTIONS
WEB AND MOBILE SOLUTIONS
PARTNERSHIP WITH YOUTUBE
Infront produces a variety of tailor-made
digital media services and broadcast
programmes (including magazine
programmes) for the FIS World Cup, the
Euroleague and the Lega Serie A.
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broadcast services for the IIHF Ice Hockey
World Championship, the Champions
Hockey League, the Turkish Basketball
League and the European Handball
Federation EUROs. Additionally, it manages
Milan Time, the web TV of A.C. Milan.
Infront has designed and developed several
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AC Milan website (www.acmilan.com) and
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provides comprehensive information about
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to schedules and results, along with
exclusive videos (FISI TV).
Infront is a commercial partner of YouTube:
the agreement provides a platform to
expand sports content and exposure
through the increasingly popular social
network. This is further expanding the
online communications channels and
exposure available to sports clubs and
federations.
Likewise, Infront has a wealth of practical
experience in developing mobile solutions.
It works with leading telecommunication
companies such as TIM managing mobile
sports portals. Furthermore, the team edits
and delivers the near live content of the
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iPhone, iPad and Android Applications of
A.C. Milan. The recently launched
Champions Hockey League website was
built to be mobile responsive and actively
engage fans during the live games.
Additionally, Infront can stream events on
the platform – this was the case with the
Women’s and Men’s EURO 2014 as well as
the 2012 and 2013 IIHF Ice Hockey World
Championship, where fans were able to
watch the sports coverage live or delayed
(partly with English commentary) through a
dedicated YouTube channel.
The services are targeted at mobile
operators such as TIM, Vodafone and Wind;
telecom companies including Telecom Italia;
publishers like Gazzetta dello Sport and
Corriere.it; broadcasters such as RTI; online
portals such as YouTube as well as end
users.
DigitalMediaSolutions
117
WINTER SPORTS
HOST BROADCAST
PRODUCTION AND
SERVICES FOR THE
FIFA WORLD CUP™
CASE
STU D
Y
The FIFA World Cup™ accounts for the
biggest television audience of any sports
event in the world. As Host Broadcaster of
FIFA World Cups™ since 2002, Infront
(through its subsidiary HBS), has
consistently built on experience, enhancing
standards and services to introduce
award-winning innovations for FIFA.
Facts & Figures
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Building on experience
For the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, HBS, as service provider to
FIFA, was able to build on the provision of the highest standards of
coverage, production facilities and services, putting together a
multimedia offering of unprecedented scope and global success.
Feeding international broadcasters with the opportunity to provide
coverage of the tournament across all digital platforms including
desktops, smart phones, tablets, connected TVs and games consoles
– this was the first truly connected multimedia FIFA World Cup™.
At the same time, HBS is already anticipating deliverables for the
following 2018 FIFA World Cup™ in Russia, revising venue
specifications and assessing training needs in a country that will be
hosting a series of major flagship events over the coming years.
• 55,000 square meters covered by International
Broadcast Centre (IBC)
• 5 months to assemble the IBC, 7 weeks to dismantle
• 70 miles of primary and secondary electrical cable at
the IBC
• 1,210 commentary positions at venues
• 5,000 hours of FIFA Max Server content produced
• 43 FIFA TV electronic news gathering (ENG) crews
• FIFA World Cup™ second screen app downloaded over
10 million times
• 3 matches produced in 4K, 9 matches produced in 8K
119
WINTER SPORTS
HOST BROADCAST
PRODUCTION FOR THE
FIFA WORLD CUP™
A BROADCASTING MASTERPIECE
UNPRECEDENTED SCALE
HBS takes the legacy and experience of
each FIFA World Cup™ forward to build a
more enriched Host Broadcast each time.
The 2014 production plan built on the
success and experience of the 2002, 2006
and 2010 FIFA World Cups™, providing
Media Rights Licensees (MRLs) with
programming that met the highest
standards of quality and innovation.
Innovations introduced for the world-class
game include the delivery of full 16/9 HD
production in 2006, 3D production in 2010
and 4K production in 2014.
In 2014 the task involved 12 stadiums in 12
host cities and a 55,000 square metre
International Broadcast Centre (IBC)
located at the Riocentro exhibition complex
in Rio de Janeiro. Functioning as a broadZXjkè^m`ccX^\#k_\@9:kffbÓm\dfek_jkf
assemble. In addition to all multilateral
services and facilities run by HBS, it housed
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areas and 17 custom-built TV studios.
Approximately 5,000 hours of FIFA Max
Server content was made available for
MRLs, captured by 34 cameras at all 64
matches, as well as dedicated electronic
news gathering (ENG) crews. Each of the 32
participating teams was allocated a camera
crew, nine additional crews explored
Brazilian culture, and two crews were
located at the IBC, for a total of 43 FIFA TV
ENG crews.
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
FIRST-EVER 4K HD FIFA WORLD CUP™ FINAL
This year the hugely successful FIFA Max
Centre Media Server, which provides MRLs
with a vast library of clips for all broadcasting needs, registered a total of 232,000
downloads – offering the ability to browse,
log and exchange match material together
with additional colour material gathered by
FIFA TV ENG crews and the archiving
service.
Following on HBS’s remarkable 3D live
coverage in the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, the
2014 event brought even more innovations
for the sports broadcasting industry,
working on behalf of FIFA TV in cooperation
with Sony and Japanese broadcaster NHK.
Additionally, experimental broadcasts in 8K
were conducted with Japanese MRL NHK,
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cameras per match. 8K technology creates
an image 16 times the quality of HDTV,
using 33 million pixels, and deploys a
life-like 22.2 channel 3D sound system.
Pushing the boundaries of sports coverage
with Ultra HD technology, 4K offers a
resolution that is four times the pixels of
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delivering the ultimate viewer experience.
Three matches, including the Final were
produced in 4K by 12 cameras per match.
Live 4K production at the Final provided
fans with true-to-life reality, emotion and
excitement in Fan Fests across Brazil and in
approximately 30,000 Sony retail shops
worldwide.
121
WINTER SPORTS
HOST BROADCAST
PRODUCTION FOR THE
FIFA WORLD CUP™
FIRST TRULY MULTIMEDIA WORLD CUP
AWARD RECOGNITION
K_\^fXc]fi)'(+nXjkf[\c`m\ik_\Óijk
truly multimedia FIFA World Cup™ in
history, where fans could have access to an
unprecedented range of content 24/7 on
laptops, mobile phones and tablets
wherever they are.
In recognition of the major achievement in
terms of broadcast innovations, HBS has
received many industry awards.
On behalf of FIFA, HBS produced the white
label FIFA World Cup™ second screen app
and the FIFA World Cup™ Web Player, which
included:
Live streaming of multiple feeds
• 6 multilateral streams, 17 MRL stream
ingests per match, 4 individual
commentary ingests
• 243 different live streams per match (486
during parallel matches), overall 2.7
million minutes of encoded streams
Near-live coverage in multiple angles for
the fan
• On average 60 clips recorded per match,
overall up to 20,000 multilateral clips
throughout the tournament
• Roughly 1/3 of clips from multi-cam with
14 different angles on average
VOD elements dedicated for second
screen usage
Exhaustive statistics
Combined data for the FIFA World Cup™
app and Web Player after 56 matches for all
markets totalled 15 million hours watched
from 24 million unique visitors.
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Along with FIFA, Sony, and ESPN, HBS
jointly won the prestigious IBC Amsterdam
Judges’ Award in recognition of their
collaboration in delivering “The 2010 FIFA
World Cup™ in 3D”.
Likewise in 2014, FIFA and HBS, as its
dedicated host broadcast organisation,
have again (together with its respective
partner organisations) received the IBC
2014 Judges’ Award for Innovations in
coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™.
123
WINTER SPORTS
LEGA SERIE A SYNERGISING THE
MEDIA VALUE CHAIN
TO THE MAX
CASE
STU D
Y
Providing a holistic solution that
incorporates the requirements of today’s
media and entertainment landscape,
Infront Sports & Media supports the Lega
Serie A in all broadcast related aspects.
The integrated, full-service approach
ensures the continuous provision of
premium football content with multiple
delivery options for the Italian top tier
league.
Facts & Figures
• Around 850 matches per season (Lega Serie A and B)
packaged attractively to suit broadcasters’ needs
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
Covering the entire media value chain
Lega Serie A incorporates the passion and spirit of one of the
world’s most prominent football loving nations. The Italian league
champions’ skill and sporting excellence transcends the television
screen through a superb media production and management
showcase that delivers first class football and top quality broadcast
programming.
Infront handles the entire gamut of production, media rights
distribution, management and commercialisation of the archive as
well as content creation across diverse platforms for the Italian top
league. The one-stop shop approach ensures an integrated process
across the entire media value chain as well as continuous quality.
The project is an integral part of a comprehensive partnership with
the Lega Serie A and B as well as the majority of Italian clubs,
enhancing and improving the quality of the Italian leagues to rival
other top European series. Infront is working to deliver the best
multi-platform experiences and to exploit the potential of Italian
football to the max.
• Up to 17 cameras cover the Lega Serie A matches
• 2,000 minutes of magazine programming is produced
per season
• 60 years of Italian football heritage can be accessed
through the Serie A football archive
125
WINTER SPORTS
LEGA SERIE A SYNERGISING THE MEDIA
VALUE CHAIN TO THE MAX
MEDIA RIGHTS ADVISORY
Infront has advised the Lega Serie A and B
in respect to all kinds of media rights on
both a domestic and international level
since centralised sales started in 2010/11.
Previously the rights were marketed by all
clubs individually.
Attractively packaged to suit both
traditional broadcasters (pay and free TV)
and digital media platforms across all
markets, the rights include 380 Serie A
matches and all 462 to 470 Serie B
matches per season. Pre-produced
magazine and highlight programming as
well as additional footage, background
information and interviews are generated
around the matches.
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION
Through smart and market-tailored
packaging, the league and Infront continue
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Serie A broadcasts and further exploit the
high potential of the properties.
Infront provides an end-to-end media
production service for all Lega Serie A
games, supervising the production of 18 out
of 20 Serie A club matches across all major
stadiums that host the season. Games are
covered with up to 14 cameras (plus 2
unhandled IN/OUT cameras and 1 beauty
camera) per match and produced in high
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Óijkk`d\èk_\_`jkfipf]k_\c\X^l\#)'('
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was carried out from one central and single
entity. This guaranteed a consistent picture
quality was distributed to media rights
licensees around the world.
Infront is also involved in the production of
all Serie B club matches across the 21
stadiums that host the season. Serie B
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per match and all produced in HDTV.
Innovative 4K TV production was fully
tested at the Serie A match Milan vs
Udinese on 30th November 2014 in
preparation for its extensive application
next season.
Dynamic and high quality production is
offered for the TIM Cup and the Super Cup
– including the last 5 TIM Cup rounds (total
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in HD. With a total of 10 cameras during the
fourth qualifying round and round of 16, 14
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coverage is guaranteed. For both the TIM
Cup Final and Super Cup competition, 16
cameras plus 1 spider-cam and 1 ultramotion capture all the action. Continually
utilising the latest technology, both 3D and
4K coverage has successfully been
produced for the TIM Cup Final.
The signal distribution takes place mainly
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cèbj#Xjn\ccXjjXk\cc`k\cèbjkfjg\Z`ÓZ
encrypted channels. Made available to
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graphics determined by Lega Serie A and
Lega Serie B. Infront additionally provides
licensees with unilateral production
services and technical facilities, such as
commentary positions and stand up
interview positions both pre- and postmatch along with additional cameras to
integrate into the main signal.
127
WINTER SPORTS
LEGA SERIE A SYNERGISING THE MEDIA
VALUE CHAIN TO THE MAX
POST-PRODUCTION
FOOTBALL
SUMMER SPORTS &
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE
MEDIA PRODUCTION
ARCHIVE SERVICES
Today the sporting experience spans
multiple screens – televisions, PCs, mobile
phones and other video-capable,
multi-function devices – requiring targeted
delivery. Infront caters to this need through
its production and post-production services
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content of Lega Serie A matches for the
various platforms.
Delivered every week in HD to the
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8dX^Xqè\ji\Ô\Zk)#'''dèlk\jf]_`^_
quality programming. In addition, each
Match Day Infront produces the Serie A
highlights (380 highlights per season) and
the Serie B highlights (462 to 470
highlights per season) which are delivered
to broadcasters and web publishers.
Experienced editors, commentators and
producers create dedicated and targeted
content that is then aggregated for
distribution through satellite, media and
video portals, websites and mobile
platforms. The diverse services are
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target groups as well as end users.
For the mobile operators, Infront produces,
encodes and delivers near live content for
each Serie A match (video-goal delivered
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highlights delivered within 10 minutes of
the end of the game). Infront also produces
a live format with the best images from the
Serie A stadiums and commentary.
As a marketing partner to A.C. Milan,
Infront has also contributed its expertise by
helping to create Milan Media Factory – a
centralised production unit which develops
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channel, website, web-TV and mobile
applications.
The visual evidence behind the Italian
League champions’ immense, global
success a comprehensive history of the
goals, saves and penalties featuring the
most famous players and clubs is offered
via the Serie A archive. A full service to
producers, television networks and other
media operators, the footage is offered for
exploitation on both traditional and new
media platforms, from nine days after the
event and covers 1954 through to today of
historic football footage.
129
Infront Headquarters (Zug)
B2RUN (Munich)
FIFA Films (Zug)
Infront Finland (Helsinki)
Host Broadcast Services (Zug & Paris)
Infront Austria (Salzburg)
Infront France (Paris)
Infront Germany (Frankfurt & others)
Infront Italy (Milan & Rome)
Infront China (Beijing)
Infront Turkey (Istanbul)
Infront Netherlands (Amsterdam)
InfrontRingier (Zug)
AspireInfront (Doha)
Infront Pan-Asia (Singapore)
Infront Football Media (Singapore)
Infront Offices
Selected Infront Events 2014-2018
Infront Sports & Media AG, Grafenauweg 2, P.O. Box 4442, 6304 Zug, Switzerland
Tel. +41-41-723 15 15, www.infrontsports.com, info@infrontsports.com, Twitter: @InfrontSports

welcome to our world of media rights

Transcription

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