Host City: What are the main challenges and opportunities facing the sports broadcasting sector right now and how is SPORTELMonaco addressing these questions?
Laurent Puons: The main issue the industry faces these days is that the world is becoming smaller for everybody. Broadcasting is not only a territorial effort, but with new technologies that enable broadcasting and streaming via internet and social media, territorial and legal matters have become a major headache for rights owners. Broadcasters are facing more and more competition from OTT providers and classic broadcasters must face the reality of extinction, although many still don’t believe it.
The fact is however that audiences worldwide demand variety and freedom of choice. This, for the sport industry is of course a great development and opportunity! The more fans can be rounded up across the globe to see just one sports event, the greater the opportunity to build brand, event and merchandise deals in multiple territories globally.
It’s impossible to cram all issues into one conference, there is simply not enough time to address all at once, but during SPORTELMonaco we can definitively address issues such as OTT, social media and new developments in Asia, which will lead up to our next spring convention SPORTELAsia 2018, in Singapore.
Host City: SPORTELMonaco is now described as “The World Sports Marketing & Media Convention”, reflecting a wider remit than the traditional focus on broadcasting. Why have you changed focus in this way?
Laurent Puons: We haven’t changed our focus, rather evolved “with” the industry, as more and more technologies appear every year that enable events, productions and broadcasters to deliver more sports content to viewers and fans on a massive variety of platforms and change the content business significantly. Also this part of the industry is a lot more influenced by marketing objectives of agencies, federations and brands. In result it is of course a necessary and natural progression of SPORTEL to provide these business opportunities to our community. No other event, but SPORTEL can realistically provide this wide variety.
3/ How can SPORTELMonaco help rights holders to find new ways to reach audiences?
Laurent Puons: For close to 30 years, SPORTEL has always been part of the industry development. Our team knows the industry personally, which is why we never address them as clients but our “community”. We have open and direct dialogues, built on years of trust and know how, understand which companies do what and know what will happen before most in the industry do. This gives us the advantage to prepare and build real business opportunities for the community.
SPORTEL truly is on the frontline of the industry and together with international decision makers we are in the position to see the future of our industry and react accordingly.
Tag: broadcasting
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SPORTELMonaco evolves with the sports media industry
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Broadcasting in Asia: A Market to Reckon With
Host City: What are the hot topics on the agenda at SPORTELAsia this year?
Laurent Puons: It appears that the industry is very concerned about their media rights and current developments in OTT. We have received many requests on these topics and have worked out a very good selection of panels that will shed some light on these issues, especially concerning the Asian territories.
Host City: From your perspective, how does the sport marketing and media industry in Asia compare with that in the rest of the world, in terms of technology use and market demographics?
Laurent Puons: Asia is the home of many exciting emerging markets and leading technology providers. Sports fans across Asia have a diverse variety of platforms to consume sports content, and the fact that the majority of the world’s population lives in Asia provides international stakeholders in sport with an opportunity like no other. The challenge of unlocking the potential of Asia is knowing which specific technology is the best for each sport, in each country and its respective culture.
Host City: Some are concerned that the audience for traditional sports is ageing; what kind of sports content will become more dominant in the future?
Laurent Puons: That is a good question and difficult to answer. It all depends on the available broadcast platforms. Sports television or media is dominated by traditional sports, led by European football and of course the networks must provide content their audiences want to see and their advertisers want to invest in. As these dominated slots are becoming rare, other sport suffers and lacks visibility. Due to new technologies and OTT platforms, new and dedicated channels can be built and offer fans the opportunity to see their sports on different platforms. I believe that MMA is on the rise and eSports is returning because of these new opportunities.
Host City: Why is it so important for event rightsholders to attend major conferences in Asia?
Laurent Puons: As mentioned before, more and more Asian nations are developing more media opportunities and in result of that it is important to be present in Asia to deal and control rights directly. For this reason SPORTEL helps the industry with this spring convention, enabling the elite rights owners to deal direct with different Asian territories and build their business. SPORTEL will always be upfront and centre when it comes to building business opportunities for the sports marketing and media industry. That is what SPORTEL is historically known for. -
Sportel redefines opportunities
Host City: What are the main themes of this year’s Sportel Monaco?
Laurent Puons: The evolution of the international sports media and technology industry is happening faster than ever before, and our community is a fantastic representation of this.
Our members have been discussing some of the main themes for many years, but now these themes have turned from added value propositions to key aspects of global strategy.
A few of the exciting developments to keep an eye on include, but are not limited to, live broadcast across social media platforms and OTT direct to consumer models. Fans are engaging and consuming content very differently than they were just a few years ago and the entire industry needs to adapt to this fact.
Host City: Can you tell us a bit about this year’s conference programme?
Laurent Puons: This year our participants will have the opportunity to take part in a number of sponsored conference programme events, which include presentations by LaLiga, Feed Construct and more.
Regarding SPORTEL’s conference programmes globally, this year marks an important strategical change for SPORTEL as it redefines the opportunities for all three of its SPORTEL events.
SPORTELMonaco will remain the global marketplace concentrating on maximising commercial opportunities for its members from across the world.
SPORTELAsia is the ideal environment for the SPORTEL community to come together to do business in the Far East and across Asia Pacific. It is a unique opportunity for SPORTEL participants to meet the leading sports business decision makers from Asia that do not attend any of SPORTEL’s other events.
Regarding SPORTEL conference events, SPORTEL will provide our participants with the opportunity to participate in a new event, which will shape the future of the international sport business industry. The new event will include very high-level speakers and discuss the key issues that need to be addressed by the decision makers of global markets. An official announcement of the new concept will be done during SPORTELMonaco.
Host City: How does Sportel Monaco help rights holders to reach new audiences?
Laurent Puons: If you are looking to do global or national business with broadcasters, social media platforms, agencies or technology providers they are all at SPORTELMonaco. Three days at SPORTELMonaco 2018 can provide our participants with substantial opportunities for business development. The SPORTEL community cannot be found anywhere else but SPORTEL Events.
Host City: Which markets are growing the fastest for you and how is this reflected in your three continental editions: Sportel Monaco, Asia and America?
Laurent Puons: Each of our events is unique and offers different business opportunities. SPORTELMonaco 2018 is our global convention with over 3,000 delegates, representing more than 1,000 companies from across the globe.
SPORTELAsia 2019 will be held in exciting Macau, from 5-7 March and provide our international SPORTEL community with the opportunity to do business with key decision makers from the Far East and Across Asia Pacific. We have some new incentives for this edition of SPORTELAsia 2019, so watch this space! -
SPORTELAsia 2019 preview
[Source: SPORTEL] For its upcoming spring market, the world’s leading sports media and technology convention returns to the Far East, in the vibrant city of Macao from 5th to 7th of March 2019 at the luxurious JW Marriott Hotel.
“We are very excited about this edition of SPORTEL because this event has not been held in the Far East since SPORTELAsia 2014, in Shanghai” stated Mr. Laurent PUONS, CEO of Monaco Mediax.
SPORTELAsia is now positioned as an elite industry event embracing the growth markets of China and throughout Asia, providing its international community a great platform for developing business and networking opportunities with Asian Pacific markets.
The shortlist of the currently registered companies has already been released. Among them: BEIN PORTS, DENTSU, FIGHTSPORTS, INFRONT, ITTF, LALIGA, MATCHROOM SPORT, NBA, NETCO SPORTS, NEULION, PERFORM GROUP, SPORTRADAR, TMG, VIZRT… and much more
Conference Programme overview
TELSTRA E-SPORTS PANEL
The Rise of e-Sports – Opportunities for Growth
Esports is an exploding area of interest and revenue growth for sports media and marketing companies, with significant year on year growth in industry activity and maturity over the last few years. Asia leads this trend with an established video games and esports ecosystem and exciting new investments that are further accelerating the opportunities for growth.
OCEANS E-SPORT PANEL
e-Sports in China, Challenges and the Future
The status quo of Esports in China, the possible opportunities and the problems encountered. What is the future of Esports in the bigger sports family ? Could it be part Olympic family ?
YUTANG Media Panel
Working with Chinese media to raise the influence of sports properties in China
As China upgrade sports-related domestic consumption and encourage broadcasts of sports events, the market presents more potentials for sports properties and media and are very live.
How do sports properties and media work and collaborate with each other, to increase the influence of sports and sports broadcasts in China, to make more people become sports audiences, to contribute to business growth?
LaLiga PRESENTATION
For more information visit https://www.sportelasia.com/ -
Minsk 2019 European Games targets 120 broadcast deals
International Sports Broadcasting (ISB), the host broadcaster for the Minsk 2019 European Games, said it had reached agreements in more than 106 territories on 28th January, with 150 days to go to the Games.
The organisers of the multisport megaevent say the agreements with top broadcasters in Europe, sub-Saharan Africa and New Zealand will enable them to reach more than 500 million viewers.
“This is excellent news not only for the success and longevity of the European Games, but especially for the athletes, who deserve to have the biggest possible viewership while competing at Europe’s premier multi-sport event,” said European Olympic Committees (EOC) President Janez Kocijan?i?.
“We look forward to welcoming the world to Minsk this summer, be it in person or via our strong network of broadcasters.”
The second edition of the European Games runs from 21-30 June in the capital city of Belarus.
More than 4,000 athletes will participate in 15 sports: 3×3 basketball, archery, athletics, badminton, beach soccer, boxing, canoe sprint, cycling, gymnastics, judo, karate, sambo, shooting, table tennis and wrestling. Eight of these will act as qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, while four sports will also count the Games as their official European championships.
ISB is set to produce an estimated 500 hours of live coverage and daily highlights over ten days of competitions plus Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
The company was established in 1996 by Manolo Romero, former Managing Director of the IOC’s host broadcaster, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and has served as the host broadcaster for seven Olympic Games, six Paralympic Games, numerous World Championships, World Cups and continental Games.
“We are very pleased with the agreements reached so far and expect to announce a number of other key deals soon,” Romero said. “Our ultimate target is more than 120 rights holding broadcasters and we are confident that we will achieve it.” -
OTT, digital and esports top the agenda at SPORTELAsia 2019
Host City: What can delegates expect at the upcoming SPORTELAsia conference – what are the big topics on the agenda?
Laurent Puons: I am definitely interested to learn more about the latest opportunities for each of Asia’s key sports business markets. Each market is unique and making their own path, which is fascinating. Some key themes across these markets will be understanding how local markets are adapting to the growth of OTT, how rights holders are unlocking value through digital and understanding the latest developments in esports.
Host City: Why are you hosting the event in Macau – what will the visitor experience be like there?
Laurent Puons: SPORTELAsia has not been back to the Far East since SPORTELAsia 2014 in Shanghai and a lot has happened in the industry since then. We need to be in the Far East this year and Macau is strategically located for our community to come together and do business in Asia.
Host City: How does this event compare to SPORTELMonaco?
Laurent Puons: SPORTELMonaco is our global convention, which has over 3,000 sports media and technology executives from across the world. It has been held in Monaco for over 30 years and is a fantastic representation of the state of the global industry.
SPORTEL Spring Conventions on the other hand are unique opportunities in strategic sports business markets, which provide our community with the opportunity to do business in new territories.
Host City: How and why is SPORTEL changing its event formats to serve the demands of the market?
Laurent Puons: I am looking forward to seeing some of our new initiatives come to fruition. As requested by our community, we have developed new tailor-made exhibitor packages and organised a number of esports conference programme events with some of the leaders of the industry, which I am really looking forward to. -
ESPN builds and dedicates multifunctional sports space in Sydney, Australia
[Source: ESPN] Community leaders, local residents, and youth gathered in Mount Druitt, Sydney on February 28 to participate in the opening of a new, multifunctional sports space dedicated to the local community and its residents. Built to Play is a global project, led by ESPN. This is the first Built to Play project undertaken by ESPN in Sydney and the eighth globally.
The courts and surrounding area, refurbished with the help of community residents and ESPN and Disney employees, will provide a safe place to play for the surrounding community, as well as offer ongoing programming using the power of sports to educate young people on key local issues. Sport for development organizations, Coaches Across Continents and Police Citizens Youth Clubs (PCYC) NSW will deliver programs on the new space.
Hosted by ESPN sports reporter and commentator, Stephanie Brantz, the event was attended by Haydn Arndt, General Manager, ESPN ANZ and Disney Media Distribution, along with ESPN and Disney employees and community volunteers who helped build the space, as well as local residents and their families. The celebration was comprised of cultural performances, special recognition of community leaders who volunteered their time, as well as sports matches open to the community.
“At ESPN, we believe that sport has the ability to transform lives, and we are committed to providing resources to enable kids in Sydney to play sports,” said Haydn Arndt. “We’re pleased to bring this global project to Mt. Druitt and to collaborate with love.fútbol, PCYC NSW, and Coaches Across Continents, to create this space in a community where there is a need, as it can truly make a difference.”
love.fútbol, which is known for building community sports facilities all over the world, played a key role in selecting Mount Druitt, Sydney, for the new space based on need, population served and socio-economic status. The unemployment rate is over 13% higher than the Greater Sydney average, alongside a number of social challenges in the area including drugs and alcohol abuse, high crime levels, insufficient transportation and limited services for youth.
“We are fortunate to have such significant support from ESPN, Disney, love.fútbol and Coaches Across Continents who share our vision of empowering young people,” said Dominic Teakle, CEO, PCYC NSW. “Participation in sport is a powerful tool for change. It allows young people to feel part of a team and that sense of belonging gives them the support to face their challenges both physical and mental. PCYC sits at the heart of most NSW communities and this facility will enable us to better serve the community of Mount Druitt.” -
2018 European Championships TV views exceeded 1bn
[Source: Glasgow City Council] Stunning images of Glasgow and Scotland were promoted to a TV audience of more than 1.4 billion during the staging of the hugely successful inaugural European Championships last summer.
The official evaluation of the Glasgow 2018 European Championships revealed the substantial national and international exposure enjoyed as the multi-sport mega event was broadcast on free-to-air channels across 43 European countries.
And with online and social media coverage included, the audience for the 12 sports across Glasgow and co-host Berlin, who staged the Athletics, reached a massive 2.9 billion in the key tourism and business market of Europe.
In total the media exposure for Glasgow and Scotland was worth more than £250 million in PR value as millions of sports fans enjoyed the 11 days of Aquatics, Cycling, Golf, Gymnastics, Rowing and Triathlon.
Highlights included a massive 1.4 million viewers tuning in to watch British swimming hero Adam Peaty break his own world record in the 100m Breaststroke at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre. At the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome Scottish cyclist Katie Archibald’s silver medal win in the Individual Pursuit was watched by a staggering 2 million viewers.
Across the UK the BBC reported an average audience of more than 1 million with a total reach of 20 million, in excess of established events such as the Rugby Six Nations, and just below the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The BBC also reported that the event attracted a higher female and younger audience than many other sporting events.
Across Glasgow and Scotland more than 560,000 people, more than double the projected number, attended a sport session, a Festival 2018 offering or visited the hugely popular George Square and ‘GO LIVE! at The Green’ live sites.
Final attendance figures show 137,000 tickets for sport were issued, packing each of the 12 venues with roaring crowds to support the new champions of Europe. More than 54,000 attended free sporting events such as the Cycling Road Race on the streets of the city, and the Open Water Swimming at the stunning Loch Lomond.
In total 97 per cent of spectators from Glasgow were proud that their city, renowned for the warm welcome of its residents, was hosting the mega event.
3,103 athletes representing 48 countries competed during Glasgow 2018. Russia topped the medal table, followed closely by Great Britain. The event included numerous memorable experiences with new European champions crowned in 187 medal events and two world records were broken in the Swimming.
The athletes were accompanied by 3,760 accredited officials and delegates. In addition to the value of the worldwide PR exposure for Glasgow and Scotland, an independent economic assessment showed significant amounts of expenditure from these visitors and participants in the event, as well as millions of pounds of contracts won for Scottish companies.
As a result of hosting the European Championships there was just over £34 million of additional spend in Glasgow and Scotland, and an estimated £24 million of contracts awarded to Scottish companies, with £8.5 million of those going to companies based in the Glasgow City Region.
Significant effort was made to create social and community benefits by the organisers. Team 2018, the 3,600 invaluable volunteers who were key to making the event such a success according to those surveyed, were a diverse workforce, exceeding targets for the number of Scottish and Glasgow residents (representing every local authority areas in the country), new volunteers, including significant numbers of people aged under 26.
Around 50 per cent of the volunteers said they we would do more volunteering as a result of taking part in Glasgow 2018. Another 17 countries were represented across Team 2018.
Continuing the delivery of sporting and cultural legacy created by the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, was also a key objective of the event. More than 20,000 people took the opportunity to try one of the sports across all Glasgow 2018 venues and approximately 30,000 people said they learned more about healthy lifestyles as a result of visiting ‘GO LIVE! at the Green.’
Alongside the sport, Festival 2018 was a world class cultural festival which created a vibrant live city experience, with 2,400 artists and performers contributing, alongside more than 5,600 voluntary and non-professional performers. In total more than 370,000 people visited a Festival or Live Site.
Minister for Sport, Joe FitzPatrick MSP, said: “The incredible broadcast numbers achieved by the Glasgow 2018 European Championships are great news, and mean people around the world had the chance to see Scotland demonstrating the nation’s ability to stage top-class sporting events.
“The competition will have far-reaching effects – not just in terms of showcasing our country and culture around the globe, but also in inspiring a whole new generation of athletes.
“The success exceeded our expectations and I congratulate all involved in this event.”
Councillor David MacDonald, depute leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “Yet again I want to say thank you to the athletes, volunteers, spectators, media, officials and amazing home crowds.
“These final broadcast numbers illustrate only too clearly the massive benefit the staging of events bring to our city as we showcase what we have to offer to visitors and investors across Europe and beyond.” -
P&J Live to host BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2019
[Source: EventScotland] The city of Aberdeen is set to host BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2019, the biggest awards night in the sporting calendar, on December 15 live on BBC One from the brand-new events venue and arena, P&J Live.
This is the first time Aberdeen will host the event. The city is known for its sporting heritage as the birth place of Manchester United legend Denis Law and Open-winning golfer Paul Lawrie, and it is also home to Aberdeen FC, the club where Sir Alex Ferguson first made his name as a manager with such extraordinary success.
Presenters Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan will take to the stage to celebrate a huge year of sport in front of an audience of 10,000 with millions more watching live on BBC One.
Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, said: “I’m delighted the BBC has chosen Aberdeen’s brand-new venue, P&J Live, to host this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards. This world-class venue along with Aberdeen’s sporting pedigree makes it the ideal venue for the awards. It has been a great year of sport and I look forward to celebrating all the amazing achievements in Aberdeen this December.”
Director of BBC Sport Barbara Slater said: “It’s been an extraordinary year of sport so far with many incredible moments and surely more to come. I have no doubt Aberdeen will be an excellent host city to help us celebrate them.”
Louise Stewart, Head of Entertainment at P&J Live commented: “This is a gamechanger for the venue and the city. We are ecstatic to be working with the BBC sports team and the wider Aberdeen stakeholder group on this flagship event. Hosting an event such as this was absolutely at the forefront of the city’s vision when planning this transformational project.” -
The EBU and ESSMA join Host City 2019 as Strategic Partners
Host City 2019, the largest meeting of sports, business and cultural events, is delighted to welcome the European Broadcasting Union (EBU – the world’s leading alliance of public service media) and the European Stadium & Safety Management Association (ESSMA) as Strategic Partners.
In addition to joining Host City’s Strategic Partnership programme, the EBU is also supporting as Silver Sponsor and exhibitor.
Host City takes place in Glasgow on 26-27th November, with 300 participants, 30 exhibitors and 50 speakers set to join.
Stefan Kürten, Executive Director Eurovision Sport said: “As the broadcast partner for many of the biggest sport events in Europe, the European Broadcasting Union delighted to be partnering with Host City.
“The conference offers a great and unique opportunity to share knowledge and exchange best practice with the wide range of industry experts involved in staging major events around the globe. In particular, we look forward to steering the debate on digital strategy, partnerships and technology in sport, through a focused workshop featuring experts across the sport broadcast spectrum.”
Stefan Kürten is speaking at Host City 2019 on 26th November.
Also new to the Strategic Partnership Programme is the European Stadium & Safety Management Association (ESSMA).
Cyril de Greve, Managing Director of ESSMA said: “ESSMA is pleased to take part in Host City 2019 and join the conference as Strategic Partner, while co-producing a workshop. Our aim is to share knowledge, expertise and exchanging best practice with all delegates linked to the stadium industry.”
The Host City Strategic Partner Programme brings together the world’s leading associations representing stakeholders in major sports, business and cultural events. The EBU and ESSMA join the International Association of Event Hosts (IAEH), the Association of Global Event Suppliers (AGES) and the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) as Strategic Partners to support the development of Host City.
Strategic partners have opportunities to:co-produce the event agenda
enlist new members
increase access to the event for all stakeholders in major events
consolidate the major event hosting community around this unique focal point
run AGMs / other member meetings in venue space provided by Host City
run a workshopThe EBU workshop on 27th November will involve presentations followed by Q&A and discussion, on the themes of “How to build a better digital strategy through partnerships” and “Technology to reduce the footprint of major events”.
The EBU workshop will be chaired by a Eurovision Sport Representative, with invited speakers representing a member broadcaster, a city, a federation, Eurovision Services and technical partners.
Ben Avison, Editorial and Conference Director of Host City said: “The success of the Strategic Partnership programme is great news for the Host City community. We are delighted to welcome the world leading organisations EBU and ESSMA to join IAEH, AGES and ESA in building this unique platform for all stakeholders in staging the world’s greatest events.
“We are particularly grateful to the EBU for their further support as Silver Sponsors.”
About Host City
Host City Conference & Exhibition brings together cities and sports, business and cultural events for two full days of unrivalled insight, networking, workshops and business on 26-27 November at the Technology & Innovation Centre in Glasgow.
This is where representatives of host destinations, federations and other rights holders, organisers, event suppliers and services from all over the world meet to discover opportunities and discuss the challenges of major event hosting. Participants are encouraged to use Host City as a platform to develop, workshop and announce new events, partnerships and formats.
www.hostcity.com
About the EBU
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is the world’s leading alliance of public service media (PSM). They have 116 member organizations in 56 countries and have an additional 34 Associates in Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Americas. Their Members operate over 2,000 television, radio and online channels and services, and offer a wealth of content across other platforms. Together they reach an audience of more than one billion people around the world, broadcasting in more than 160 languages. The EBU operates Eurovision and Euroradio services.
www.ebu.ch
About ESSMA
ESSMA, the European Stadium & Safety Management Association, offers a platform to stadium professionals where they can share, learn and discuss topics related to ESSMA’s areas of expertise: Development & Construction, Operations & Ticketing, Sustainability & SMART, Safety & Security, Fan Experience & Hospitality and Pitch Management. ESSMA was founded in 1996 by former president Lionel Dreksler.
ESSMA is built around 3 pillars: Business Intelligence, Events and Strategic Support.
www.essma.eu