72nd ABU Sports Group Conference resolves to diversify its services to members
Opening the 72nd ABU Sports Group Conference, the ABU Secretary-General Ahmed Nadeem has highlighted the importance of sports and events. The conference took place on October 29 at KBS in Seoul, Korea, on the sidelines of the 60th ABU General Assembly.
The Secretary-General stated that the demand for sports content keeps increasing despite ever-increasing rights fees. Describing content as king, Nadeem said that the ABU will emphasise the importance of supporting and facilitating content production.
Nadeem mentioned that the recently concluded Asian Games in Hangzhou as a good example of cooperation between the ABU and its members.
The ABU collaborated with members to produce venue feeds for three sports: Sepak-Takraw, Cricket, and Squash. The ABU also provided English commentary services for the Games.
KBS Sports Director, Bong Jin Kim, emphasised the importance of the ABU’s support in promoting the growth of sports and broadcasting. He stated that in an increasingly commercialised industry, the ABU has been, and can continue to play, a special role in supporting ABU members.
ABU Sports Chairperson Lorraine Yuen said that the ABU plays a pivotal role between content owners and broadcasters. She commended ABU Sports for its efforts to support all ABU members and help bring as many sports events as possible to their citizens.
The Sports Director presented ABU activities, events, and future scheduled events. Cai Yanjiang stated that the ABU is increasingly focusing on serving its members. It is also diversifying services to include production during events, besides rights acquisition. Capacity building of members, through skilled training, he said, is a priority.
The day-long conference featured several presentations by broadcasters, federations, and partners. These included KBS Korea, NHK Japan, CMG China, and RTM Malaysia among members. The World Archery Federation, Alibaba Cloud, and ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Busan 2024 were also presented.
The next Sports Group Conference is scheduled for May 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.