WOMEN'S EHF EURO 2010 - STRONG WORLDWIDE BROADCAST FIGURES

966 hours of top handball coverage reflect a 10% increase on previous event and the highest ever audience figures in Scandinavia

Vienna, Austria / Zug, Switzerland - The European Handball Federation (EHF) and Infront Sports & Media, its media and marketing partner, have released the television figures* for the Women’s EHF EURO 2010, which took place in Norway and Denmark from 7-19 December 2010. More than 966 hours of broadcast coverage and a cumulative television audience of over 335 million underline Infront’s sustainable marketing approach and the popularity of women’s handball. This is particularly true in Scandinavia, where single matches of the home teams broke all-time TV records. The popularity of the event was also clearly demonstrated through 220,000 on-site spectators – the highest number in the entire history of the Women’s EHF European Handball Championships.

Broadcast coverage increases by 10%

In total, the Women’s EHF EURO 2010 was broadcast on 65 television and radio stations, reaching more than 80 countries worldwide. Most of the broadcasters provided live or near-live transmissions, depending on time zones and broadcaster schedules. The total broadcast coverage of 966 hours displays an increase of 10% in comparison to the figures of the Women's EHF EURO event in 2008, showing that broadcasters assign a rising importance to women’s handball in their overall sports programming. Media interest was also at an all-time high, with 500 media representatives further supporting the awareness of the championship.

Audience figures rise in successful nations

The success of specific teams in the EHF EURO 2010 competition including France, Denmark, Norway and Sweden had a marked effect on the audience figures in these four markets, with their combined cumulative audience increasing by almost 100%. In contrast the early departure of teams from traditional handball markets with a strong following, such as Germany, resulted in a decline in interest during the course of the competition in these countries.

Huge popularity in the host nations

Throughout the entire Women’s EHF EURO, impressive viewing figures were recorded in the Scandinavian countries. The first games of the host countries’ home teams, broadcast on TV2 Denmark and TV2 Norway, achieved impressive market shares of 39% and 49% respectively. In Norway, the match between the home team and France attracted the highest number of viewers ever for a handball opening game. In Denmark, almost two million viewers tuned in for their national team’s crucial games throughout the tournament. In Sweden, the final on TV4 had the biggest audience for a women’s handball match since 2004.

Trend towards intensified coverage

The longstanding relationship between Infront and the EHF has created a highly beneficial framework for the long-term development of the EHF EURO. The 2010 Men’s and Women’s EHF EURO’s together achieved a cumulative audience in excess of 1.35 billion - slightly down from the all time record in 2008. However, overall broadcast hours went up to 2,666 – an increase of 34% compared to the previous event.

EHF President, Tor Lian, said: “I am delighted that the EHF’s flagship national team event, the EHF EURO, continues to enthuse and entertain not only record number of spectators live in the arenas but also such large numbers on television across the world. The success of the men’s and women’s EURO events in 2010 underlines not only the strength and attractiveness of the EHF European Championship product on the international sport market but also the quality and professionalism of our partners, Infront, and the host federations Austria, Norway and Denmark.”

Stephan Herth, Infront's Executive Director Summer Sports, said: “The fact that the broadcast figures of the EHF EURO events remain high demonstrates that our marketing approach is sustainable. On top of this – the strong increase in overall broadcast hours reflects a clear trend towards the networks showing a greater interest in the coverage of top European handball. With the 2010 Women’s tournament, co-hosted by two countries for the first time ever, Infront and the EHF have jointly delivered an all-round success – be it in terms of the media, marketing, onsite spectators or the overall popularity of the tournament.”

Record spectator numbers

Over 220,000 fans followed the games in the event’s five venues - the largest number of spectators ever for a Women’s EHF EURO. The final weekend in Herning, Denmark was played out to capacity crowds of more than 12,500 people creating an unforgettable atmosphere both for fans and players alike. The final saw the Norwegian team defeat Sweden 25:20 and win the title for the fourth time in a row, Norway’s fifth gold medal in the history of the EURO competition.

The official website of the event (www.ehf-euro.com) attracted 650,000 unique visitors, more than double the number than was achieved at the Women’s EHF EURO 2008. This strong increase in interest resulted from various enhancements to the platform including live streaming of all 47 matches, which attracted more than 160,000 unique visitors and over 147,000 hours of access to the live and on-demand service, and a brand new feature – EHF EURO WebTV – with daily video reports and news from the championship. The Women’s EHF EURO 2010 had its own dedicated Facebook page, providing another channel for fans to follow the action from Norway and Denmark.

EHF and Infront – Partners for 18 years

Infront Sports & Media’s relationship with the EHF dates back to 1993, when the Swiss-based sports marketing group took over responsibility for both the television distribution and marketing of the European Handball Championships (EHF EURO) on a worldwide basis.

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^* Results are based on an independent programme analysis, including information provided by broadcast partners worldwide. Figures compiled by the German communication research agency Sport+Markt.