EHF Champions League 2006/07 - Champions League on Eurosport: Increasing Audience Figures

26.04.2007, 12:23

◄ last page

The 2006/07 CL season has been broadcast on Eurosport. Werner Starz, Marketing and Communication Director of the sports channel tells us about his experience.

PRINT VERSION:

Champions League on Eurosport: Increasing Audience Figures

The top matches of the EHF Champions League are brought to handball fans live by Europe’s no1. sports channel, Eurosport. The partnership of the prestigious TV station and the European Handball Federation started in the season 2006/07. Werner Starz, Marketing and Communication Director of Eurosport tells us his about experience in connection with the Champions League broadcasts.

eurohandball.com: How does handball fit in the image and structure of Eurosport and Eurosport2?

Werner Starz: The EHF Handball Men’s Champions League fits to Eurosport on different levels. Eurosport in general is the channel for the important Olympic sports. The Champions League is of course perfectly in line with our international positioning given the fact that Eurosport is also partner for example of for the UEFA Football Champions League.

For Eurosport 2 we wanted to go in new directions. We concentrate on younger sports and especially on team sports. On this field handball together with European basketball and volleyball has been our first choice. Besides the EHF Champions League, the highlights of the Spanish Handball League give the channel additional credibility among handball fans.

eurohandball.com: What do you think of handball as a sport in TV? Is it spectacular, easy to follow and exciting for the viewers?

Werner Starz: With a channel as widely distributed as Eurosport there are always countries and viewers we have to introduce certain sports to. Of course handball is still more exotic in the UK. But in many other key markets of Eurosport 2 – such as Germany, middle and eastern European countries or Spain – the sport is big. In Germany we had the situation that a larger audience got a little unused to follow the sport regularly. But with the World Championship in Germany this has changed. Both the World Championship matches – like the semi-final – or the EHF Champions League semi-finals proved the power of handball: these matches were decided in the very last second. As television people we like that of course.

eurohandball.com: Is it possible to create a show event of top handball?

Werner Starz: International top handball has all ingredients to be a good show. From Eurosport’s side we don't focus on changing the sports into a show. But we consider some elements as key ones and we try to include them in our handball broadcasts: a quality production, well-known and credible experts, a coherent on-air look and a strong promotion for the broadcasts all over our platform.

eurohandball.com: How popular are the Champions League games?

Werner Starz: As Eurosport 2 is not measured on a pan-European level, I can give you some figures from our broadcasts in Germany. We started with the EHF Champions League last autumn as a complete new product on our channel in Germany. In the beginning we had an average of 200,000 to 250,000 viewers. For the semi-finals the ratings grew to an average of around 500,000 viewers peaking at more than 600,000 viewers. Of course it is hard to compare the matches in the groups with a semi-final or the matches before the World Championship with matches after the World Championship. But in general we believe that handball viewership will grow steadily.

eurohandball.com: Who are the target groups of the broadcasts? Are you successful in reaching them?

Werner Starz: Eurosport is never limited to the one or the other target group. Compared to other channels - especially public channels - the Eurosport audience are generally younger and more upscale. We think that this could help handball to establish itself in new and attractive target groups, especially if we think about the younger program line-up of Eurosport 2. If we look at a single market like Germany, we have to admit that the viewership structure of handball is not the youngest one. I think that besides the general international development of handball distribution the long-term attraction of young target groups is a very interesting challenge for the sport itself and for the media. Considering that the spectators in the hall at handball matches are really young, I'm sure that this can be achieved.

eurohandball.com: Is Eurosport satisfied with handball broadcasts? Can viewers expect to see the games next season as well?

Werner Starz: As I said: the timing couldn't be better. The World Championship in Germany was a success throughout Europe. Handball is a talk of the town. The EHF are doing everything to develop the Champions League. And with the three years contract with Eurosport we can make sure to develop an international platform for the sport. The base for next year's coverage will be the same as in 2006/07: the international broadcast live and the delayed on Eurosport 2, plus the broadcast of the matches of the German teams in Germany.

TEXT: eurohandball.com