Amsterdam, Netherlands / Zug, Switzerland, 11 September 2006 - Infront Sports & Media, the company which handled the worldwide marketing and sales of the broadcast rights to 2006 FIFA World Cup™ and its wholly-owned subsidiary Host Broadcast Services (HBS) have won the prestigious Judges’ Award – one of the IBC’s Innovation Awards presented at the RAI Convention Centre in Amsterdam. As a dedicated and highly specialised organization, HBS was responsible for the host broadcast operations of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™.

The Award was for New Media production at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany. The tailored production services provided by HBS transformed the coverage of the event for New Media in terms of quality and content. The prospect of tailored production drove sales – this was the most widely covered sports event on the internet and on mobile phones to date. More than 100 countries were covered by 50 licensees in “Mobile Telephony” and “World Wide Web”.

A team of 40 experienced producers and journalists created a special New Media Content Package - tailor-made for licensees, designed for exploitation without the need for extensive editing and incorporating various innovations designed specifically for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. The near-live clips were enhanced with specific or customised match and competition summaries, graphics, background sound, music and commentary.

 

The fact that this was the first FIFA World Cup™ covered entirely in HDTV opened the door to improved picture quality for New Media. HD video-based “Pan & Scan” technology was utilized, allowing the editor to zoom in and capture the core action, producing a clear picture more exciting than ever for tiny handsets.

 

HBS also offered a voice-over commentary service in the language of one’s choice. A total of eight different languages were booked and produced simultaneously in the IBC during the tournament: Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Swiss German.

The benefits for licensees were considerable - better quality production, reduction of cost per licensee through central multilateral production and HD-based content, delivering “never seen before” picture quality in small formats.

 

Peter Angell, Director of Production for HBS, received the Award on behalf of HBS and Infront: “This award confirms that our two companies, Infront and HBS, were right in deciding to embed new media requirements in the overall production strategy, providing licensees with a level of service never experienced before. The fact that all matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ were filmed in HDTV has transformed the quality of New Media coverage. Combined with the use of “Pan & Scan" technology to capture the core action in a way that is relevant for tiny handsets, it has delivered pictures of unprecedented quality. Licensees and consumers were thrilled”, he said in his acceptance speech.

 

Francis Tellier, CEO of HBS, said: "This special award acknowledges the quality of services and innovations our team has provided in the area of host broadcasting. The New Media production of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ has been the defining step forward and underlines our ambition, to lead the industry through innovation."

 

"We are proud that the outstanding production capabilities of the Infront Group have been
recognised and we see this year's IBC Judges' Award as a challenge to push even further in future", Philippe Blatter, President & CEO of Infront Sports & Media, added.

 

HBS Receives Honour for HD Coverage of 2006 FIFA World Cup™

Earlier this week-end, the achievements of HBS, as dedicated host broadcaster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ committing fully to the HDTV format, were also honoured at the First Annual Sport Technology Reception. The Award was presented by the Sport Video Group (SVG), an association of industry leaders in sport broadcast and production.

"Sport production is the driving force behind the transition to high-definition TV around the globe, and the SVG is pleased to honour the achievements of HBS for their work in producing the 2006 FIFA World Cup™," said SVG Editorial Director Ken Kerschbaumer.

 

The 2006 FIFA World Cup™ has been the first major international sports event completely produced in the format of the future, with all 64 matches both covered and broadcast on HDTV.

 

For further information, please contact:

Jörg Polzer

Manager, Communication & PR

Infront Sports & Media AG

Tel. +41-41-723 15 15

Fax +41-41-723 15 16

press@infrontsports.com

www.infrontsports.com

 

Nicola Taylor

Director, Communication

Host Broadcast Services, HBS

Tel. +33-1-55 19 20 08

Fax. +33-1-55 19 20 03

press@hbs.tv

www.hbs.tv