Page 34 - AIB | The Chanel | Issue 2 2012

34 | ISSUE 2 2012 | THE CHANNEL
THE CHANNEL | FOCUS
Eurosport's first forays into Asia-Pacific gave an indication
that there was demand for a sports TV product coming from
Europe but over the last few years the growth of Eurosport's
channels in the region has been beyond expectation –
simply phenomenal. We talked to Arjan Hoekstra, Managing
Director of Eurosport Asia-Pacific since 2005, about his
strategic approach and what's left to conquer
he Eurosport
Group has had a
broadcasting
footprint in Europe
since 1989, when it
started out on its
journey from TV
channel to todayʹs leading multi‐
media sports group. Back then, as
now two decades on, its mission was
to provide the best possible sports
experience to its ever growing fan
base. With bags of talent, creativity
and an unswerving belief in the
power of live sports the group has
always believed in conquering new
technological and geographic
frontiers. So, in the mid‐1990s,
Eurosportʹs forward‐thinking
management saw that new market
opportunities lay beyond their
heartland of Europe.
"As a leading sports entertainment
group this opened up our choices:
a) launch more products in our
ʹhome marketʹ in Europe, which we
have done very successfully since
with our online products and
Eurosport 2 and Eurosport HD, and
b) look for new markets."
CLEARCHOICE
Asia‐Pacific, its economies growing
rapidly and with a strong sports
fan base, was the clear choice.
Eurosportʹs first foray was into the
difficult China TV market in 2002
with the Eurosportnews channel,
when it became the first private
broadcaster to receive a landing
licence. Eurosport had planted its
first flag in Asia‐Pacific. And it was
a game‐changer.
"It is extremely rare for a foreign
broadcaster to receive one of those
licences from the Chinese
government; there are only 32 in
the world," says Hoekstra. "Getting
one showed clearly that there was a
demand for a sports TV product
coming from Europe. We had a
product that was desirable and
approachable, and we added
excellent value to Chinaʹs media
landscape."
Success followed quickly.
Distributors across the region from
Malaysia to Australia soon began
snapping up Eurosportnews.
Bolstered by this, a fully fledged
sports events channel, Eurosport
Asia‐Pacific, was launched in 2006.
Hoekstra admits it was a challenge:
a huge logistical investment to
open offices, set up a production
facility and establish a rights
acquisition arm to negotiate sports
rights specifically tailored to the
region. "We were encouraged by
the positive feedback from the
operators, but it was big, and a risk
for us. But a calculated one."
American business magnate
Warren Buffett once famously
quipped that a premium brand
must always be delivering
something special or it will fail.
This is thinking that chimes with
Hoekstra, who believes Eurosportʹs
ability to constantly give its fans a
viewing experience par excellence
has been the reason for its success.
DIVERSITY
"We have tried to position the
channel in a completely different
way than the existing sports
channels," he says. "Our intention is
to expand the horizon of the sports
viewer in Asia‐Pacific. In this
market there was a large focus on
football and American sports, and
we really wanted to show a lot of
different sports so we launched
with a portfolio of around 50
sports. I think that was important to
the operators, for them to be able to
offer choice and variety to their
subscribers. Eurosport is not about
one or two sports, we are about
variety, and this is why we are so
important in the Asia‐Pacific
market."
This is where Eurosport Asia‐
Pacificʹs mission connects with that
of the Eurosport Group, or ʹthe
mothershipʹ, as Hoekstra jokingly
refers to it. Embedded deep into
T
CHANGER
GAME
We are
about va-
riety - this
is why we
are so im-
portant in
the Asia-
Pacific
market
“