Conference Programme

Conference Programme
Monday 14 October
11:30 – 11:45
Showroom (level 0)
LAUNCH PRESENTATION
“FIA Formula E Championship”
Formula E is a brand new FIA motor racing championship featuring single-seater cars powered exclusively by
electricity. Beginning in September 2014, it represents a vision for the future of the motor industry, serving as a
framework for research and development around the electric vehicle, accelerating general interest in these cars
and promoting sustainability.
Speaker
Alejandro Agag, CEO, FIA Formula E
Peter Hutton, COO, MP & Silva
14:30 – 15:15
Conference room (level -1)
FIFA PRESS EVENT
“FIFA World Cup TV & Multimedia - Getting Ready for the Greatest
Show on Earth”
FIFA Director of TV Niclas Ericson and its tournament host broadcasting services provider HBS will deliver all the
latest news on their preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, including an update on next generation
technologies such as 4K Ultra HD and an in-depth review of the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013.
The Confederations Cup smashed viewing records in several key television markets, in an indication of the
demand broadcasters can expect during the 2014 FIFA World Cup when 32 national teams travel in Brazil to
compete for the biggest prize in football.
FIFA has a proud track record of pioneering cutting-edge production techniques at its flagship tournaments,
setting the standard for the world of sport to follow in delivering the finest possible match coverage to fans
everywhere.
Speakers
Niclas Ericson, Director TV Division, FIFA
Francis Tellier, CEO, HBS
15:45 – 16:30
Conference room (level -1)
PANEL in partnership with The Associated Press
“Second Screen: The Big Game”
In 2012, the second screen earned its permanent place in the world of global media. Major events, such as UEFA
Euro 2012 and the London Olympic Games have used social networks to increase interaction with fans, offering
a wider and consumer friendly variety of content.
Due to this development our industry has become more competitive and today marketers, broadcasters,
federations and rights holders, news outlets, blue chip brands and technology providers simply “all” must evolve
to survive and prosper.
The event will bring together leading decision makers of the broadcast, sport and new media industries to
showcase methods of best practice and what we can expect in the near future.
Moderator
Lou Ferrara, Vice-President & Managing Director Editor, The Associated Press
Speakers
Aidan Cooney, CEO, Opta a PERFORM Group Company
Carlo De Marchis, Chief Product Officer & Group Director Product Management, Deltatre
Stephen Nuttall, Senior Director, YouTube Sports EMEA
Laurent Prud’Homme, Director of Rights Acquisitions & Sales, Eurosport International
17:00 – 17:45
Conference room (level -1)
PANEL in partnership with EUROVISION
“Ultra High Definition TV (UHDTV) /4K:
Are There More Questions Than Answers”
•
•
•
Are we on the verge of the next big thing in sports media?
What are the challenges of delivering UHDTV into viewers’ homes?
When will UHDTV be a viable choice for consumers?
These and many more questions are swirling around the subject of UHDTV. Our SPORTEL UHDTV Expert Panel, in
partnership with EBU/EUROVISION, will bring together some leading industry players to discuss the issues that
matter.
Moderator
Adi Kouadio, Senior Project Manager, EBU
Speakers
Mark Grinyer, Head of Business Development, Sony
Tom Morrod, Senior Director Consumer Electronics & Media Technology Research, IHS Global Ltd
Alessandro Reitano, Director Sports Production, Sky Deutschland
Thomas Wrede, Vice-President Reception Systems, SES
2
17:45 – 18:00
Lobby (level 0)
PRESS CONFERENCE AMP VISUAL TV
“WorldLinX Alliance : the New Solution for your Wireless
Challenge”
The press conference will announce the concept, the partners, the means, the goals and the benefits of a new
company : WorldLinX Alliance.
•
WorldLinX Alliance is a new alliance gathering the strengths of different European broadcast service
providers.
•
WorldLinX Alliance will optimize wireless resources, particularly aircrafts, helicopters, motorbikes, RF
links.
•
WorldLinX Alliance will invest in R&D to bring innovative solutions for cycling, sailing, marathon, crosscountry skiing and any other sports or challenge that can benefit from wireless coverage.
Speakers :
Gabriel Fehervari, President, WorldLinx Alliance
Jacques Hendrickx, CEO & CFO, WorldLinx Alliance
Gilles Sallé, CEO & Founder, AMP VISUAL TV
Followed by a cocktail
Tuesday 15 October
10:30 – 12:30
Conference room (level -1)
INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
“Next Generation Event Broadcasting”
This year's International Symposium will examine the evolving and dynamic relationship between major sporting
event broadcasters and the new technologies that are providing viewers with more value than ever before.
The event will be moderated by Kevin Roberts, Editorial Director of SportsBusiness Group, and play host to a
number of leading decision makers from the global sports media industry. The event will have three
concentrated sessions, which will be:
•
•
•
Session 1: Host broadcasters’ roles and expectations.
Session 2: Embracing technology and the effect of the new mediums on viewer / fan experience.
Session 3: Commercial impact on rights fees, adding value for commercial partners, new media
strategies for a new commercial universe.
Moderator
Kevin Roberts, Editorial Director, SportBusiness Group
Speakers
Jean-Thierry Augustin, CEO, Eurosport
Richard Brinkman, Head of KantarSport, Kantar Media
Vincent Chupin, Vice-President Television & Marketing Services, International Olympic Committee
Andrew Croker, Consultant, PERFOM Group
Yiannis Exarchos, CEO, Olympic Broadcasting Services
Stephen Nuttall, Senior Director, YouTube Sports EMEA
Ciaran Quinn, CEO Advisor Olympics & Partnerships, Deltatre
Andre Radrizzani, Group CEO, MP & Silva
Francis Tellier, CEO, HBS
David Wood, Executive Chairman, Input Media
3
15:00 – 16:00
Conference room (level -1)
SPORTEL & SVG EXPERT PANEL I
“Federation & Agency Perspectives on Rights
in the Digital Age”
Low-cost production, High-cost look with maximum impact.
The sports distribution landscape continues to be impacted by a marketplace that is seeing non-traditional
platforms like mobile devices and tablets become more popular to sports fans. But because advertising and
subscription revenues on those platforms are fairly small compared to those associated with traditional
broadcasts, there is more pressure than ever to lower the production cost without negatively impacting the
quality of the product. Federations and Agencies discuss how they can get the most out of production tools, the
future of low-cost productions, and whether low-cost tools will always be the solution even as future revenues
climb.
Moderator
Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director, Sports Video Group
Speakers
Johan Hedblom, Director Media Solutions, IEC in Sports
Dejah Meldem, Director Digital Media – Marketing & Content, Infront
Mitchell Mortaza, President Business Affairs, LFL
Alex Rice, Director of Business Development, PERFORM Group
17:00 – 18:00
Conference room (level -1)
SPORTEL & SVG EXPERT PANEL II
“Understanding the TV Anywhere Market”
What fans want and how you can give it to them!
The fans who engage with their favorite sports and athletes through tablets, laptops, and other mobile devices,
often look for more than just video highlights and live streams. Enhanced statistics, message boards, games, and
much more are also important.
Attend this session to learn more about the TV Anywhere sports fan, what they want, and how best to reach
them and, more importantly, stay one step ahead of them and your competition!
Moderator
Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director, Sports Video Group
Speakers
Salvatore Cuccu, Head of Digital Media, Infront
Luc Doneux, EVP Sports Division, EVS
Aaron Earls, Co-Founder & COO, Sports195
Sameer Pabari, Head of Production & Digital, MP & Silva
Patrick Walker, Chief Content Officer, Base79
Laurant Weill, Founder & Executive Chairman, Visiware
4
Wednesday 16 October
‘Football Day’ in partnership with Golden Foot
11:00 – 11:45
Conference room (level -1)
ROUND TABLE
“Monetizing Social Media”
In less than ten years social media has come from being a blip on the radar to being an essential part of the
global sports media landscape. Sports media rights holders, sports organisations, athletes and many more no
longer ask the question "Do we need social media?". Instead they now discuss how much time, effort and capital
to invest in the medium with the goal to maximise fan engagement and revenues. With so many opinions on the
subject, this year's SPORTEL Round Table is dedicated to finding out how social media can work for you.
If generating a tangible return from your organisation's social media platform is important to you and your
organisation, come and join the discussion.
Moderator
James Pearce, Sports Presenter, BBC
Speakers
Shergul Arshad, Head of Digital, A.S. Roma
Richard Ayers, Founder & CEO, Seven League
David Sternberg, Head of Media, Manchester United
14:30 – 15:00
Lobby (level 0)
GOLDEN FOOT PRESS CONFERENCE
Presentation of the Golden Foot event in presence of Football stars
Golden Foot TV will display the Golden Foot Award Ceremony, held every year in Monaco, Under the auspices of
Prince Albert II. The Golden Foot Award is given yearly to the player whose entire career has contributed to the
game of football. Nominees of the 2013 GOLDEN FOOT Awards are: David Beckham, Iker Casillas, Cristiano
Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, Andrés Iniesta, Miroslav Klose, Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo and David
Trezeguet.
Speakers
Osvaldo Ardiles
Antonio Caliendo
Paulo Roberto Falcão
Jean-Pierre Papin
Carlos Valderrama
5
Speakers & Moderators
as of 09/10/13
Alejandro AGAG
CEO
FIA Formula E
Born in Madrid in 1970, Alejandro Agag enjoyed an international upbringing in Madrid, Paris
and New York, gaining fluency in English, Spanish, French and Italian. After graduating from
university he moved into politics, quickly establishing himself and becoming the personal
assistant to the Spanish Prime Minister at 25.
In 1999 he won a seat in the European Parliament, becoming the youngest Spanish person to
ever do so at the age of 28. In 2001 he decided to leave the world of politics and move into
motorsport where together with his business partner Flavio Briatore, they purchased the F1 TV rights in Spain. A few
years later Agag purchased the Campos Racing GP2 Team, revamping it into the now highly successful Barwa Addax
Team. After investing in English football club QPR, Agag, together with business partner Enrique Bañuelos, began
Formula E Holdings, winning the tender to promote the new FIA Formula E Championship.
Osvaldo ARDILES
Shergul ARSHAD
Head of Digital
A.S. Roma
Shergul runs digital strategy and business development for A.S. Roma, a top Serie A football
club. As part of his role, Shergul oversees the website, social media platforms, mobile, apps
& digital games, eCommerce and digital advertising. Before taking on his role at A.S. Roma,
Shergul spent many years between large and small eCommerce and Social Media companies
such as eBay, Amazon, FairMarket, and most recently social shopping engine StyleFeeder
which he sold to Time Warner in 2010.
Shergul has a BA from Harvard University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. Shergul resides in Boston, MA,
USA.
Jean-Thierry Augustin
CEO
Eurosport Group
Jean-Thierry started his business career in 1991 with Airsys ATM, and became
Director of Export Asia-Pacific before leaving in 2000 to co-found Prizzo.com.
Jean-Thierry joined Eurosport in 2001 as Regional Distribution Director. He was appointed
Deputy Managing Director, Distribution in 2003, and in 2006 expanded the role to include
Development. In 2010, Jean-Thierry was promoted to Managing Director, Distribution, Rights Acquisition &
Development for the Eurosport Group, before obtaining the position of Chief Executive Officer in June 2013.
During his career at Eurosport Jean-Thierry has initiated the launch of the Eurosport 2 TV channel, and pioneered the
launch of Eurosport HD in May 2008, followed by Eurosport 2 HD in August 2009. He also led the introduction of 3D
channels for Roland Garros in 2011 and the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Jean-Thierry has also developed Eurosport’s online business through the launch of local websites across Northern and
Southern Europe. In 2009, he strengthened its digital presence by introducing the online simulcast service, Eurosport
Player, which is now available via connected TVs, tablets and smartphones.
A keen tennis player, Jean-Thierry speaks English, French, German and Russian.
6
Richard AYERS
Founder & CEO
Seven League
Richard is a digital pluralist - a hybrid of content, creative and commercial expertise who
founded leading digital media firm Seven League. In 2012 he was named Digital Individual of
the Year at industry awards and won Best Website at the Sports Industry Awards for
mcfc.co.uk.
Seven League is a group of media veterans that consult, innovate and deliver products. They
are expert in content, monetization, marketing, social, strategy, operations and innovation and their goal is to help companies accelerate digital performance. Current clients include the ECB, MLS, Arsenal,
Manchester City FC, FIFA, BT Sport, NFL, Bloomberg Sports, the RFU, Limelight Sports, Surrey CCC and Harlequins
RFC.
Originally a radio journalist who turned geek, Richard launched the BBC News and Sport website in 1997, then in the
.com boom he went commercial and ran pan-european ISP Tiscali's portal for 7 years. After going freelance in 2007 he
launched the Guardian's video service, helped shape Top Gear's digital operations and is proud to have helped Channel
4 with their online coverage of the Paralympics.
Richard BRINKMAN
Head of KantarSport
Kantar Media
Antonio CALIENDO
Vincent CHUPIN
Vice-President Television & Marketing Services
International Olympic Committee
Mr. Chupin is responsible for the sale of television and audiovisual rights for all Olympic
Properties, as well as managing partnerships with rights holding broadcasters, driving
broadcast coverage of the Olympic Games and looking for new audiovisual business
opportunities.
Prior to joining the IOC, Mr. Chupin spent 14 years at Eurosport, as Director of Programmes
Acquisitions, helped establish Eurosport as a leading sports broadcaster in Europe.
Mr. Chupin graduated with a Master of Science in Mass Communication from Boston University. He is French and
resides in Lausanne, Switzerland.
7
Aidan COONEY
CEO
Opta a PERFORM Group Company
Aidan Cooney is the founder of Opta and has been its CEO since 2002. He has overseen its
establishment as a leading sports data business in Europe with operations in the top five
sports markets in the continent. The business has grown to collect data in 17 different sports
servicing more than 200 customers worldwide, and in June 2013 was acquired by digital sports
media group PERFORM. Aidan was previously a founding employee and director of
Sports.com Ltd. In the three years leading up to the 2002 World Cup, Sports.com built an
audience of 6m unique users from a standing start.
Andrew CROKER
Consultant
PERFORM GROUP
Salvatore CUCCU
Head of Digital Media
Infront
Salvatore took on his responsibilities for the Group’s digital media activities out of the Milan
office in January this year. He has an extensive track record in sports and digital media, for
example as Head of Sales, Marketing and Communication of ACF Fiorentina. His main focus is
to profitably grow the Group’s footprint in digital media and establish this business in
geographical markets and industry areas within the Group. He also oversees the activities of
the Digital Media and Post Production unit in Italy.
Carlo DE MARCHIS
Chief Product Officer & Group Director Product Management
Deltatre
Carlo De Marchis began working for deltatre in 1988 and has participated in every step of its
impressive growth. An early adopter of the web, since 1994, he is now driving the company's
efforts around social media and multi-platform digital solutions introducing the Holistic User
Experience concept. He is responsible for Strategic Product and Technical guidance, and is
also active in Business Development and Strategic Clients sponsor. He considers himself as an
innovator, challenger, and visionary, someone who is curious, passionate, assertive, earlyadopter. He is also known for his fanatical user-perspective attention to the quality and usability of what deltatre
delivers to clients and end-users. He has experienced the highest level sport events worldwide under different point
of views and has lately been focusing on deltatre's Olympic efforts.
Luc DONEUX
EVP Sports Division
EVS
Luc joined EVS in 1996 and alongside Bernard Stas, launched and rolled out EVS in Asia
Pacific. Since 1999, Luc has been responsible for developing major contracts with host
broadcasters of worldwide major events such as the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, the Asian
Games and the Commonwealth Games.
8
Aaron EARLS
Co-Founder & COO
Sports195
Aaron is continuing his entrepreneurial career as the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer
of Sports195, the Global Social Network for Sports, which provides athletes and fans around
the world with a single destination for all sports content. The Sports195 platform aggregates
all sports content across all countries, by team, league, school, athlete and venues, at a
professional, college/university, high school and club level. Sports195 provides sports fans
one destination for all of their sports needs while empowering athletes with the ability to
connect, share and showcase their athletic participation.
Niclas ERICSON
Director TV Division
FIFA
FIFA’s Director of its TV Division, Niclas Ericson, has a rich background in sports marketing
and television.
Niclas joined FIFA in 2003 and has played a key role in bringing the TV Division to what it is
today. FIFA’s TV Division comprises the following departments, Sales & Distribution, FIFA
Films, Broadcaster Servicing and Host Broadcasting Production. A significant step was taken
when FIFA decided to bring the sales of its media rights in-house, a sound move confirmed by
the successful completion of sales for both the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups.
Prior to joining FIFA, Niclas was Chief Operating Officer and Board Member of Media Partners, a Media & Marketing
Agency based in London and Milan. The group’s main properties were FIS World Cup Skiing, Italian football, TV
channels and New Media. Niclas was also Business Development Manager at media group Nethold which operated
Telepiu in Italy and many other Pay TV services around the world.
Niclas was born in 1964 in Sweden and has a Masters from the Stockholm School of Economics. He is married with two
children.
Yiannis EXARCHOS
CEO
Olympic Broadcasting Services
Yiannis Exarchos is a broadcast executive with an extensive experience at several large
international organisations. His background in radio, television, music and film brings a
comprehensive perspective to the planning and management of major events. He was born in
Athens in 1964. After studying law and film directing, he produced and presented cultural and
art programmes on Greek TV and Radio and held several management and senior executive
positions in a number of Broadcast Organisations. He lectured in numerous conferences and
collaborated with several public and private organisations such as the European Broadcasting
Union (EBU), the consulting firm KPMG and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO).
Specialising in the management of global sport events, he has served as a top executive for all Olympic Host
Broadcasters since Athens 2004. He is currently the CEO of Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), the permanent Host
Broadcast organisation created by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
His in-depth media experience and leadership have earned him numerous recognitions, including various Emmy
Awards and the Great Wall Friendship Award, in acknowledgment of his contribution to Beijing’s progress and
development.
Based in Madrid, he is native in Greek and fluent in English, French and Spanish.
Paulo Roberto FALCÃO
9
Gabriel FEHERVARI
President
WorldLinX Alliance
Lou FERRARA
Vice-President & Managing Director Editor
The Associated Press
Lou Ferrara is a Vice President and Managing Editor of The Associated Press. He oversees a
newsroom portfolio that includes sports, entertainment and special events such as the
Olympics and the World Cup. His oversight also includes the Nerve Center, the newsroom hub
in AP’s headquarters in New York that coordinates with all of AP’s 10 regional operations
around the planet and the company’s top customers, including Microsoft, Yahoo, The New
York Times, the BBC and others. The Nerve Center is home to the daily production of AP’s
mobile apps, new storytelling, social media, standards and interactive content.
Since joining the AP 2005 as the online editor, Lou has helped lead the AP newsroom in shifting to be a more nimble,
digital operation. That has included recalibrating AP’s coverage and products to be more vital to the digital
marketplace while helping to train staff worldwide to adapt to the changes.
Mark GRINYER
Head of Business Development
Sony
Mark Grinyer is Head of Business Development for 3D, 4k and Sports Production at Sony
Europe, which involves developing live production workflows and solutions in conjunction
with Europe's leading sports broadcasters and event organisers.
At present, he is the Programme Manager for Sony's Production projects associated with the
FIFA World Cup in 2014, which covers the provision of all 2D Venue Production Facilities,
planning for 3D, 4K and other corporate related projects. Prior to this, he was also
responsible for the delivery of the inaugural 3D FIFA World Cup in 2010 in South Africa for Sony.
He has also worked in a production capacity, most recently as Head of Production for Sony, working directly with the
All England Lawn Tennis Club, to secure the Live 3D Production of Wimbledon for three consecutive tournaments to
2013.
Johan HEDBLOM
Director Media Solutions
IEC in Sports
Johan joined IEC in Sports as Post Production Manager in 2005 after spending 14 years at abc
Newsfeed Scandinavia. He started his career in 1992 as an on-line editor of commercial,
music videos as well as news and sports TV packages, and progressed to conceptualize, pitch,
create and produce commercial videos for the major clients as Ericsson, Electrolux, and Sony
Ericsson. Johan also produced and directed features for clients such as CNN, BBC, Reuters
and other international broadcasters. Today Johan is the Director of Media Solutions of IEC in
Sports, where he manages the operations of IEC’s new Digital Media Centre as part of the
Lagardére Unlimited Group.
Jacques HENDRICKS
CEO & CFO
WorldLinX Alliance
10
Peter HUTTON
COO
MP & Silva
Peter Hutton joined MP Silva this Summer after 30 years in the broadcasting industry.
Originally a teenage radio sports commentator from Leeds, England, he was part of the start
up team at British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB), which became Sky Sports. He was the first
producer of IMG Show “Futbol Mundial” the worlds most distributed football show, was based
in India for 8 years running IMG-TWI’s operations there from 1994, part of the launch team of
Asian sports channel Ten Sports and was COO when it was sold to Zee TV in 2002. From 2010
he was the senior vice president (sports) for Fox International Channels and was the final
managing director of ESPN-Star Sports in Asia before the business was decentralised into regional operations.
Ken KERSCHBAUMER
Editorial Director
Sports Video Group
Ken Kerschbaumer is co-executive director, editorial services, of the Sports Video Group and
SVG Europe. He has been writing about how sports networks and leagues use video and audio
technology to deliver a quality TV experience since 1991 when began his career at Television
Broadcast magazine and TVB Europe. In 1998 he was named editor of Digital Television
magazine before joining Broadcasting & Cable in 2000 as senior editor, technology. He left
Broadcasting & Cable in 2005 to begin SVG. Today the organisation has a global presence as it
supports advances in sports content creation and distribution.
Adi KOUADIO
Senior Project Manager
EBU
Mr Adi Kouadio obtained his M.Sc. in communication systems at the Swiss Federal institute of
Technology in Lausanne – EPFL - (Switzerland). He entered the EBU Technology and
Innovation department in 2007 where he is responsible for video and display technologies
studies and proof of concepts for broadcast applications.
In addition, he acts as a technical advisor to the Eurovision Network where he was
significantly involved in the network technology migration from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4
H.264/AVC. He is also involved in establishing operational practices/trials for new services
such as 3DTV and UHDTV for major events.
He has coordinated several EBU project groups (Cameras, Displays, MXF, 3G-SDI, contribution over IP …). He is now
leading core investigations on UHDTV including HEVC and High Frame Rate within the EBU and the Broadcast
Technology Future’s group.
He represents EBU’s interests within JPEG, MPEG and DVB working groups on video and is a SMPTE Member.
Dejah MELDEM
Director Digital Media – Marketing & Content
Infront
Dejah is a well-recognized expert in the field of digital media content for sponsors and
media. She has just joined Infront from UEFA, where she was responsible for implementing
successful digital media programs for UEFA’s partners. She is based in Zug and reports to
Salvatore. Her key role is to support all activities in growing the Infront digital media
business while contributing her experience in the development of effective new digital media
and marketing programs as well as the assessment of new digital opportunities across the
Group.
Tom MORROD
Senior Director Consumer Electronics & Media Technology Research
IHS Global Ltd
Tom is responsible for all research across TV sets and consumer electronics, set-top boxes,
pay TV networks, professional video technology, video distribution, technical service delivery
employed by service providers and video consumer electronics. He regularly provides
presentations and insights to major international organisations and blue-chip companies.
11
Tom has presented at numerous international conferences over the years, contributed articles to many newspapers
and trade magazines, and worked as a consultant and advisor to many of the largest technology, consumer
electronics, content creation and distribution companies in the world, as well as to the investor and legal community
involved in these industries.
Specific topics of research include studio and capture equipment, professional storage, transmission and distribution,
managed service for professional video, broadcaster and pay TV operator delivery, multiscreen and multi-platform
distribution, set-top boxes and professional CPE, television sets and retail hardware, as well as specific work on IP and
licensing.
Mitchell MORTAZA
President Business Affairs
LFL
Mortaza studied Communications and Sports Business Administration at George Mason University
in Fairfax, Virginia. Following college Mortaza became a successful technology sales executive
at PSINET, a leading internet service provider during the internet bubble of the late 1990s.
Despite Mortaza's success in the technology space he found himself continuously drawn back to
sports.
Mortaza launched Lingerie Bowl played at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday
February 4th, 2004. It became one of the most-watched television specials in history which also included the first
seven-figure blue-chip sponsor for a Pay-Per-View broadcast when Mortaza negotiated and secured the title sponsor
rights with Daimler Chrysler's Dodge brand.
In 2006, Mortaza started to form a league with a staggering ten franchise teams playing at major arenas and stadiums.
In 2009, Mortaza's league drew sell-out crowds, 2nd in Primetime television ratings, record internet traffic and growth
into more expansion markets.
Through the past three years Mortaza has not only developed a successful and profitable league but has made
women's sports relevant to mainstream broadcasters, advertisers and fans.
He also negotiated numerous partnerships for the LFL with national television, MTV Networks and numerous
international broadcasters now seen in over 43 countries.
The next phase includes international growth of LFL which has led to the formation and launch of a league in Canada
(LFL Canada), in Australia in 2013 (LFL Australia) and in Europe in 2014 (LFL Europa).
Stephen NUTTALL
Senior Director
YouTube Sports EMEA
Steve is responsible for Google/YouTube’s sports partnerships with rights holders based in
EMEA. This includes the IOC, FIFA, UEFA, over 150 European clubs, Formula One team, and
YouTube channels such as STR SkillSchool, Freekickerz, Copa90, PolePosition and the Global
Cycling Network.
He was formerly Group Commercial Director of BSkyB, where he sold Sky’s channels to other
platforms, managed Sky’s portfolio of joint ventures (including being on the board of
Freeview, Sky Pro-Cycling, the National Geographic Channel and AETN UK), and was responsible for developing Sky’s
internet services that are now known as Sky Go.
Prior to this, he was a founder of Sportal.com, commercial director of ENIC Sports, and Business Development Director
of Telepiu, now known as Sky Italia. He is a member of BAFTA, the Royal Television Society, the MCC and the Queen's
Club.
Sameer PABARI
Head of Production & Digital
MP & Silva
Pabari is responsible for MP & Silva’s digital business and over the past year has launched a
number of new digital initiatives including live streaming services to bookmakers, YouTube
sports channels and content syndication services to 3rd party publishers and platforms. Prior
to MP& Silva, Sameer was the Director of Media at Manchester United where he was
responsible for the club’s global media operations.
12
Jean-Pierre PAPIN
James PEARCE
Sports Presenter
BBC
James Pearce is one of the UK's most experienced sports news broadcasters. He was the BBC's
Olympics Correspondent from 2003 until 2012, leading the BBC's News coverage of London
2012 all the way from the start of the bid.
He was first appointed as a BBC Sports Correspondent in the mid 1990's, and since then has
reported on television and radio from most of the world's biggest sports events. He's covered
4 Summer Olympics, 3 Winter Olympics and 3 Football World Cups. During that time, as well
as sitting down with all the biggest names in sport, he's interviewed all four of the UK's most recent Prime Ministers.
In 2013, James began a new role as a Sports Presenter for BBC News. He's also set up a media training company, and
has recently been appointed to lead all the media training for the Football Association.
Laurent PRUD’HOMME
Director of Rights Acquisitions & Sales
Eurosport International
Laurent Prud'Homme has worked in the sports broadcasting industry for over 14 years.
As Director of Acquisitions for Eurosport International Laurent's role at Eurosport focuses on
acquiring sports rights to give the Pan-European broadcaster the compelling and
commercially relevant content required to compete in a highly competitive media and
entertainment industry.
It also involves securing TV and Digital rights for Eurosport, Eurosport 2, Eurosport Asia &
Pacific and Eurosport France. Alongside this role, Laurent has responsibility for sports rights acquisitions for
Eurosport’s parent company, French broadcast group TF1.
His knowledge of the French sports broadcast market was developed initially when he joined Canal + in 1998 and
worked for two years as Management Controller for the Sports and News Departments and on the financial
negotiation of sports rights acquisition and broadcast production. From there Laurent joined Eurosport France in
January 2001 as Head of the Programming and Acquisitions Department.
A Graduate of the Business School of Lyon ("E.M Lyon") Laurent has a Business Management Degree with majors in
Finance and Law.
Ciaran QUINN
CEO Advisor Olympics & Partnerships
Deltatre
Ciaran Quinn has extensive international experience in digital media dating to the first days of
the consumer Internet and digital interactive TV. He has worked on ground breaking online
broadcast and sporting projects that have changed and improved the ways people access
content.
In 1997 he co-founded VEO, Ltd. and led the sale In March 2000 to a public UK firm. From
2002-2008 was at Entriq (now Irdeto) where he was GM Europe and then SVP Strategic Business
Development. At Deltatre since 2008 he leads their efforts in the Olympic Games, the
Americas and Deltatre’s innovative DIVA product. He is a member of the Deltatre management team.
He holds an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute. He has been on boards of public and private firms.
13
Andrea RADRIZZANI
Group CEO
MP & Silva
Alessandro REITANO
Director Sports Production
Sky Deutschland
Alessandro Reitano joined Sky Deutschland in 2008 as responsible for the Production Sport
department. Since his entering he has constantly enhanced the production workflows at Sky
Deutschland and was significantly involved in major events like WC 2010 and Champions
League Hostbroadcasting Final 2012 in Munich. He has driven several innovation standards,
like 3D in 2010 and the first 4K test shooting in Germany in 2012.
Alex RICE
Director of Business Development
PERFORM Group
Alex started his career at Video Networks Limited as the company pioneered VOD content of
the Premier League for the Home Choice brand. In 2002 he joined deltatre and worked on the
setup of the digital video library for UEFA and managed their BBC Sport account.
Alex joined PERFORM in 2007 as Project Manager for Premier League where he oversaw the
launch of the Premier League production for international broadband and mobile partners. He
was promoted
to Head of Production in 2009. During his tenure the department established a number of new
production opportunities with federations, broadcasters and leagues including the FA, ITV Sport, BBC Sport,
Premiership Rugby, the RFU, FIBA, WTA, Professional Squash, International Paralympic Committee and Al Jazeera.
Alex has worked across a number of PERFORM’s key relationships over the past 6 years and is currently Director of
Group Business Development.
Kevin ROBERTS
Editorial Director
SportBusiness Group
Kevin Roberts was the launch editor of Sport Business International in 1996. Since then he has
overseen the development of the monthly magazine and Sportbusiness.com, the world’s
leading on-line source of information about the business of sport.
Roberts was previously a director of Plus Public Relations Ltd and cut his teeth in the business
of sport in the early 1990s. As deputy director for communications at CPMA group, he was
responsible for the company’s communications at the 1991 Rugby World Cup, and the World
Student Games among other projects.
He has chaired and spoken at numerous international conferences and is a frequent media spokesman on sport
business issues.
Today he combines his work with SportBusiness Group with a wide-ranging communications consultancy in sport.
Gilles SALLÉ
CEO & Founder
AMP VISUAL TV
14
David STERNBERG
Head of Media
Manchester United
• 15 years’ C-suite experience managing international sports television networks and digital
platforms at Fox and NBC Universal
• Launched new programming services in the USA, Canada, Latin America, Eastern Europe and
the Middle East
• Directed multi-territory advertising sales teams with eight-figure annual budgets
• Negotiated content distribution partnerships with cable and satellite systems, web portals,
social media sites and mobile operators.
• Led network production, operations and marketing teams of up to 150 located across multiple regions
Francis TELLIER
CEO
HBS
• Founder / CEO of Host Broadcast Services, (HBS**) in 1999
Multi-Media Host Broadcaster of the 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 & 2018 FIFA World Cups™
• Founder / CEO of HBS France Production, for French “Ligue de Football Professionnel”
services.
• Founder / CEO of “International Games Broadcast Services” for the 2006 Doha Asian Games;
32nd America’s Cup; 2010 Asian Games Guangzhou; 2011 Winter Games Astana-Almaty.
• Founder / CEO of the “HBS Broadcast Academy”.
Carlos VALDERRAMA
Patrick WALKER
Chief Content Officer
Base79
Patrick Walker is Chief Content Officer of Base79, one of Europe’s fastest growing digital
media companies and YouTube’s largest partner outside of North America.
Prior to joining Base79, Patrick was senior director of content partnerships for Europe, the
Middle East and Africa where he lead the partnership team to secure deals with European
media companies including the BBC, RAI Lagardère Active, ZDF and more. Patrick led
YouTube’s first-ever commercial agreements for full length catch-up programming including
landmark deals with Channel 4 and Five.
Before joining Google, Patrick was General Manager of International Video Services for RealNetworks, where he was
instrumental in launching Real's first premium audio and video services in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Patrick has
over 19 years of experience in the television, radio and online media industry. He started his career as a TV producer
for Japan's public broadcaster, NHK, and later joined BBC News as a Senior Broadcast Journalist in Japan and South
East Asia.
Patrick received his Master's degree in International Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard and a
Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Southern California. He has also studied at Keio University in
Tokyo and the University of Paris.
15
Laurant WEILL
Founder & Executive Chairman
Visiware
Laurant Weill is an entrepreneur and a pioneer of the microcomputer and videogame industry
in France. In 1983 he co-founded the first French videogame company, Loriciel, which quickly
became one of the leading publishers of video games for personal computers in France. He
participated in the creation of many companies such as Microids, Evolution, Broderbund
France.
In 1994, Laurant Weill founded Visiware which has now become a world leader in interactive
television. Visiware launched its 2nd screen solution in 2010, to create massive interactivity for
viewers on Endemol's Money Drop gameshow and Sony’s Who Wants To Be a Millionaire. In 3 years, Visiware’s
PlayAlong has become the most deployed 2nd screen solution in the world with more than 1.200 TV shows and sport
games enriched in 20 countries: Antena3, Astro, Disney Channel, ESPN, France Televisions (Tour de France), FOX,
FujiTV, ITV, NBC, NFL, SBT, TF1, ZDF.
David WOOD
Executive Chairman
Input Media
David Wood is the Executive Chairman and owner of Input Media. Now celebrating its 25th
anniversary, he has built the company on a foundation of strong production values and
technical expertise.
David has been a television professional for 35 years having joined the ITV Network as a
broadcast engineer straight from university. At ITV he progressed through technical operations to become a sports
director. He directed some ITV Sport’s biggest shows including four FIFA World Cups, three UEFA European
Championships and four IRB Rugby World Cups.
David has developed Input Media into a respected and successful multi-million pound business by securing major
contracts with UEFA, The FA, and Chelsea and Arsenal Premier League clubs. Input Media also produces international
programming for the FFT at Roland Garros, the ITF and the WTA.
He has championed the development of server based production and digital asset management both at Input Media’s
London production centre and at major international events. Input Media has become a trusted producer for the BBC,
ITV and ESPN. For the London Olympics, Input Media delivered seven hours a day live into sub-Saharan Africa for
rights holder Octagon of South Africa.
Thomas WREDE
Vice-President Reception Systems
SES
Thomas Wrede is the Vice President, Reception Systems at the satellite operator SES in
Betzdorf/Luxembourg, where he and his team are responsible for developing and
implementing satellite reception products and solutions.
Thomas Wrede joined SES in 1992 as a Senior Systems Engineer. He has been deeply involved
in the development of digital satellite television, in-home signal distribution concepts, digital
satellite radio, satellite return channel technology, Internet via satellite and High Definition
Television.
Most recently Thomas is focusing on the technical and commercial aspects of satellite signal distribution and the
introduction of Ultra HD television services via satellite.
Thomas represents SES in the DVB Commercial Module and also chairs a Technology- and Innovation Forum at the
German Association of Commercial Broadcasters and Audiovisual Services.
On behalf of the German Association of the Electrotechnical and Electronics Industry, Thomas currently serves as a
member of the Executive Board of DIGITALEUROPE, a Brussels based organization representing Europe’s digital
technology industry.
16