Eurovision Services, the media services arm of the European Broadcasting Union consortium of free-to-air broadcasters, has launched a new offering designed to help broadcasters easily gain access to a satellite feed to help fill their sports schedules during the Covid-19 shutdown.
The WorldFeed+ Sports service builds on Eurovision Services’ established WorldFeed service, which provides international satellite distribution to event organisers, allowing them to offer broadcasters access to their event content free of rights.
Eurovision Services said the new offering meets the needs of international broadcasters by making available a schedule of sports content on a dedicated high-definition satellite feed. The content is being provided free of rights by numerous international sports federations and packaged into a revolving schedule by the Eurovision Services editorial team.
WorldFeed+ Sports is being made available to all broadcasters as a one-week free trial starting from today (Monday), after which it can be booked as a weekly or monthly subscription with no long-term commitment.
Eurovision Services said it plans to offer this service at least until a resumption of major live sports events around the world, with the content being offered free of rights until the end of August.
Eurovision Services said: “For a weekly technical fee that is little more than the cost of taking a regular live sports transmission, broadcasters now have hassle-free access to a satellite feed that showcases new sports and allows them to experiment with new ideas and different formats and, above all, keep their audiences engaged.”
Following the trial period, the satellite feed reception offered by the WorldFeed+ Sports service is priced at €500 ($542) per week in Europe, $600 (€553) per week in the Asia-Pacific region and $700 per week in the Americas. Discounts are offered for monthly access (one booking for four consecutive weeks).
Eurovision Sport, the sports arm of the EBU, last month negotiated agreements with rights-holders to allow its member broadcasters to air archive footage of high-profile sports events.
The Geneva-based body held discussions with the federations and promoters with whom it holds agreements to enable its members to offer archive content from events such as football’s Fifa World Cup, cycling’s Tour de France and the World and European Athletics Championships.
Earlier this month, Glen Killane was promoted to the role of executive director of Eurovision Sport, the sports arm of the EBU, taking over from the long-serving Stefan Kürten, who is to leave the organisation in June. Killane will step up from the position of deputy director of Eurovision Sport, a role he has held since August 2018.