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Has sport reached a major turning point?

What have the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nintendo releasing the GameBoy in the US and the launch of Sky TV in Europe all got in common? Well, they all happened in 1989 – which is also the year Eurosport was born.

To mark Eurosport’s 20-year anniversary as a leader and pioneer in sports media entertainment, IBC has invited Arnaud Simon, Broadcast Director - Eurosport and Eurosport 2, to deliver a speech explaining how his company is using the latest technology and its extensive sports broadcasting experience to deliver entertaining and innovative sports coverage across a range of media platforms. ‘The evolution of sports broadcasting - the total audience experience’ takes place from 10.30am on Thursday, 10 September 2009, The Forum.

“Eurosport is uniquely placed to comment on the sport of the future, having been at the heart of its popularity on TV for more than two decades,” says Simon. “We’re a universal brand, something that’s rare and precious in today’s fragmented market, and we have the ability to elevate the sport of tomorrow into the limelight today.”

Major sporting events such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics, cycling's Tour de France, the IRC Monte Carlo Rally and Grand Slam tennis tournaments, demonstrate the power of using innovative technology and great content to engage with wider audiences and to enhance the overall viewing experience. Simon argues that we are currently at a turning point in sport: that we’re not only experiencing a technological revolution, but also an evolution in content.

“We are in a key moment for sport,” says Simon. “Sport on TV flourished in the 1970s, but we must make changes now if those same sports are still to be popular with a TV audience in 50 years. We must always ask; is the younger audience still enthralled? Look at a traditional televised sport like tennis, for example. How many complete tennis matches have you watched over the last year. Will people still watch a five hour tennis match in five years time?”

The rise of Twenty20 cricket is an example of how a sport itself has evolved in response to falling audience demand. Born out of marketing whimsy, dreamed up by the cricketing authorities to revive a flagging product and try to attract family crowds for an evening out, this new, shortened and faster-paced version of the game has reached a crescendo at this year’s Twenty20 World Cup in Britain – and TV audiences have lapped it up.

“The entertainment value of sport is crucial to its survival”, says Simon. “Just look at the popularity of video games. Indeed, when analysing the reasons behind the passion for watching sport on TV, it’s now difficult to discern whether live sport still creates the main enthusiasm, or whether video games are now driving interest directly.”

Increasingly, sports fans are passionate about getting closer to the game, getting caught up in the action and knowing more about the players and the play. Social innovations as well as technology are constantly changing the way fans watch sport and the way the media covers it. Driven by these changes, the latest technologies promise to enrich the viewing experience and deepen the relationship between viewer, broadcaster and the sport itself. Stimulated by the possibilities on offer, rights-holders, with the help of broadcasters, are successfully changing formats and mixing entertainment elements into sport to retain viewer interest and create stunning shows with more emotion and suspense.

“The new technology is exciting because it opens up possibilities,” says Simon. “The experience of watching sport in 3D, for example, is amazing. That’s why I’m looking forward to learning about all the new tools and devices at IBC2009, to share in the experience of the new technology that will inspire us to shape our future products. We launched our HD channel in 2008, we will launch an iPhone application later this summer and when it comes to internet the Eurosport site is already available in nine different language versions. We have developed a VOD offer and we are trialling an online TV service. It's essential to be up-to-date in new technology and to make sure we are delivering our content on the most appropriate devices.”

However, Simon is quick to point out that content – its creation, management and delivery – is core to Eurosport’s service. “Content remains king,” he says. “And there are innovations in content just as important as the technology itself, from the formats we deliver it on to the way in which we write stories around sport. You must be entertaining. People are demanding ever-more from backstage interviews, real TV and subjective camera views. It’s not just about the live competition. The more technology advances, the more improved the content becomes, and often, technology merely provides a better means of delivering the content that the audience wants to consume. Fundamentally, we must deliver what people want to watch.”

Since joining Eurosport’s programme finance department in 1994, Simon has successfully overseen the creation and launch of Eurosport 2 to become Broadcast Director for both Eurosport & Eurosport 2. He has introduced an open-minded and innovative approach to the group's TV sports strategy, bringing viewers new and engaging sports and disciplines. He has also launched new programme formats in line with Eurosport's positioning as leading sports entertainment group.

‘The evolution of sports broadcasting - the total audience experience’ takes place from 10.30 on Thursday, 10 September 2009, The Forum.

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