14 June 2012
Record breaking audience figures have made the 2012 French Open the best ever on Eurosport.
The 2012 tournament attracted an average live audience of 1.1 million viewers on Eurosport, a rise of 7% on the 2011 tournament, which held the previous best live audience average.
Nadal’s historic seventh Roland Garros victory and the return of Maria Sharapova helped to generate the largest ever audience reach for any Grand Slam tennis tournament on Eurosport and Eurosport 2. A total of 61.2M different viewers tuned in to the event during the two week period, beating the previous best figures for a Grand Slam set by the 2011 US Open by 7%.
Extensive daily coverage of the tournament on Eurosport and Eurosport 2 featured 292 hours of broadcast including 207 hours of live action.
National performances were strongest in Spain where average live audiences increased by + 100% and by + 75% respectively in Poland vs. 2011.
In addition, the Sharapova – Errani match was the best women’s final since 1994 in terms of live average audience with 1.9 million viewers.
Eurosport’s in-house production also contributed to the rise in popularity of the tournament on the channel. “Game, Set and Mats”, Eurosport’s exclusive on site live show hosted by Mats Wilander in evening primetime was watched by its largest ever audience. The programme reached 21.5 million different viewers throughout the tournament on Eurosport and Eurosport 2, +13% vs 2011.
2012 French Open audiences confirm the strength and the quality of Eurosport’s Grand Slam tennis offer. French and US Opens rights were renewed in January, respectively through 2014 and 2017 editions. An Australian Open multi-year contract was renewed in 2011.
French open audiences also contributed to the positive audience growth of Eurosport Group TV audiences for first half of 2012. From 2 January to 10 June, TV audiences across the Eurosport Group rose by 12%, compared to the same period in 2011.
Sources: AGF/GfK, BARB, SKO, MMS, TNS-Gallup, Kantar Media, AGB NMR, Armadata/Kantar, Auditel, Mediametrie – Techedge
www.eurosport.com
13 June 2012
On June 5, 2012 Deutsche Welle launched “Voices from today – Ideas for tomorrow.” The multilingual, multimedia project examines the background to the Rio+20 Conference with the help of reports from around the world.
DW’s multimedia-special “Voices from today – Ideas for tomorrow” presents innovative projects and ideas. “It’s about a new, sustainable approach to development for our protagonists and authors, just as it is for the participants in the Rio+20 summit,” said Editor in Chief Ute Schaeffer. “The question of how we deal with the unequally distributed economic growth, with technology and social goals will be decisive for global development. The media should accompany this controversial and decisive process. We are doing that with a series of reports from Africa, Asia, Europe and North and South America.”
Most of the ambitious goals set in Agenda 21 – an agreement passed by the first UN Earth Summit on sustainable development in 1992 – have not been achieved. Nevertheless, there are numerous encouraging examples worldwide, as the DW project shows. One report looks at female activists in Malawi who serve as key figures for implementing development projects. We also tell the story of a virtual market place in Africa, based on a mobile phone network, where farmers can sell their products or transfer money in regions that don’t have banks.
“Women are essential for sustainable development and they part of the solution,” said the Executive Director of UN Women Michelle Bachelet. She is one of a number of prominent authors who participated in the multimedia project “Voices from today – Ideas for tomorrow” that DW is presenting in German, English and other foreign languages.
Interacting with users around the globe plays a vital role in this project. We invite them to send us their wishes, demands, and proposals for the Rio+20 Conference via Facebook. Their texts, photos, and videos will be linked by geotagging.
The topic of education and sustainable development is also an important component of the Global Media Forum, which will take place at Deutsche Welle in Bonn from June 25 to 27. Renowned experts from Germany and abroad – including philosopher Thomas Pogge and World Bank finance expert Mahmoud Mohieldin – will discuss the role of the media on Wednesday, June 27, at the World Conference Center Bonn. They will also discuss concrete achievements that have been made during the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014).
www.dw.de
13 June 2012
Voice of America’s audience in Iran grew sharply in 2012, according to new research data released Tuesday.
The Gallup poll, conducted in March, shows VOA’s TV weekly audience grew to 21.4%, up from 6.5% in 2011. With the addition of radio and the Internet, VOA’s total audience reach in Iran is now estimated at 22.1%.
Voice of America’s Persian TV programs were taken off the popular Hotbird satellite in mid-2010, contributing to a sharp dip in audience figures from the previously estimated 20%. Resumption of VOA service on Hotbird shortly before this new survey played a role in restoring VOA’s audience, researchers say.
“This new data underscores the growing importance of satellite television in Iran, and the critical role that international broadcasters like Voice of America can play in providing balanced news coverage in a highly restrictive media environment,” says VOA Director David Ensor.
“Millions of people in Iran turn to VOA and other international broadcasters to fill in the gaps left by state controlled outlets,” Ensor says.
The Gallup poll, carried out under a contract with the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors’ Audience Research Program, found that while 86% of Iranians get news and information from domestic television, only 49% found the broadcasts “very trustworthy.”
Internet usage is also growing sharply in Iran, with 43% saying they had Internet access, and the overwhelming majority of respondents (80%) saying they had it in their homes.
In the past year, Voice of America’s Persian Service has updated its schedule and introduced a number of show changes, including the addition of the new program, ‘Inside the USA,’ which shows Iranian audiences various aspects of American life and American institutions.
www.voanews.com
11 June 2012
SatLink Communications Ltd., a leading teleport delivering content to every corner of the world, has today announced that it has expanded its operations into Asia by opening a new office in Singapore. The new office will support the company’s strategy to expand its reach and provide a gateway for broadcasters, enterprises and telecoms operators into and out of Asia. The office will be headed up by Rajeev Kaushik, the newly appointed Director of sales for Asia, who will be spearheading new business activities in the region.
SatLink will be using their strategic location in the Middle East, connecting East and West to provide broadcasters and content owners with the ability to deliver Asian content to Europe, Africa, Middle East and Americas. Satlink operates two MCPC (Multi Channel Per Carrier) platforms on the AsiaSat 5 C-band satellite, delivering content for tier 1 international and news broadcasters to Asian Pay TV markets. Sporting highlights and major breaking news stories previously broadcast by SatLink include live events such as the UEFA Championship League, Beijing Olympics, FIFA World Cup and live footage of the Japanese Earthquake, which were distributed out of and into Asia using SatLink’s teleport and HD Playout Centre.
To mark the opening of the new Asian office, SatLink will be offering a special offer on current AsiaSat 5 platforms offering international broadcasters the ability to reach both the Asia-Pacific and the Middle Eastern market www.satlink.tv/asia. SatLink will also provide localisation solutions via SatLink’s HD Playout Centre, including live and advertisement insertions, time delay and encryption (CA) services.
Mr Rajeev Kaushik as Director of Sales, Asia will be heading SatLink’s Asian sales and business development activities. He brings to the role more than 15 years experience in the Satellite and Broadcast market within Asia and the Middle East. Prior to joining SatLink, Rajeev held engineering and management roles within the satellite and VSAT market including: SingTel and Intelsat. In his role at SatLink, Rajeev will be responsible for establishing and developing strategic partnerships with leading industry operators and broadcasters within Asia.
David Hochner, SatLink’s CEO commented: “The Asian market is one of the largest in the world and growing at an incredible speed. With the expansion of our operations we are providing a bridge between East and West and enabling broadcasters in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas to distribute content both into and out of Asia. We are providing a strategic gateway for western content to reach this versatile and content rich continent and look forward to working with new partners in the region.”
www.satlink.tv
9 June 2012
Eurosport is to make its popular mobile streaming app available to Android users for the first time today, and has signed Samsung as exclusive launch partner.
Sports fans with Android devices across Europe* will be able to download the Eurosport Player app, to access live simulcasts of both Eurosport and Eurosport 2 TV channels.
Customers will be able to watch the London 2012 Olympic Games as well as live cycling from the Tour de France, motorsports, football, snooker, wintersports and live tennis action from US Open tennis Grand Slam.
The arrival on the Android platform is also expected to open up new audiences for Eurosport’s commercial clients.
As part of the Android launch initiative Samsung customers who purchase a GALAXY SIII will receive a month long promotional subscription to the Player app to experience Eurosport’s comprehensive London 2012 Olympic Games coverage. (1 month promotional period begins on July 14th for 30 days until August 12th) Customers can learn more about this offer by visiting Galaxys3.eurosportplayer.com.
Samsung, which is a Worldwide Olympic Partner, is also extending its promotion with Eurosport during the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Viewers can win Samsung GALAXY SIII’s by answering questions posed on Eurosport’s daily Olympic TV show “Together to London” via the Londonbuzz.Eurosport.com digital hub and use the online site to interact with athlete guests on-air.
Laurent Eric Le Lay, Eurosport Chairman & CEO, said: “The Eurosport Player app demonstrates how we are putting mobile at the core of our online development. We have received positive feedback from sports fans who have downloaded the app and are delighted to be able to now make our unrivalled content available to Android users. Eurosport continues to attract strong audiences across all its available screens, TV, PC, mobile and tablet and with such an exciting summer of sport ahead we are able to help fans follow the action wherever they are.”
Young Hee Lee, SVP and head of global marketing at mobile communications business said, “We are excited to be taking part in London 2012 Olympic Games and partner with Eurosport to promote the new GALAXY SIII to sports fans. I hope our customers will enjoy the mobile experiences Samsung is providing via the Eurosport Player app.”
The Eurosport Player app for Android is available for download today, on the Google Play app market https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eurosport&hl=en via a monthly pass costing 5.90 euros, or on Samsung Apps for GALAXY SIII users http://www.samsungapps.com/topApps/topAppsDetail.as?categoryId=G000016428&productId=G00007114287.
A Eurosport Player app is already available on the iOS operating system. The Player is also on PCs, and offers additional exclusive content and access to VoD.
All Player app versions are available at http://www.eurosportplayer.com/
