UEFA - Union of European Football Associ
UEFA reveals host broadcasting for UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying draw
Nyon (ots)
Acting as a host broadcaster through its subsidiary UEFA Media Technologies, UEFA has confirmed the appointment of SRG SSR idée suisse as the executive producer of the first televised event of the UEFA EURO 2008 tournament.
The UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying competition draw will take place in Montreux, Switzerland on Friday 27 January 2006. The ceremony will take place at the Congress Centre in Montreux starting at 12:00 CET, and will be hosted by Jacques Deschenaux, the well-known Swiss TV sports journalist.
"I am particularly honoured to have been chosen by UEFA to host the qualifying draw for the 2008 European Football Championship," said Jacques Deschenaux. "Even after 30 years as a sports journalist, the excitement of having such an event in Switzerland and Austria is enormous."
The draw will be directed by Paul Fischer, one of the highlighted Directors of SRG SSR idée suisse (Sports awards, Switzerland).
The draw will be entirely produced in High Definition Television (HDTV) and available through satellite to the audience and to broadcasters in both Standard Definition television and High Definition television.
Specifically for this event, UEFA Media Technologies has also set up a delivery of highlights in broadcast quality format via the Internet, through its Digital Video Library platform.
"Some innovations that we are using here represent the first steps in a series of improvements and new options that are emerging as a result of the convergence of IT and broadcast technologies," said Alexandre Fourtoy, CEO of UEFA Media Technologies. "We wish to provide a cutting-edge service to our broadcast partners, using technology to serve content, for the ultimate benefit of football."
The UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying draw will decide the six groups of seven and one group of eight teams that make up the 50 countries participating in the UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying games. The final round of the tournament will be staged from 7 to 29 June 2008 in Austria and Switzerland. The UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying draw will be broadcast by more than 50 television channels in Europe, Asia and America.
Note to editors:
UEFA Media Technologies, SA is the service company created by UEFA to provide all content and technology solutions, to ensure the development of European football and to support UEFA's rights exploitation. UEFA Media Technologies provides television production, web, mobile and digital content solutions as well as information technology developments to UEFA. More information can be found at www.uefa.com/uefa/aboutuefa/index.html
SRG SSR idée suisse is the national broadcaster of Switzerland. It is the unique national provider of all electronic media in Switzerland (Television, Radio, Teletext, Internet, mobile devices). It consists of 7 TV channels and 16 Radio stations in all 4 national languages. The main TV-Studios are based in Zurich (SF Schweizer Fernsehen), Geneva (TSR Télévision Suisse Romande) and Lugano (TSI Televisione Svizzera). More information can be found at www.srgssrideesuisse.ch.
Contact:
UEFA Media Services
Tel. +41/22/99-44-55-9