Sporting events content provider IMG has secured inflight rights of this summer’s UEFA EURO 2016™.
This means airlines with agreements with IMG and partner Panasonic can offer passengers live and recorded coverage inflight of the European football event.
IMG has struck a deal with UEFA allowing it to distribute live coverage of the event to the airline industry. Daily and weekly highlights programmes will be produced especially for the market as well as a review of the tournament.
Live coverage of UEFA will be shown on Sport 24 and Sport 24 Extra, two channels owned by IMG and operated exclusively for inflight. A total 51 matches will be shown live across both channels, starting with the opening game between host nation France and Romania on Friday 10th June. Sport 24 is a 24/7 service, available on 11 airlines.
IMG Media senior vice president Richard Wise says, ‘Showing live coverage of UEFA EURO 2016™ in the air … is further evidence of our commitment to football fans, who can now plan their travel safe in the knowledge that they can watch events as they happen in France this summer…our inflight football offering has never been stronger.’
UEFA Events SA managing director marketing Guy-Laurent Epstein says, ‘UEFA and IMG have a long-term partnership going back to include UEFA EURO 2008 and UEFA EURO 2012 and currently including the European Qualifiers as well as UEFA’s club competitions. What started out as a delayed and highlights only portfolio has now transformed to live coverage through IMG’s own channels Sport 24 and Sport 24 Extra, complemented by an extensive programming and highlights offering to the airline and cruise liner industries. In our view, IMG is the ideal partner to bring UEFA EURO 2016 to the travelling fan and we are very happy to have them onboard.’
IMG is the largest content provider of sports to airlines, providing over 600 hours a year to over 50 international airlines. The company will launch a second channel, Sport 24 Extra on June 1st. This aims to take advantage of live events during busy periods in the sporting calendar.
Roll out of Sport 24 Extra will begin on Emirates and Turkish Airlines, with other carriers to follow. It will be broadcast over Panasonic’s eXTV television network using eXConnect in-flight Ku-band service. This provides live, uninterrupted content to aircraft flying all over the world, including over oceans.