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Eurosport Future of TV Media

Eurosport celebrates 30th birthday with shorts series marking its 1989 beginnings

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

February 5, 2019 | 5 min read

Eurosport has created a temporary new brand identity to mark its 30th birthday celebration as well as the growth in scale and quality since its first broadcast in 1989.

Eurosport 30

Eurosport marks its 30th celebrating, among others, Jurgen Klinsmann

The sports broadcaster, which celebrates its birthday just one day after 15-year-old Facebook, has commissioned a short video series charting its role in championing European sports in those early years in addition to a brief visual rebrand.

Nostalgic shorts will be broadcast on Eurosport platforms to document icons that helped make their respective sports so appealing. Boris Becker, John McEnroe and Ronnie O'Sullivan are among those who crop up in the video. Pat Cash also delivers a telling line: "When I first saw you, you were really terrible and now you are really good."

The channel was launched 5 February 1989 as part of a collaboration with the European Broadcast Union, landing on Sky TV with English, Dutch and German commentaries on sport events like the World Alpine Skiing Championships, World Matchplay Snooker, the World Bobsleigh Championships and the European Figure Skating Championships.

Now the European sports broadcaster holds the rights to the Olympic Games in Europe after receiving substantial financial backing from buyer Discovery in 2015. It now boasts reaching 246 million cumulative subscribers across 75 countries in Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East.

It has also partnered with Spotify to launch dedicated 1989-themed playlist and digital ad campaign to draw further attention to the landmark.

JB Perrette, president and chief executive of Discovery International, said: “We are incredibly proud of what this company has achieved, and it is a testament to the vision, dedication and commitment of an incredible team over the years that Eurosport continues to grow and is now reaching more people on more screens than ever before.

“From our game-changing Olympic Games partnership; position as the home of cycling, Grand Slam tennis and winter sports; and operator of the only European-wide OTT streaming service - the Eurosport Player - Eurosport continues to be a unique proposition for sports fans across the continent.

"With our second Olympic Games fast approaching, the continued development of our digital products, further investment in technology and ongoing ambition to strengthen our rights portfolio, Eurosport will be powering people’s passions for years to come.”

George Aivazoglou, vice-president of marketing at Eurosport, added: “The 30th-anniversary brand identity is a celebration of our heritage, focusing on the sports stars and spirit of 1989 to engage the current-day viewer across all platforms.”

Watch the celebration video below.

Eurosport Future of TV Media

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