|
MUMBAI: The Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) has announced
that over a billion people had access to free-to-air coverage of
the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, stretching from Mongolia
in Central Asia, down to the Republic of Timor Leste.
ABU’s head of sport in Melbourne John Barton says, “We
have built the biggest television platform in Asia and the Pacific
for the Melbourne games and we will continue to see it grow over
the years, especially with New Delhi hosting the next event in 2010.”
Televising multi sport events such as the Olympics and Commonwealth
Games on free-to-air television would have lasting economic benefits
for a nation, says Barton.
“We are not just investing in a sporting contest. It is much
greater than that. We are showcasing the character of a host nation,
its many cultural and commercial assets, and the character and values
of the competing nations. That was why it is extremely important
for the events to be seen on the free-to-air television markets
around the world where their countrymen could share the highs and
lows that come with the great sporting occasion.
"Governments and broadcasters have a dual responsibility to
make sure that their athletes and teams are given due recognition
on television for their years of effort and training. So when they
step out onto the international sporting stage they know that their
nation is with them, right at that moment, sharing their joy or
sadness” he adds.
Governments in Asia are spending hundreds of millions of dollars
on sporting infrastructure, facilities, coaches and new training
methods. “Asia is thriving as a regional sporting powerhouse
with the increasing numbers of Olympic champions. But without television,
which has been the engine for growth for many years, that development
could be arrested,” he added.
|
