ITV

Tag: Philippe Le Floc’h

  • Uefa in global licensing deal with Warner

    Uefa in global licensing deal with Warner

    MUMBAI: Just a few weeks after unveiling the new brand identity for the Uefa Champions League for the next three seasons, Uefa has announced plans for a new worldwide multi-category licensing programme in association with Warner Bros Consumer Products.

    A report on Uefa’s site states that the licensed products will support and reflect the image and values of the Uefa Champions League, and will further help to promote the global approach of the competition through their availability via a wide range of distribution channels. The product collections will be comprehensive and will include: watches, eyewear, stationery, writing instruments, travel goods, gifts and men’s accessories.

    Warner Bros Consumer Products has been appointed to manage the licensing programme on a worldwide basis. The first product collection is expected for the coming spring in time for the build-up to the UEFA Champions League final in Athens in May.

    Uefa marketing and media rights director Philippe Le Floc’h says, “The retail roll-out will include an online component to allow fans across the globe to access the new range. With the launch of the new UEFA Champions League identity this season, we were keen to utilise opportunities to maximise the brand visibility.

    “Extending the Uefa Champions League experience into a selective range of quality products that are widely available will bring the Uefa Champions League closer to the fans. We are therefore very happy to be working in collaboration with a partner as experienced in licensing and distribution as Warner Bros Consumer Products.”

    Warner Bros Consumer Products in Europe senior VP, GM Pilar Zulueta says, “This is fantastic news for Warner Bros Consumer Products and UEFA. The UEFA Champions League is one of the most prestigious and recognisable sporting brands in the world and we are confident the range of licensed products will also reflect the prestige and quality of the competition. It is our intention to take a selective licensing approach and to focus on developing the appropriate level of retail distribution and visibility to support the new brand identity.”

  • Unprecedented worldwide audience for Euro 2008

    Unprecedented worldwide audience for Euro 2008

    MUMBAI: Uefa Euro 2008 will have unprecedented television coverage around the world after Uefa announced it had agreed the sale of broadcast rights to key territories outside of Europe, including the United States and Asia.

    “We will have coverage of the European Championship which we have never had before,” said Uefa chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson as he announced the deal yesterday.

    As already reported, ESPN Star Sports has won exclusive broadcast and internet rights for the Indian subcontinent for the tournament, the most prestigious in the football calendar after the World Cup.

    Explaining Uefa’s strategy, Olsson said that after putting the broadcast rights to tender, the European governing body had decided to enter into direct negotiations with broadcasters in certain strategic territories in light of the quality of offers received. “We invited in August to tender for the rights for the European Championship outside Europe and we got some very positive proposals from some individual markets,” said Olsson. “We decided to make direct contracts in certain territories – the United States, India, the Middle East, North Africa and Hong Kong.”

    The territories covered by the sale and the broadcasters involved are as follows:

    ESPN has been granted the rights for North America, including pay rights in Latin America. The deal guarantees extensive coverage of Euro 2008 on the ESPN network including two games on ABC.

    ESS has been appointed for the Indian subcontinent, including sub-licensing to terrestrial networks. The structure of the agreement provides a unique platform for the promotion of Euro 2008 in a region encompassing a global population of up to 1.3 billion people.

    Al Jazeera was granted the rights for the Middle East and North Africa. The agreement will ensure a wide coverage of the competition in this region, where most of the 350 million people are huge football fans and that has close links with European football.

    PCCW has been selected in Hong Kong. PCCW’s NOW TV is a cutting-edge broadcaster that runs the largest IPTV operation in the world. This agreement will put Uefa and Euro 2008 at the forefront of technology convergence with a fully integrated distribution on IPTV and mobile.

    To complement this network of broadcasters, Uefa has appointed SportFive to represent the media rights to Euro 2008 in all the remaining markets outside Europe. This is a natural extension of the current agency agreement between Uefa and SportFive for the European territories, and will ensure a consistent distribution of the broadcast rights worldwide

    Philippe Le Floc’h, director of marketing and media rights at Uefa, said: “We are delighted by the outcome of the process and are convinced that these new partnerships will lead to the most comprehensive and wide-reaching promotional platform ever for Uefa European Football Championship in territories ex-Europe. We are looking forward to developing a direct relationship with the broadcasters and to further deepen the collaboration with Sportfive.”

  • ESPN Star Sports wins broadcast rights to Uefa Euro 2008

    ESPN Star Sports wins broadcast rights to Uefa Euro 2008

    MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports has won exclusive broadcast and internet rights for the Indian subcontinent for the 2008 European Football Championship (Uefa Euro 2008).

    The territories that are covered in the deal are India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives. With this acquisition, ESPN Star Sports will be broadcasting all 31 matches from the tournament live and exclusive.

    Uefa Euro 2008 is the most prestigious tournament in the football calendar after the World Cup. The competition will feature the top 16 national teams from Europe and will be held in Austria and Switzerland in June, 2008. In addition to its live coverage of matches, ESPN Star Sports will be producing exclusive pre-game, post-game, and halftime shows around Uefa Euro 2008 as well as other localised content designed to broaden the base of football viewers in the Indian subcontinent. This commitment to broadcast Uefa Euro 2008 continues the 14-year association between ESS and Uefa which goes back to the inaugural season of the Uefa Champions League in 1992/3.

    Commenting on the acquisition, ESS managing director Jamie Davis said: “I am delighted that the Uefa European Championship is returning to our networks in 2008. The fact that we are working directly with Uefa for the first time affirms their confidence in our efforts to deliver the best football programming to South Asian fans.”

    “We have expanded the football-watching audience in India through concentrated marketing efforts and programming initiatives such as the introduction of Hindi commentary. Viewers can expect an exciting presentation and fresh innovations for Uefa Euro 2008.” Davis added.

    Uefa director of marketing and media rights Philippe Le Floc’h said: “ESPN Star Sports is one of the most experienced sports broadcasters in the Indian subcontinent. We are excited to work again with ESPN Star Sports whose expertise and market position will further enhance the Uefa European Championship brand in the Indian subcontinent.”

    This latest acquisition follows the recent three-year extension of rights for the English Premier League for the Indian subcontinent. ESS football coverage also includes the Spanish Primera Liga and the English FA Cup. ESS also annually produces over 1,000 hours of original football programming, including Nokia Football Crazy, Football Focus, Goals, Tiger FC Locker Room, Here We Go, First Edition and Football Extra.