New initiatives designed to increase content and expand reach
Zug, Switzerland – At the Women's EHF EURO 2018 in France from 29 November – 16 December, Infront - as the exclusive media and marketing partner of the EHF EURO events – will work with the European Handball Federation (EHF) to raise the bar in terms of digital services delivered. The 2018 edition includes a number of digital activations designed to increase reach and awareness of the tournament, bringing handball fans closer to the action.
Enhanced digital strategy bringing the game to fans
This year's competition will welcome 16 teams competing across 17 days of action and supporters not lucky enough to be able to attend games across the five host cities of Brest, Montbéliard, Nancy, Nantes and Paris can still experience the action online.
For the first time the EHF will be able to instantly generate and distribute professionally edited videos on a large scale using artificial intelligence with the introduction of start-up WSC Sports. This content, along with short-form and behind-the-scenes videos, will also be shared with the new EHF influencer network, expanding the reach beyond EHF's owned channels.
It is not the first time Infront has worked alongside WSC, with this year's IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship just one example of the two organisations’ collaboration. On that occasion, over 5,000 videos were created across the whole tournament reaching a total of over 80m viewers.
The impact of the content produced during the Women's EHF EURO 2018 will be measured by Athletia. They will analyse cross-platform reach, sponsor visibility and media value for both images and video, providing effective rights management across social platforms.
Fans will be able to keep up with the action on the move via the official website (ehf-euro.com) and also with the new Women's EHF EURO 2018 app. It includes all key information about the tournament, access to live scores, match action and multiple fan engagement tools.
The result of these initiatives means Infront and the EHF have together built an enhanced digital strategy to increase reach and awareness for the tournament.
Julien Ternisien, Infront Senior Vice President Summer Sports said: "Our commitment to handball and the EHF was made clear with the extension of our agreement earlier this year to 2030, and we were keen to begin working alongside the federation on taking the sport to the next level as soon as possible. This is the first opportunity for us to really show how we want to positively impact the sport and bring the tournament to the fans through both traditional and digital mediums. I'm delighted that we are able to work with the EHF on these exciting initiatives."
Martin Hausleitner, Secretary General of the European Handball Federation, said: The Women’s EHF EURO 2018 marks further significant progress in the digital capabilities of the EHF. The introduction of artificial intelligence technology is a first in handball and will enable us to reach and engage many more fans through personalised video content. The launch of the new app also provides us with an attractive platform through which to present our top national team competition and enable us to further raise the profile of women’s handball.”
Infront continue host broadcasting responsibilities
Broadcast agreements have been secured with over 65 broadcasters with TV distribution into over 135 countries guaranteed. Key markets include: Norway, Sweden and Finland through Nentgroup, France through beIN Sports, Germany through sportdeutschland and Eurosport, Austria through ORF and Denmark through TV2 and TV3. TF1 will also show the final weekend's matches regardless of French participation on free-to-air. For a full list of broadcasters visit the EHF website.
The EHF’s own OTT platform ehfTV.com will also show every match live and on-demand with full English commentary.
Broadening opportunities for sponsors
The increase in reach through traditional and digital media will bring even more exposure to the EHF Women's EURO 2018's partners.
For the first time at a Women's EHF EURO, LED boards will be available behind each goal, offering a new and dynamic opportunity for sponsors to reach handball fans around the world.
The Official Sponsor line-up includes: engelbert strauss (functional work-wear manufacturer), Gjensidige (insurance group), Grundfos (leading pump manufacturer), Intersport (sporting goods retailer), REMA1000 (supermarket chain) and Unibet (online gambling operator).
About Infront
Infront is a leading sports marketing company managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events, including the distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production, event operation and digital solutions. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 1,000 staff working from 39 offices across more than 14 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year. In 2015, Infront was integrated into Wanda Sports Group, part of Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group.
