UEFA EURO 2008™ will receive massive media coverage – with millions of fans watching the action on television. The images beamed from the 31 matches in Austria and Switzerland will reach all four corners of the world. Nowadays, we take such coverage for granted in the wake of massive technological advances, and the evolution of TV coverage has been staggering in its breadth.
Sophisticated operation
Back in 1960, the images from a major European competition final would be sent by as few as three cameras. On 29 July 2008 at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna, the UEFA EURO 2008™ final will be transmitted to the world with over nine times that number of cameras as part of a sophisticated and highly-detailed operation. Viewers will be able to receive the highest-quality images in colour, from a variety of angles and at various speeds.
Vivid memory
Black and white pictures gradually gave way to colour as the 1960s came to a close. Just as it was fascinating then to see reds, yellows and blues on your TV screen – often helping viewers to identity the teams on the muddiest of pitches – it is now a deeply nostalgic experience for football enthusiasts to look at the grainy black and white images bringing, for many, a vivid memory of their youth.
Billions of viewers
In terms of viewing figures, the UEFA European Championship is the world's second major sports event, only topped by the FIFA World Cup. The success story continues. UEFA EURO 2004™, the 12th of its kind, broke all records: There were 7.9 billion television viewers in total, and 153 million live viewers for each of the 31 matches. The final was seen by as many as 279 million viewers - an unbelievable increase of 157 per cent on corresponding figures for the 2000 finals. The TV images from Europe were watched by 446 million viewers in the United States, 986 million in Africa and as many as 1.1 billion in Asia.
Host broadcaster
For the first time in EURO history, UEFA will provide the television signal and production for the tournament itself. As host broadcaster, UEFA will be responsible for the transmission of TV pictures from UEFA EURO 2008™ throughout the world. Some 1,300 people will be involved in producing coverage over a four-week period. A minimum of 28 staff members will be deployed by the host broadcaster alone for each match. The International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Vienna will serve as the international nerve centre, with over 10,000 square metres of production and office space made available to TV stations from around the world who will broadcast to more than 200 countries.
Massive audiences
Reports from Portugal in 2004 totalled 28,378 hours on 234 different channels - a significant increase of 165 per cent on UEFA EURO 2000™. In terms of television viewing figures, these finals will also attract massive audiences. If you cannot go and see the games in Austria and Switzerland – you will certainly find a TV set near you to watch the action.
