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 News From You
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Week ending June 4, 2011
Geneva, 3 June 2011 – 70 million people tuned in for the final of the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest on May 14 in Düsseldorf, Germany, while the two semi-finals were watched by 24.8 and 19.7 million viewers respectively, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) can reveal.
The figures mean the cumulative number of viewers for the three live shows was 114.5 million, nearly nine million more than last year.
This year's Eurovision Song Contest was televised in all 43 participating countries, plus Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Australia and New Zealand. It was also diffused worldwide on the internet, and 15 national radio stations aired audio of the competition.
Jon Ola Sand, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, says: "The Eurovision Song Contest is not just 7.5 hours of top quality live entertainment, it is also a European ratings triumph. Several broadcasters saw audience records smashed, due to massive viewer interest."
Sand adds: "There is something magical about so many people across Europe and around the world sharing the same experience at the same time."
Live online streams of Europe's favourite TV spectacle generated 804,000 viewing sessions, and in the lead-up to the 2011 contest, the official www.eurovision.tv website generated 87 million page views - 8% more than last year.
Eurovision Song Contest Event Supervisor and head of new media Sietse Bakker says: "We saw a big increase in social media activity this year, with almost 400,000 registered fans on Facebook and many global trending topics on Twitter during the live shows. This means a lot to us, since we are eager to reach a new generation of dedicated viewers with the Eurovision Song Contest."
The 2011 Eurovision Song Contest took place on May 10, 12 and 14 in Düsseldorf, Germany, hosted by broadcaster NDR, a member of the ARD network. The live final at the Düsseldorf Arena was attended by 36,000 fans, and more than 2,000 journalists covered the event. After a tense vote, Azerbaijan won the contest. Italy, returning after a 14-year absence, finished second.
On the initiative of UNESCO, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and France Télévisions, in collaboration with the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) and the International Radio & Television Union (URTI), a conference was held yesterday to support the development of public service media in Tunisia and Egypt, in the presence of the new executives of Tunisian and Egyptian public television and radio.
More than 200 delegates representing European and Arabic international institutions, international professional organizations, ambassadors of donor countries, numerous major audiovisual media organizations**, and several cooperation and development agencies, spent the day discussing how to help public service media in Tunisia and Egypt.
The debates, opened by Mrs Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO, Mr Rémy Pflimlin, CEO of France Télévisions, Mr Jean-Paul Philippot, President of the EBU, Mr Slaheddine Maaoui, Director General of ASBU, and Mrs Rodi Kratsa, Vice-President of the European Parliament, contained a wealth of information on the needs of Tunisia and Egypt in the media sector. The discussions also expressed the willingness of the new Tunisian and Egyptian media executives to ensure that these television channels, radio stations and new media services embrace pluralism and social cohesion of the citizens in their countries so that they can become editorially independent public service media.
Having stressed the need to strengthen the public service media in their most underprivileged regions, the Tunisian and Egyptian executives listed their priorities in four essential sectors:
Staff training, in particular journalists to cover the upcoming elections in the two countries. UNESCO, CFI, Deutsche Welle, France24, RFI and Radio France have already undertaken activities in this sector. RAI is planning to provide major assistance in the training sector.
Technical equipment to bring their resources into line with their new ambitions. The conference enabled the foundations to be laid for coordinating technical assistance. For example, France Télévisions has already shipped reporting equipment to Tunisia, RAI will provide training assistance and the BBC will focus on providing aid to Egypt.
International programme offer to provide a window on the world for audiences that have become aware of international issues of which they know they are a part. France 24 is searching for ways to meet this demand and Tunisia TV has already received 154 documentaries from the URTI exchange bank.
Help in setting up regulatory authorities and a new legislative framework. The French and Belgian regulatory authorities have decided to provide their support. The EBU also offered its experience in drafting media legislation, in addition to its coordination role among its Members.
UNESCO has launched two in-depth studies whose recommendations will help to redraft the legislation to align it with international standards. The EBU and the Spanish government indicated the amount of their contributions. Several institutions and organizations stated they were willing to help finance the broadcasting sector, notably the European Union and the Agence Française de Développement. ERTU suggested that an international committee should be set up to follow the development of radio and television in Egypt. The BBC would support Egypt in various sectors.
The final report will make it possible to lay the foundations of long-term cooperation to promote freedom of expression and media pluralism while strengthening the broadcasters' professional and institutional capacities.
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) today published a report on how socially conscious investors and donors can increase funding to news media in developing and emerging markets and contribute to media independence worldwide.
A lack of capital, combined with state repression, throttles the flow of independent news in many developing markets, having a negative impact on political, social and economic development. Financial security is a key factor for securing editorial autonomy, but the funding provided by international donors and investors to these fledgling media businesses is scarce.
“Addressing the Capitalization Gap for Independent News Media,” which was released in Amsterdam today at SOCAP/Europe, a major gathering of investors (http://europe.socialcapitalmarkets.net/), suggests new ways of mobilizing funding to ensure long-term delivery of high-quality independent news.
“Social investors and media development funders are becoming increasingly aware that affordable loan, equity or guarantee financing can be instrumental for many media organizations in the developing world, particularly if matched with technical assistance grants," said Mirjana Milosevic, WAN-IFRA Programme Director, speaking in a session on “Impact investing in independent media: mobilizing private capital for press freedom”.
Outside investments are crucial during the growth stages of new independent media business. The new report says that tailored financial instruments adjusted to the specific needs of small and medium sized media enterprises are key to building a vibrant and strong media industry. The report shows how independent news media benefit society, from spurring government transparency to enabling people to stay informed during times of crisis to empowering the disenfranchised. Yet, the report says, “Though the social returns might be high, private investors tend to focus on quick returns in high-growth businesses and the philanthropic and donor communities have not kept pace with the need for creative scalable financing.”
Thriving circulation rates in many parts of the developing world combined with growing youth populations and technological changes make this an opportune time to invest more in independent media, the report found.
The report offers ways in which funding from revolving media loan funds – currently the most effective vehicle for channelling funds– can be leveraged to further close the capitalization gap. The New York-based Media Development Loan Fund has provided more than US$100 million in affordable financing to 76 media companies in 26 countries since it was founded in 1996. The Southern Africa Media Development Fund (SAMDEF) has also helped bolster regional media with US$18 million in financing to media.
Innovative ways to further bolster such media funds include: new investment deals that foundations and governments could invest in at below-market returns; partnerships with banks; financial support for media loan funds; and safeguards to decrease risk for investors.
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