Hungarian Television Satisfied with CL

TeleSport, the sports programme of the Hungarian Television, is a reliable partner of the Champions League. In the last four years, the channel has been broadcasting all CL games played in Hungary – a country where handball is followed with great enthusiasm by the fans. Csaba Schulek, Editor-in-chief of TeleSport and member of EHF TV Working Group talks to eurohandball.com.

eurohandball.com: What does the EHF Champions League mean for the Hungarian Television?

Csaba Schulek: It is a program that we like very much. EHF Champions League is the most important sports coverage on our channel after the football CL. MotoGP comes after them in importance.

The Champions League is ideal for our Television as the matches played in Hungary are easy to plan in advance and many people watch them. The only difficulty we have is with the away matches of the Hungarian teams. These TV times are not always fixed well in advance.

I also have to say that this program is not only important for the channel, but also for me personally. I was elected into the TV Working Group of the EHF and it is a chance for me to contribute to the success of this product.

eurohandball.com: How?

Csaba Schulek: First of all, I try to learn from the UEFA Champions League. The two products will never be identical, but it is always good to learn. Handball is going through a tremendous development, mostly in Europe. As a result, we can provide high quality experience in TV and the broadcasts will make handball even more popular.

eurohandball.com: What is handball and CL like from a Television point of view?

Csaba Schulek: Handball is a spectacular game with lot of energy and emotion. The game is easy to understand and follow, just as the Champions League itself.

It is also important that CL has a unified branding and appearance. If someone switches to the match by chance or he is channel hopping and sees the court, he will immediately know that he is watching CL and not any other game. A serious, unified image suggests a serious product…

eurohandball.com: A serious product also needs high quality broadcast. How does the Hungarian Television prepare for the matches?

Csaba Schulek: We use 10 cameras to broadcast the games. This number is higher than the average, but we also know that the number is not everything. The game is so fast that you must be very cautious not to miss the action. What you really need is a director with good understanding of the game and good feeling for the rhythm who knows when to repeat the goals.

Apart from our live match broadcasts, we also show handball-related interviews, portraits and highlights before and after the games or at halftime. This sport plays a very important role in our magazine programs.

eurohandball.com: What is the feedback from Hungarian TV viewers?

Csaba Schulek: There can be two kinds of feedback. The first is measured with special devices that tell us the audience figures. In this respect the feedback is excellent. An average CL game of a Hungarian team is watched by 4-5% all the TV viewers. It means roughly 300-400,000 people and the number of those who at least take a look at the game for a shorter period is above 500,000.

The other kind of feedback comes directly from the viewers in form of telephone calls or letters. Such letters are usually complaints about something, but we get very few such negative feedback.

eurohandball.com: How popular is handball in Hungary?

Csaba Schulek: It is a very well managed sport in the country. Handball is built up consciously by the Hungarian Handball Federation and by Secretary General László Sinka. In consequence, Hungary has good results at the European Championships, World Championships and in the Champions League as well.

The handballers are also extremely famous. Anita Görbicz and Bojana Radulovic are household names in Hungary; Veszprém and Szeged are also very popular. Even foreign players, such as the nationalised Carlos Perez are also renowned.