The Helsinki 2012 European Athletics Championships are set to be the first-ever sports event at which the European Broadcasting Union, the umbrella body of the national broadcasters from Europe, will be directly involved as host broadcaster.
In partnership with Finnish national broadcasters YLE, Eurovision Production Co-ordination SA, a subsidiary of the EBU, will produce the first European Athletics Championships to follow the new two-year cycle entirely in High Definition.
Addressing the major national broadcasters from across the continent at the Helsinki 2012 World Broadcaster Meeting in the Finnish capital this week, European Athletics Director General Christian Milz said, “With Helsinki 2012, we will turn the page on a new chapter in the history of European Athletics. I am confident that with the support of EBU and its member national broadcasters we will improve the production quality and viewership of the European Athletics Championships.
“The switch to the two-year cycle for the championships is certain to increase its visibility, take advantage of the intense interest in athletics during the Olympic years and add momentum to the sport ahead of the Games.”
EBU has been a long-standing partner of European Athletics and has supported the sport on the continent since 1981.
Franck Choquard, Managing Director of Eurovision Production Co-ordination SA and Chief Executive of the host broadcast team of Helsinki 2012, said, 'In collaboration with YLE, we are committed to excellence in sports production and we will leave no stone unturned in ensuring the best possible production quality for the European Athletics Championships next year.
“The Barcelona 2010 European Athletics Championships set a high benchmark and we are committed to take it to another level. We are going to bring an unprecedented video quality into the homes of athletics fans next year.'
A total television audience of 368 million watched the Barcelona 2010 European Athletics Championships last summer. Seventy-six sports broadcasters produced 1,583 hours of coverage for this summer’s European Athletics Championships. There were 1,425 broadcasting hours for the previous edition in Gothenburg in 2006.
The European Athletics Championships will take place at the historic Olympic stadium in the Finnish capital between 27 June and 1 July in 2012.