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“It was the purely Spanish 2011<br />
final pitting Barcelona against Ciudad<br />
Real that broke the ice. When 19,600<br />
spectators were standing up in the<br />
last minute of the final to celebrate<br />
both teams it was for all to see that<br />
this was a handball event, not a home<br />
event. Today, the VELUX EHF<br />
Champions League has reached<br />
a level where the question of<br />
which club will play in the FINAL4<br />
no longer matters”<br />
EHF Secretary General Michael Wiederer (2016)<br />
2006. Thanks to the standardised floor,<br />
TV viewers can now tell immediately that<br />
they are watching a Champions League<br />
match.<br />
Since 2002, all details relating to the organisation<br />
of European Cup competitions<br />
have been discussed in obligatory workshops<br />
attended by the stakeholders. “The<br />
aim of this workshop was to provide all<br />
teams with an update of information concerning<br />
the situation of TV rights as well as<br />
marketing activities“ (source: EHF Annual<br />
Report 2002). “Teams were provided<br />
with all necessary material concerning the<br />
2002-03 competition and the occasion<br />
gave the team representatives the opportunity<br />
to make the first organisational<br />
arrangements with each other.” Since<br />
2006, clubs and media partners have been<br />
supported at each venue and match by<br />
an EHF Marketing Supervisor, who has<br />
been helping with the implementation of<br />
manuals and rules.<br />
Other things also developed beautifully.<br />
Prior to the Men’s Champions<br />
League 2005-06 season, the EBU<br />
produced the first TV signal for the<br />
draw, which was held as a formal affair<br />
at the Museum of Catalan History<br />
in Barcelona. Since then, live streaming<br />
has been a media standard. When, on<br />
29 June 2007, the EHF hosted a Champions<br />
League gala entitled “Celebrate the<br />
Passion” at Vienna’s Uniqa Tower to mark<br />
its 15th anniversary, officers and 300<br />
honorary guests, among them the stars<br />
Bojana Popovic and Nikola Karabatic, were<br />
able to look back on the fantastic development<br />
that the tournament had taken.<br />
In the previous season, more than<br />
210 million TV viewers had watched the<br />
Champions League matches. Of the Men’s<br />
Champions League matches, 524 hours<br />
were televised; of the Women‘s Champions<br />
League matches, which were still<br />
played in four groups of four teams each<br />
149
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