With the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ between hosts South Africa and Mexico just 135 days away, the final preparations for the event are in overdrive. Whilst the ten competition stadiums are nearing final completion, early January witnessed the handover of the International Broadcast Centre (IBC) premises by the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) to the LOC and HBS, marking a significant juncture in the lifespan of the IBC. With the clearance of the venue now complete, work on the set-up and installation of temporary facilities has begun.

The IBC is currently progressing through three distinct aspects with the architectural structure of the individual spaces being developed in parallel with the installation of electrical fittings and set-up of the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) distribution. The set-up of multilateral areas is scheduled for mid-March whilst Media Rights Licensees (MRLs) will be able to access their premises from 10 May.

Two near ‘live’ webcams have been installed in the IBC, providing MRLs with the opportunity to view the progress being made in the set-up of the venue. Webcam 1 offers a view of the unilateral spaces in Hall 7, in the bottom right hand corner of the screen lies the existing staircase leading from Hall 6 to Hall 7. Webcam 2 marks the progress being made in Hall 6 which is dedicated to both multilateral and unilateral operations. The Broadcast Information Office (BIO) is currently being constructed in the right corner of the image.

Please click on the image above to view the IBC webcams

MRLs should refer to the FIFA TV Extranet for further details. Information on the set-up IBC is provided in the first edition of the MRL Newsletter for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, also available for download from the FIFA TV Extranet.

The Final Draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ took place in Cape Town on 4 December before an audience including South African President Jacob Zuma, FIFA President Joseph Blatter, football stars past and present and broadcasters from around the world. By the end of the event the first 48 matches of the tournament had been determined, allowing coaches to start thinking about tactics, fans to make their travel arrangements and Host Broadcast Services to begin the most difficult part of its four-year (and then some) undertaking.

HBS started working on the 2010 tournament even before the final whistle had blown on the 2006 edition and has kept ramping up its workload (and team) ever since. But tonight's event in Cape Town nonetheless marked a symbolic start to the most specialised sort of host broadcasting work. With the teams and venues now finalised HBS can implement match-specific procedures, determine travel plans and work out various logistical and technical issues. With just over six months to go until the kick-off of the 2010  Opening Match between South Africa and Mexico (11 June in Johannesburg) much remains to be done according to the roadmap fixed by HBS before it once again makes broadcast history.

HBS was the host broadcaster of the Final Draw, which was broadcast live in over 200 countries and territories. For more information about the event, please refer to the FIFA website.

On 10 November, the Sports Event Management Conference in London brought together key players from the international sports event management industry. Insightful presentations from world class speakers with in-depth event experience ensured unparalleled knowledge-sharing and learning opportunities for all present.

Francis Tellier, CEO of HBS Group, spoke about host broadcasting being a job for specialists and stressed the dire consequences of a wrong decision which go way beyond simply having to deal with poor TV coverage of an event.

Using a case study that struck home for many present, he pinpointed how numerous – apparently insignificant – mistakes of appreciation over a number of months and/or years prior to event implementation are a true recipe for disaster, not only for the event itself but for the Federation or League or event owner that will have to manage for decades the marketing of a product that has lost a great deal of its overall appeal.

“The Host Broadcaster needs to be present right from the very start, often acting as a ”white-label” expert organisation, keeping the best interest of the event in mind at all times,” said Francis Tellier. “Specifications need to be discussed as soon as the host country is selected, ongoing working relationships established with the event owner, with the host country authorities, with the Organising Committee, with all the customers (Media Rights Licensees, Mobile Network Operators, Infotainment operators to name but a few), coordination groups, workshops and World Broadcaster Meetings organized, services and facilities masterminded for a broadcast landscape that is more diverse than ever before.

Top sport events need a turnkey solution designed by an overall architect taking full responsibility. Trying to please “domestic broadcasters” who are over-stretched to provide resources, splitting responsibilities between several providers, hiring old-timers – builders and carpenters of previous events – without the architect is hazardous at the best. All these dangers were clearly understood by FIFA and the IOC decades ago."

Major changes for any upcoming flagship event are no longer simply a question of “adding more” but of providing “diversified broadcast content, better usage of services and facilities, enhanced user-friendly capacity for logging, storage and archiving purposes."

Host broadcasting is about addressing commitments, sharing expert advice, contributing to a Federation or League’s knowledge management process so as to deliver a “Best Ever” in the host country and to leave a lasting (and workable) legacy for years to come.

The FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 came to an end last night in Johannesburg's Ellis Park stadium and Host Broadcast Services (HBS), the host broadcaster of the event, is pleased to report that the tournament provided a most encouraging warm-up for next year's 2010 FIFA World Cup™. HBS was able to test its latest production innovations as well as increase its understanding of South African logistical matters. While some issues were encountered and identified for further improvement, overall operations went smoothly and HBS is more confident than ever of delivering its best FIFA World Cup™ yet in 2010 for the benefit of FIFA and its Media Rights Licensees.

HBS covered all 16 matches of the tournament in High Definition (HD) 16/9 format and delivered them to close to one hundred Media Rights Licensees (MRLs). For more on HBS' host broadcast of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009, please click here.

As the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 kicks off in South Africa, Host Broadcast Services (HBS) holds its 10th anniversary. In the last decade, HBS — a wholly-owned subsidiary of Infront Sports & Media — has inspired dramatic changes in the way the host broadcast of major sports events is handled and has emerged as an industry leader in this specialised field.

Among its many “firsts” are the first fully-digital host broadcast of a FIFA World Cup™ (2002 Korea/Japan) with the first “multi-feeds” service for broadcasters, the first global sports event entirely on widescreen HDTV, (2006 Germany), the first production of a dedicated Mobile International Signal for the French League 1 (2008-2012) as well as the first stereoscopic 3D live coverage of the IIHF World Championship in ice hockey in 2008 followed, one year later, by the first live 3D football match to be shown simultaneously in Lyon and Paris. Many further innovations and improvements have resulted from this pioneering work.

HBS was created in June 1999 as a single purpose company to deliver the host broadcast of the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups™. Francis Tellier, former Managing Director of TVRS 98, the host broadcast organisation for the 1998 FIFA World Cup™ in France, was appointed as CEO, a role he still holds today.

The changes and enhancements made by HBS over the years have been so impressive that the host broadcast of major international sports events has become a job for specialists. The more complex and sophisticated the host broadcast operation, the more important it is to build on experience and ensure continuity.

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On Saturday 30 May Host Broadcast Services (HBS) successfully concluded its first season as host broadcaster of the French football Ligue 1. HBS was awarded the host broadcasting responsibilities for the four seasons between 2008 and 2012 by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) in April 2008 and has worked closely with the LFP, the clubs and the domestic rights-holders ever since to produce the highest possible quality broadcast coverage. A dedicated team of specialists worked across 342 matches and implemented a number of technical and production innovations, including a searchable clip database and the Mobile International Signal. The 2008-2009 season also saw HBS participate in the first-ever live European broadcast of a football match in 3D, thereby perpetuating the company's tradition of being at the forefront of broadcast technology.

HBS produced the (multilateral) World Feed as well as the proprietary (unilateral) feed for French broadcasters. The World Feed in particular was a veritable success in terms of foreign sales of L1 broadcast rights.

HBS production teams have already begun working on the next Ligue 1 season, which will kick off on 8 August, with the same goal as always: to raise the bar still higher. Further details on HBS' plans for the 2009-2010 season will be available on this website shortly. The 2009-2010 season calendar is available here.

On Friday April 24 at 20:30 Orange broadcasted the French Ligue 1 match between Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain in 3D. This was the first live 3D broadcast of a football match in European history. Working in partnership with Host Broadcast Services (HBS), the Host Broadcaster of Ligue 1, and the LFP (French Professional League), Orange brought its spectators closer to the pitch, and to the game, than ever before.

In addition to the equipment and personnel deployed at each Ligue 1 game, the 3D production of the match required six stereoscopic cameras, one OB Van and a number of crew members specialised in 3D production. Invited guests and fans from both teams were able to follow the broadcast in dedicated viewing areas within the Parc des Princes and Gerland stadium, the home grounds for the two teams.

HBS, long known within the industry for its tradition of technical innovation, has been happy to provide its 3D expertise to Orange in the build-up and delivery of this test. HBS previously covered the last four matches of the ice hockey 2008 IIHF World Championship in 3D in May of last year. HBS is building on its early experience with this remarkable technology and further developing the synergies between its various projects.

Three months into 2009 the year has thus far proven to be a dynamic and productive one for Host Broadcast Services (HBS). The company has been working tirelessly on a number of fronts, and over many continents, to ensure the flawless execution of its projects.

LFP: With only a few match days remaining in the French Ligue 1 football season, HBS is very pleased with the way its inaugural season as host broadcaster of the league has developed. HBS was announced as the host broadcaster for the 2008-2012 seasons less than twelve months ago and immediately devoted a vast amount of resources to the undertaking. Though the company had a strong background in football broadcasting due to its role as host broadcaster of the last two FIFA World Cups™ it had never before been involved in a venture combining scale and duration to such an extent: nine matches for each of 38 match days for a total of 342 matches per season. HBS has risen to the challenge and is pleased to note that its coverage has been praised by viewers and industry professionals alike.

HBS' work on Ligue 1 has also been a win-win situation in which the company is able to effectively apply the expertise gained from past events to its Ligue 1 broadcasts while continuing to create innovative and appropriate production solutions, the best and most appreciated of which may be implemented for future projects. An example of this "virtuous circle" is the Clip Compilation Channel which was inaugurated at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ and spun off into a searchable clip database for Ligue 1, which in turn has inspired improvements to the Clips Compilation Channel for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.

FIFA WBM 1: As has been the case since the company's creation, HBS' most demanding project remains the FIFA World Cup™, in this case the fast-approaching 2010 edition of the tournament in South Africa. The first of two FIFA World Broadcaster Meetings is being held 21-22 April in Johannesburg and allows Media Rights Licensees the opportunity to fine-tune their broadcasting plans following presentations by, and discussions with, FIFA, HBS and the Local Organising Committee.

FIFA Confederations Cup: The FIFA Confederations Cup 2009, scheduled for 14-28 June and taking place in four of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ stadiums, will serve as a testing ground for planned production innovations as well as for the logistical challenges awaiting HBS in 2010.
Though HBS has been working on the 2010 tournament essentially since the final whistle blew in Germany in 2006 these two milestones, especially coming in such close succession, represent a sort of psychological marker for HBS staff, a starter pistol for the final lap of FIFA World Cup™ preparations. HBS is determined to pull out all the stops to make the host broadcast operations of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ a literal "best ever". Media Rights Licensees will find more information on the FIFA TV Extranet.

Lastly, 2009 is important to HBS for another, more sentimental reason as well: it marks the company's tenth anniversary. Looking back at its first ten years HBS is proud to have been selected for so many prestigious events and looks forward to being the host broadcaster of many more.