
Euro 2020: UEFA's Maurice Tollenaar reflects on the host broadcast operation for most challenging Euros ever By Will Strauss, Editor
Friday, July 9, 2021 - 09:46
Print This Story
In an exclusive interview ahead of the Euro 2020 final, UEFA chief of media rights and production services and deputy marketing director Maurice Tollenaar (pictured) talks to SVG Europe about the strengths and challenges of the host broadcast operation for what was a very difficult tournament to prepare and deliver.
Overall, how do you think the world feed coverage of Euro 2020 has gone throughout the tournament? Have you achieved everything you set out to achieve? We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our broadcast partners, which confirms that the tournament has gone well so far. However, it's not over yet and we still have the most important match to deliver. Viewing figures for the tournament have also been excellent, and we've achieved a number of record audiences already. England vs Denmark [on Wednesday 7 July] saw the fourth highest TV audience in the UK since 2001 - and the highest TV audience since England's 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-final against Croatia - whilst in Denmark the match share was 94% of the market.
We saw similar stats from the other semi-final, in Italy the match was the most-watched free-to-air broadcast since the UEFA Euro 2012 Final - again between Spain and Italy - whilst in Spain, it was the highest-viewed TV programme since the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
It's certainly the most challenging UEFA Euro I have ever worked on and it's hard to imagine a more complicated one.
This tournament is unique in the sense that it has been staged across the continent and held under extremely challenging circumstances given the global COVID-19 pandemic. Our main objective was to nonetheless deliver our originally intended technical and production plan to our broadcast partners. This has largely been achieved. Obviously, there have been numerous restrictions that have mainly impacted our ability to provide our usual range of unilateral services, though our broadcast partners have been very supportive and understanding in this regard.
Generally, they are very happy with our coverage as a whole and with the unilateral opportunities, they've been able to exploit at the venues, or remotely, in order to tailor their coverage to their viewers at home.
Euro 2020 saw the introduction of HDR, VAR, and various other content and technical innovations that weren't present at Euro 2016. Is there anything that you are particularly pleased about or proud of? UEFA continues to innovate each season - where it makes sense and meets our broadcaster expectations to do so. At UEFA Euro 2020 we've been able to offer a comprehensive parallel multi-format production, with matches available in 1080p SDR, 1080p HDR and UHD-HDR, with accompanying Dolby 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Immersive Audio.
We have more than 20 broadcast partners taking the UHD signal, 11 broadcast partners taking the UHD signal via the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), which is situated just outside Amsterdam and another 10 taking the signal over satellite. Our host city beauty shot feed, showing live coverage of a landmark location for each of the 11 host cities has also been well received. UEFA host broadcast has also delivered a technical VAR solution at all matches of the tournament, on behalf of our colleagues in Football Operations, which has worked smoothly.
To date, we've created and published over 17,800 videos via our UEFA HIVE content distribution platform.
Another innovation we've been please to deliver is our fully equipped dedicated upgrade service - allowing subscribing broadcaster partners to have a full up to three camera unilateral production from designated positions at the venue, with all equipment and distribution managed by UEFA.
We've also placed greater emphasis on multi-platform content with our additional programming delivery, enabling our broadcast partners to effectively showcase the UEFA Euro to their increasingly digital audiences. To date, we've created and published over 17,800 videos via our UEFA HIVE content distribution platform
EMG OB trucks in front of Baku Stadium during UEFA Euro 2020
With hindsight, or without the impact of COVID, is there anything you would have liked to have done differently on the world feed? Or anything that you think would have made it better or that you would like to introduce for Germany in 2024? Obviously, with the impact of COVID-19 and the accompanying travel restrictions, there has been less opportunity for visiting broadcasters to deliver their own productions on venue. Additional restrictions have also led to broadcasters reducing their space at the IBC. Whilst, as mentioned earlier, we've been able to offer them a number of remote opportunities to meet their demands, we're very much looking forward to seeing broadcasters back in the stadiums and at the IBC in full force for UEFA Euro 2024.
As for UEFA Euro 2024 itself, it's too soon to start discussing any details, but as always we'll continue to innovate and adapt our plans to meet broadcaster demand.
Looking back, what was your biggest challenge? Without a doubt, delivering a tournament during the COVID-19 pandemic including navigating travel restrictions, quarantine, testing for our teams and crews and the demands upon our host broadcast staffing plan that these requirements place has been the biggest challenge. One good example is that we had initially planned for seven production teams: five moving between venues and two permanent teams in Glasgow and Baku. H
owever, due to COVID-19 we had to rethink our plans, eventually ending up with a permanent team in every venue - and thereby adding an additional 500
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
(L-R) Stephanie Suganami, Tatanka Means, John Malkovich, Ayo Edebiri, and Juliette Lewis attend the premiere of Opus at Eccles Theatre in Park City. (Photo by...
13/03/2025
Spotify took center stage at the London Book Fair this week, reaffirming our commitment to the audiobook market and showcasing our impact on the publishing indu...
13/03/2025
At Spotify, we work every day to lift up new voices, giving creators the opportunity to live off their art. Through Spotify Audiobooks, our in-house publishing ...
13/03/2025
Every time airborne law enforcement (ALE) teams fly, they expect their equipment to perform. Whether airborne units are conducting support for ground teams, bor...
13/03/2025
Sunday February 9 saw the annual return of the US' biggest television event, the Super Bowl LIX. Jamie McCombs, Fox Sports Audio Consultant / Sr. Audio capt...
13/03/2025
On Sunday March 2, stars across the film industry gathered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 97th Academy Awards. Production Sound Mixer Paul Sandweis...
13/03/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications will feature its new StageLink family of smart edge devices, Smart Audio and Mixing Engine (SAME) and Virtual Smart Pan...
13/03/2025
TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhanced Real-Time Monitoring ...
13/03/2025
DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Features in Managed Storage P...
13/03/2025
FOR-A America Theme - Connecting the Present, Building the Future - Comes to Lif...
13/03/2025
CTIA, the wireless industry association, has named former FCC Chairman Aji Pai as its President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1. He replaces Mere...
13/03/2025
he National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to end its investigation of that controversial CBS interview with Kamala Harris stating there is no ...
13/03/2025
MIAMI CBS News & Stations continues to expand its use of augmented and virtual reality technologies with the planned launch of an augmented reality/virtual real...
13/03/2025
Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder and chief customer success & innovation Officer at Amagi, tells TVBEurope how staying ahead of the latest trends is essential f...
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
Roku Debuts NWSL Zone' Within Roku Sports to Spotlight Live Games, Content Feature marks Rokus first women's league-branded zone within service By Bra...
13/03/2025
Pixels, Images, Video, AI - and Us: A Perspective on AI from NDI Inventor Andrew...
13/03/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Lighting Design Group's Steve Brill, Dennis Size ...
13/03/2025
IOC, Comcast NBCU Ink $3B Media-Rights Extension for Olympic Games Through 2036;...
13/03/2025
NCAA March Madness Live Returns with Expanded Availability of MultiView Vertical...
13/03/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Cosm's Devin Poolman on What It Takes To Deliver the Immersive...
13/03/2025
Sky Business, Sky's B2B division, providing connectivity and content to busi...
13/03/2025
Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S NRP140TWG(N) thermal power sensor: A new benchmark ...
13/03/2025
We asked the questions, analysed the answers and now we're excited to share the results of the fifth edition of the ICG Marketing Survey.
Our 2025 survey p...
13/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 13, 2025 Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced a breakthrough in video streaming innovation with the launch of new origin capabilitie...
13/03/2025
Haivision Showcases Mission-Critical Video Solutions at SOF Week 2025
Haivision's video wall systems, ISR technology, and DoDIN APL-certified video distri...
13/03/2025
Company Leads the Way with New Software-Based Production Platform, 12G Switcher,...
13/03/2025
A new Apple Immersive concert experience, Metallica, is coming to Apple Vision Pro this Friday, March 14. Filmed in Mexico City during the sold-out second-year ...
13/03/2025
Here is your host, Patrick Kielty!
Shake your Shamrocks, Patrick Kielty will be...
13/03/2025
This St. Patrick's weekend, RT invites you to celebrate all things Irish, showcasing the very best of Irish sport, entertainment and live coverage from the...
13/03/2025
What's next in AI is at GTC 2025. Not only the technology, but the people and ideas that are pushing AI forward - creating new opportunities, novel solution...
13/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
By combining T-Mobile's robust network, Thal...
13/03/2025
Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library.
Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...
13/03/2025
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...