Wednesday 7th of May 2008
Press Center - Secretariat General of Communication – Secretariat General of Information

The Hellenic Audiovisual Institute (IOM) is organizing a conference on “Media and Sports: new rules of the game” on the 7th of May 2008. The initiative aim of the conference is to address the new digital environment evolved around sports media as well as trigger debate and raise public awareness on the topic of sports media rights.

The radical developments of the audiovisual sector noted in Europe as well as worldwide during the last decades, have produced a new, ‘symbiotic’ relationship between professional sports and the sports media sector. As already widely known, sports media rights are considered to be a decisive source of content for many media operators whereas television rights nowadays act as the primary source of income for professional sports federations in Europe.

This confluence between sport and traditional media such as broadcasting has now been challenged by the emergence of new digital media and interactive television services, which see sports content being a driving force behind their success. New technology, new media platforms, new rights values and changing consumers are just some of the characteristics of the changing environment, a complicated environment, full of competing challenges and opportunities.

On the occasion of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and Euro 2008, the Hellenic Audiovisual Institute (IOM) aims to unfold the new legal and technological challenges and threats surrounding sports and digital media in the EU and particularly encourage debate on issues concerning the regulatory aspects of sports media rights. Within this context, IOM intends to bring together a variety of researchers, scientists, and practitioners from Europe to share knowledge, and expertise in the area of sports media.

The conference consists of three sections. The first section intends to analyze the crucial topic of sports media rights acquisition in Europe and Greece as well as citizens right to information and wide access to sports events. In the second section, the new digital media sports landscape, watching sports via new media platforms such as mobile and the internet as well as the application of high definition technology in sports is examined in detail. Finally, the third section of this conference, aims to indicate how sports media can be applied in the biggest sporting event: the Olympic Games.

Official speakers of the conference invited from abroad are: Patrick Hamon (DG Competition, European Commission), Dr Raymond Boyle (University of Glasgow), Dr Ioannis Papadopoulos (Université Paris 1), Sissela Andren (SVT – Swedish Public Broadcaster), Richard Broughton (Screen Digest), Alex Balfour (London 2012), Yan Pecoraro (Portolano Colella Cavallo Studio Legale) and Liang Yequian (news correspondent from China). Moreover, speakers from Greece are: Professor Dr Roy Panagiotopoulou (University of Athens), Christos Panagopoulos (ΕRΤ S.A, Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation), Konstantinos Kibouropoulos (Association of Private Television Channels of Greece), and Haris Tsigou (Greek National Council for Radio and Television, NCRTV).

The conference will take place at the Press Center of the Secretariat General of Communication-Secretariat General of Information, (11 Fragoudi & Al. Pantou Street, Kallithea) and is open to the general public.

Contact Information: Mrs G. Drakou, 210 90 98 690-1.

Sponsors: ΕRΤ and ΝΕΤ 105,8.

Athens, May 2, 2008