1 June 2012
TV audiences across the Eurosport Group rose by 11% in the first five months of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011.
In a TV landscape offering endless choice viewers are choosing Eurosport, attracted by its wealth of live action, expert analysis and high production values.
Despite increasing competition for consumers time and attention from both different genres and an increasing multi-screen home environment Eurosport has cut through to secure growing TV audiences.
All Eurosport TV channels performed strongly during the first five months of the year, with Eurosport’s average TV audience rising by 7% and Eurosport 2 generating an average TV audience rise of +37%.
Audiences have enjoyed hours of live action and strong production on TV so far in 2012 from the Africa Cup of Nations, Australian Open tennis Grand Slam, international cycling and the finale of the Winter Sports season as well as dedicated local content in specific markets such as MotoGP, Bundesliga, Davis Cup tennis.
The strongest growth in average TV audiences has been seen in Poland with a rise of 43% vs 2011. It is joined across the continent with +25% average TV audiences in Italy, +22% in France, +12% in Romania, +11% in Netherlands, +11% in UK and +9% in Sweden.
This has generated impressive reach of audience for the channel’s major TV events in 2012. The thrilling 2012 Australian Open Grand Slam attracted over 56.4M different TV viewers on Eurosport channels, this was closely followed by the Africa Cup of Nations which drew 56.3M different TV viewers. Snooker also made a positive contribution with over 47M different TV viewers for the 2012 World Championships.
Eurosport’s commitment to live action remains unrivalled with over 50% of the television schedule so far in 2012 dedicated to live content.
And the channel’s exceptional year of sport continues in the coming months with action currently from the French Open tennis at Roland Garros, followed by UEFA Euro 2012, Athletics European Championships, Tour de France, London 2012 Olympic Games and US Open tennis.
Eurosport Chairman & CEO Laurent Eric Le Lay said: “Today sports fan consumers have more content and many channels to choose from and they are in control. At Eurosport, we believe providing the best experience possible on TV to viewers is our mission. And that is why sports fans choose us. The figures prove it.”
“It is a credit to everyone at Eurosport that we can announce such a strong start to the year thanks to the strength of our live coverage and production around major events. 2012 is an exceptional year of sport and the coming months represent an unique period in sport so we look forward to welcoming even more fans to our TV channels and across the entire platform of Eurosport channels beyond TV to internet and on all devices.”
Figures were calculated on the period “2nd January 2012 – 27th May 2012”
Sources: AGF/GfK, BARB, SKO, MMS, TNS-Gallup, Kantar Media, AGB NMR, Armadata/Kantar, Auditel, Mediametrie – Techedge, Reach based on people watching a dedicated programme at least 60 seconds
www.eurosport.com
31 May 2012
On May 28th, the Association of Television Professionals from Romania (ATPR) presented their yearly awards. The MARELE PREMIU AL JURIULUI, or Grand Jury Prize, was awarded to ANTENA 3 for overall journalistic excellence.
When announcing the winner, Mircea Diaconu, the Minister of Culture, stated that the jury’s unanimous decision was based on ANTENA 3’s compelling reports, investigations and incisive analysis that made it “the TV station that held our interest all year long.”
In addition to the grand jury prize, ANTENA 3 received awards in 4 separate categories:
GRAND JURY PRIZE: ANTENA 3 (Hosts and programs cited): Mihai Gadea; Daily Summary, Alessandra Stoicescu; 100 Minutes, Radu Tudor; The Meeting Point, Oana Stancu and Adrian Ursu; Power & Position, Razvan Dumitrescu; Subjective, Adriana Ursu; Sequential. (This was the second year in a row that Mihai Gadea & Daily Summary was awarded APTR’s top prize.)
Jean Louis Calderon Award – Named in honor of the French Journalist who died in Bucharest during the 1989 revolution; this prestigious & special recognition was awarded to the team of reporters – Petre Nechita, Simona Botog and Carmina Othman – for their LIVE coverage of the demonstrations from Piata Universitatii (University Square) during January. (Although Petre Nechita was attacked and sustained a head injury he continued his broadcast until an ambulance arrived and took him to hospital.)
INVESTIGATIVE AWARD – Political reporter Ionut Cristache’s uncovered corruption that was happening in the General Secretary’s office. By the time Cristache had finished his reports, a corruption case was launched against Daniela Andreescu, Chief of the Government’s Secretary. Due in large part to the amount of press attention garnered from these reports, the Secretary was dismissed from her post by the Prime Minister.
IMAGE AWARD –Cristian Tamas, cameraman at In Premiera, for his unique camera work on “Pe un picior de iad” (“On the foot of hell).
BEST REPORTING AWARD – In Premiera; Romania’s most diverse, compelling and totally unique investigative show signed a light on everything from the trials of Romanians living abroad and struggling to find work, to the age-old customs of the Royal family, to an interview with a Romanian who owns ½ of an African country.
www.antena3.ro
31 May 2012
Grégory Samak, age 39, has joined the Management Committee of Europe’s leading international news channel. Michael Peters, Chairman of the Executive Board of Euronews, has put Mr Samak in charge of the World Broadcasting and Programme Marketing. His task is to give new momentum to the channel, its schedule and programmes on all media, thanks to his extensive experience in television other communication platforms. One of his first goals will be to showcase to a worldwide audience the high quality of the work done on a daily basis by the 450 journalists from 30 countries who produce the 11 language services of euronews, under the direction of Lucian Sârb.
Michael Peters, Chairman of the Executive Board, stated: “I am delighted to welcome Grégory Samak to Euronews and our management committee. His know-how in managing TV broadcasting and his experience with a range of media will bring new vitality to the channel and enhance the value of its content.
Grégory’s mission encompasses not only the on-air version of the channel but all of its media, since he will also be responsible for building greater synergies between the content base of the various digital platforms (the internet, smart TV, mobile applications, etc.) on a worldwide scale. He will greatly contribute to boosting our strategy to make the channel a global news hub.”
“I am very happy to join Euronews, the top international news channel in Europe, at a time when all media are seeing profound changes in their product offering and when international news has become so fast-paced,” claimed Grégory Samak.
“Euronews is a unique media in the field of news. It is intrinsically multicultural and thoroughly international, with a great variety of programmes. These three pillars give the channel a solid base to maintain its leadership in Europe and beyond. News is a highly competitive and ever-shifting field, but Euronews has what it takes to make the most of its product and reap the benefits of a broader impact on the global market,” he added.
About Grégory SAMAK
Grégory Samak began his career in 1998 with the specialised news channel ABC News, before moving on to AB Group. He became cabinet director for the chairman of the group, then head of the DTT project. During that time, he became Secretary General of the DTT Association and was then appointed managing director of the channel NT1. In the summer of 2005, he participated in the start-up of the specialised news channel BFM TV as deputy managing director in charge of broadcasting and administration. He was then appointed Secretary General of NextradioTV.
Grégory Samak graduated from Institut d’Etudes Politiques of Aix-en-Provence in 1995. He also holds a graduate degree in television and cinema from the Sorbonne and a master’s degree in Media from Ecole Supérieure de Commerce of Paris (ESCP-EAP).
31 May 2012
twofour54 ibtikar has announced it is supporting a music publishing and music rights consultancy called PopArabia, which has secured agreements to become the exclusive representative in the Arab World for Universal Music Publishing Group, the Universal Production Music Library, and Imagem Music Group, the world’s largest independent music publisher. This gives PopArabia exclusive management rights to millions of titles, driving the development of a sustainable commercial music industry in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
PopArabia is a music publishing company, created by entrepreneur Hussain Spek Yoosuf, representing the world’s leading music catalogues to ensure music rights are licensed appropriately in all forms of media, including; film, mobile, online, broadcast and advertising. The aim is to monetise international and regional rights, creating a profitable arena for new and existing talent, and ensuring that international music publishing businesses, such as Imagem and Universal, see the potential of the MENA market.
Wayne Borg, twofour54 Deputy CEO & Chief Operating Officer, explained; “Music already plays a key part in the growing media and entertainment industry across the region, but by ensuring that its use is properly and transparently monetised, PopArabia can help prospective Arabic musicians to understand that music can be a business not just a passion. PopArabia is a unique opportunity for twofour54, complementing our existing initiatives and driving the creation of a vibrant, sustainable and commercial regional media and entertainment industry across a wide range of disciplines.”
Experienced music publisher and the entrepreneur who developed PopArabia in late 2011, Hussain Spek Yoosuf, further explained; “All of my work in music rights in the UAE has been focused on developing a sustainable and thriving music industry regionally. I really couldn’t have found a better partner than twofour54, who are doing a fantastic job of cultivating a local creative eco-system. As the region’s creative, entertainment and media industry grows and develops, PopArabia is helping to pave the way for more international music stakeholders to benefit from and grow this exciting market.”
PopArabia’s combined catalogue includes major pop hits and songs of all genres and eras. It also includes the widest body of production music available in the region, providing film and TV producers with ‘one-stop-shop’ access to background music for their productions.
Andrew Jenkins, Executive Vice President, Asia Pacific Region and Industry Affairs, Universal Music Publishing Group commented: “I am delighted to be working with PopArabia and twofour54 as we at Universal Music Publishing Group continue to make the best music in the world available to the global marketplace. There can be an exciting future for the music business in the region and it is great to be working with people who want to create the conditions necessary for a thriving creative community to evolve.”
“We are delighted to welcome PopArabia to our international network of publishing partners,” said Imagem Music Group CEO André de Raaff. “The MENA region has enormous potential for our wide variety of musical genres. We are confident that with twofour54 and Spek’s new venture, PopArabia, we have the right partners to generate greater revenue for our writers, and give our catalogues even greater exposure.”
twofour54 ibtikar offers growth and nurturing opportunities to creative companies in the MENA region that have the potential to grow and participate in Arabic content creation, across media and entertainment sectors, with a focus on growing new businesses, through early stage and growth capital investment along with strategic support. Importantly, ibtikar ventures not only gives businesses access to financial support but also strategic guidance to help them fulfil their potential.
twofour54’s mission is to enable the development of world class Arabic media and entertainment content, positioning Abu Dhabi as a regional centre of excellence across all media platforms including film, broadcast, music, digital media, events, gaming and publishing.
www.twofour54.com
30 May 2012
Eurosport has just launched the Eurosport Player application, the sports channel’s online simulcast streaming service on VIERA Connect, Panasonic Smart VIERA’s cloud-based connected TV platform. The launch of the app[1] coincides with the start of Roland Garros, the French Tennis Open Grand Slam this week, enabling fans to select live action from up to seven different courts depending on the schedule of play.
The Smart VIERA app will give its pay subscribers access to live streaming from Eurosport, Eurosport 2 and bonus channel content for other significant sporting events such as snooker, World Superbikes and wintersports, and feature a full seven day EPG schedule.
The launch consolidates Eurosport’s position as a multi-screen broadcaster with the channel’s content now extensively available beyond television on PC, Mobile, Tablet and now Smart TV.
The Eurosport Player app operates as a subscription service and will be pre-installed on all 2012 Panasonic Smart VIERA models and is also compatible with all VIERA TV models from 2010 onwards.
Sports fans in 23 countries* will be able to access the Eurosport Player app and enjoy commentary in their local language. This summer, Panasonic Smart VIERA customers who will subscribe to the Eurosport Player application, will also be able to enjoy the Tour de France and London 2012 Olympic Games[2] via the app.
Fabien Roth, Director TV Group at Panasonic Marketing Europe said: “We are delighted to be the first to offer the Eurosport Player application via Smart VIERA. The app showcases the possibilities of Smart TV, providing great interactive and personalised experiences. For Roland Garros, subscribers can now choose the courts they would like to watch the match on – putting them in the director’s chair. With the Eurosport Player we further strengthening our VIERA Connect eco-system of innovative and benefit-oriented applications. It supports our Smart VIERA strategy to provide easy-to-use networking functionality, allowing the user to enjoy interactive functionality that goes far beyond traditional broadcast experiences.”
Arnaud Maillard, Eurosport’s New Media Director said: “Eurosport continues to develop innovative ways for sports fans to access its great content. This launch with Panasonic opens up new opportunities for fans to experience our Eurosport Player service which is at the forefront of our multi-screen offer. It is timely that the first event to be accessible is Roland Garros which really complements the Eurosport Player’s multi-court coverage offer.”
*Andorra; Austria; Belarus; Belgium; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; Germany; Ireland; Italy; Latvia, Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Russia; San Marino; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Ukraine; Vatican and the UK.
ABOUT EUROSPORT GROUP
The Eurosport Group is Europe’s leading sports entertainment group. Eurosport, the n°1 pan-European TV channel, broadcasts in 20 languages and reaches 129 million homes across 59 countries. Eurosport HD is the high definition simulcast of Eurosport. Eurosport 2 broadcasts to 59 million households in 18 languages across 47 countries. Eurosport 2 HD was launched in August 2009. Eurosport Asia-Pacific reaches 17 countries in the region and launched an HD channel in September 2011. Eurosportnews is the sports news channel transmitted worldwide. Eurosport.com, Europe’s n°1 online sports destination, has up to 19 million unique users per month (comScore) across an international network of sports websites in 11 languages, including Yahoo! co-branded sites in Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK. The Eurosport.com free mobile applications are available in 10 languages. Eurosport Player, Eurosport’s web TV service, provides LIVE and on-demand sports to fans’ PCs in 52 countries and the Player mobile application is available in up to 18 countries. Eurosport Events is the group’s expert division in the management and promotion of international sporting events.
30 May 2012
RT’s New York-based audience increased nearly 3 times in 2011[1], while its Washington audience grew by more than 60 percent over the same period, according to a Nielsen survey.[2]
Nielsen carried out its first simultaneous survey of international news networks audience in America’s five major cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, and San Francisco. According to the survey, in these cities RT leads other international broadcasters. For example, in Washington, DC, RT’s daily audience is 13 times larger than that of the German Deutsche Welle, nearly 8 times larger than that of the Chinese CCTV News, and almost 4 times larger than the respective audiences of Euronews and France 24. The number of RT viewers in New York is 9 times greater than the audience of the Japanese NHK World[3], and in Chicago RT crowd is 3 times larger than that of Qatar’s Al Jazeera English[2].
The survey shows that RT’s daily audience in New York has increased 2.65 times in 2011 alone, while its viewership in Washington, DC grew by 60.9 percent over the same period[1].
“The growth of our audience in the largest cities in the US, especially in New York and Washington, DC, is a clear proof that we have firmly established ourselves as an alternative to the American mainstream media. More and more residents of the US require access to new information and different perspective, which they find at RT,” – said RT Editor-in-Chief of Margarita Simonyan.
According to Nielsen, the average RT viewer based in one of the 5 surveyed American cities is a male aged between 35 and 49. While most hold an undergraduate degree, over 20 percent of RT viewers have a Master’s degree or a Ph.D. as well. In terms of occupation, most American RT viewers are either business owners, self-employed, or are employed in management roles.
More than 85 million residents of America’s key metropolitan areas receive RT around the clock via cable and satellite networks. RT expanded its audience in the United States dramatically in 2011 by being included in the packages of major cable networks in San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia, as well as Dish Network, one of America’s largest pay-TV operators with nationwide coverage.
Nielsen carried out the survey in the fall of 2011, polling a total of over 10,000 residents in Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.
Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global information and measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and related properties. Nielsen has a presence in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA and Diemen, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.
1. Against the results of a similar survey carried out in Washington, DC, and New York in the fall 2010
2. Daily audience
3. Weekly audience
