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SPORTEL 2010Technology means that everyday we canhave a dream and make it come true.like football our commentators are able to interactwith fans and that colours their commentary.“Our multi-platform offer is designed to allowthe consumer to be in control. They can chooseand customise content and access it on the bestpossible screen. It means you should be able toget Eurosport everywhere.“We are now at the beginning of whattechnology can offer. The iPhone and iPad arehaving an impact and I am sure that next yearsomething else new will happen.“But we believe that TV is the best way ofwatching sport. TV delivers a fantastic quality andwhen we produce events we try to make thingsmore intense and create a whole new experiencefor the viewer.“Of course HD brings a new element to this,and 3D is an entirely new experience. It is hugeand spectacular. Three-dimensional TV needs tofind a new mix. The effects of 3D are intense andyou can’t use them all the time. We started offby producing a few effects to demonstrate whatcould be achieved but now we are working on theways we use 3D across an entire event.“Look out for 3D in motorsport for example.That is one area where we have seen 3D reallyreinforce the experience. I am sure that 3D will bea great [commercial] success in the future. Rightnow we are just at the beginning.”The speed of the 3D revolution is indicated bythe partnership between Eurosport and Panasonicwhich this year saw the two deliver 3D coverageof the French Open from Roland Garros to 6,000Panasonic stores in 58 countries. In 2011 the aimis to have 3D coverage of the tournament in thehomes of consumers.Le Lay believes ultimate connectivity betweenplatforms will come soon, and the TV will be thenucleus. “We are working on products whichbring live pictures and on-screen data together.The aim is to have everything on one screen,”he says.“We don’t want to make the viewers act as theeditor. They don’t want to do it and we need tounderstand and respect that.“It is in the home that the potential forconvergence is the greatest - it is where the threescreens meet. This offers potential for greaterconsumer engagement.“We need to offer advertisers ways to reachincreasingly fragmented audiences and reachtheir targets wherever they are. Three-screenTV or convergence is both a challenge and anopportunity for advertisers and we will work withthem to help better understand the opportunitiesand to adapt their content and strategic placementaccordingly.”Ultimately, Le Lay says he is gripped by theexcitement that comes from being at the leadingedge of change in the sports broadcastingindustry.“This is,” he says, “a great job.”“It is about sport - which I love - and thedifferent ways in which people in differentcountries enjoy and relate to it. And working withtechnology means that everyday we can have adream and make it come true.”Aside from having its finger firmly placed onthe technological pulse, it is also important tonote that Eurosport is an unusual broadcasterin that it has diversified its business to becomeinvolved in sport further upstream: as an eventmanager and promoter.It’s a part of the business which has beenclosely associated with the FIA’s World TouringCar Championship, the International RallyChampionship and other motorsports events.Eurosport and Eurosport Events are alsointrinsically involved in the Fédération EquestreInternationale (FEI) Champions Tour.“We want to get involved with events where wecan add something,” Le Lay explains. “In the caseof equestrianism, almost everything on TV wasdelayed or in magazine format. Our challengewas to broadcast it in a way that would bring it toa new audience.“I think we have done that with our livecoverage and the way we use our expertise andeditorial resources to follow the horses andriders. We try to combine out talents with thoseof the federation and organisers to build a greatpartnership. Not all sports are as big as footballand we like to work with those which we canopen a window for.“We go into 120 million homes across Europeand our aim is to add value by the way we presentsports to that audience. It is really about creatinglong-term partnerships with sports - for maybe10 years or so. It is my job to try to help sports, toreinforce the goodwill towards them. Sport needsus and we need them.”So what is the challenge for sport and forEurosport in the years ahead?“Sports have to be ready to let their rulesevolve and we can help them to take advantageof the available technology that can help theirsport develop and deliver something new,” LeLay asserts.“They need to pay attention to attracting youngpeople - that’s something they just have to accept.As sports mature it is important they don’t stoptrying to do something new; they need to lookfor fresh ways of presenting themselves and newangles for the narrative.“That’s what will keep the fans watching andensure that the audience keeps building. It’s amatter of keeping events alive in the minds of theaudience.”In many respects Laurent-Eric Le Lay andEurosport have a unique role in sport. Hischannel is growing its audience and continuesto provide a unique service not only to viewersbut to sports which might not otherwise enjoythe oxygen of TV exposure and its attendantpossibilities for sponsorship.The brand is defined, in part at least, byits willingness to investigate and embracetechnologies and Eurosport is now recognisedway beyond Europe’s boundaries. It is also wellpositioned for further geographic growth, withoperations in Africa and Latin America to belaunched in the not-so-distant future.The liberalisation of France’s gaming lawstoo has paved the way for the take-off of anotherrevenue stream in the guise of the EurosportBet service, and Eurosport’s partnership withPanasonic has helped grow the market for HD TVand looks set to do the same for 3D TV.Eurosport continues to evolve and Le Lay isanxious to be part of the evolution of which sportsthe channel covers.“In 10 years football will probably still be thedominant sport in the world but if you look 50years ahead I think we will see that some newsports events will have the room to not just toexist, but become popular,” he adds. “And that’ssomething we want to be part of.”46 SportBusiness International • No.161 • 10.10