CONTEXT
Eurovision Sports Services is the team responsible for coordinating transmissions between local organizers, host broadcasters, agencies and broadcasters. In other words, it’s the critical ingredient that makes the pieces – and the players – come together to bring major sports events on air.

Eurovision Sports Services sets up the operation – a game, an Olympics, a major sports event – and serves as the point of contact for the event’s takers (broadcasters). Expertise comes with experience, and experience and expertise is what Sports Services is about. Eurovision has been in the transmission business for over 50 years, dating to the time when members wanted to exchange programmes. Back then, Eurovision stepped in to coordinate: pulling circuits from one place to another and putting it all together. Over time, this has evolved into a highly sophisticated network handling HD and SD video at record levels of volume.

WHY EUROVISION?
Using Eurovision Sports Services gives customers several key benefits.

1. RELIABILITY The global Eurovision network is the most reliable in the business. Still, sometimes things can – and will – go wrong. Here’s where Eurovision really distinguishes itself from the pack: we have seamless back-up and recovery procedures. If there’s a fibre problem between, say, Sydney and Los Angeles, we can seamlessly re-route the transmission via satellite. Our interconnectivity gives us incredible flexibility. As Jean-Claude Gisiger, Head of Eurovision Sports Services, says, “Customers know that if it’s on the Eurovision network, that signal is going out.”

2. INDUSTRY EXPERTISE Like all of the organization, Eurovision Sports Services is staffed with broadcast industry professionals. Media isn’t one of many categories with Eurovision; it is the only category.

3. EXPERIENCE Eurovision has more experience and know-how on multiple destination distribution than any competitor in the market. Sixty years and still going strong, in fact.

THE MARKET IS GROWING...AND CHANGING
In 1991, says Gisiger, there were approximately 30 to 50 sports transmissions per week. Today, Eurovision Sports does between 250 and 300 transmissions per week for our members but also for a growing number of non-members. A good percentage of those transmissions are still for public service broadcasters and main sports events like the Olympics or the UEFA Champions League matches. At the same time, however, there is tremendous interest from thematic channels and small broadcasters for “smaller” sports, such as canoeing, rowing and archery, to name a few. Gisiger says, “There are more and more broadcasters, including specialty channels, with a growing appetite for all kinds of sports coverage. Our network can handle it. That’s why the transmission volume is growing at such a fast pace.”

Gisiger is quick to add, however, that for Eurovision sports is not solely about transmissions. “We’re buying rights, as well,” he says. “We buy directly from the Federations and then sell on the rights to our members, plus provide distribution. And we do everything we can to help the broadcaster on the ground as well: on-site coordination, broadcast services, providing work stations. We are full-service and help with every step of the process.”

Examples of events handled by Eurovision Sports Services include the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA World Cup. Eurovision have been working successfully with the organizers to continually improve and deliver more for these events, two of the most important in the sporting calendar. Eurovision has carried every Winter and Summer Olympics Games since 1956 – and will do again in 2010 and 2012.

The biggest challenge facing Eurovision Sports Services right now is the evolution of the market.
If we look at the business – with all of the new technology and all the new media and all the new outlets for sports content – we see that the main challenge is making sure we’re ready for the future.. We’re working in MPEG2 now and we’re starting to look at MPEG4. We always need to be at the cutting edge of technology and stay ahead of the competition. That’s our biggest challenge. And it’s also our biggest opportunity.”
— jean Claude Gisiger, Head of Sports Services