Celador International today announces Sky One, the UK’s leading non-terrestrial entertainment network, as the exclusive UK TV broadcaster for the inaugural FIFPro WORLD XI Player Awards.
Signing a one year deal to broadcast the event, Sky One and show producer Celador Music & Events will be working together with Sky One to deliver a customised version of the show which will feature a prime venue position, access to red carpet and backstage interview areas. This ‘platinum package’ will enable the channel’s own presenters to link in and out of the show and create additional event material to expand the 90 minute show potentially up to a 2 hour special.
Scheduled for a primetime UK audience the show will be broadcast soon after the event takes place at Wembley on 19th September 2005 with a repeat within 3 months of the first broadcast.
In addition to the Sky One announcement, Celador International can today confirm the following broadcasters who will also transmit the event:
Telemundo for the Hispanic USA audience
Shanghai Media Group have acquired the rights for Dragon TV in China
Canal + Nordic for Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway
R.T.P. for Portugal
SuperSports for the entire African continent
Antenna 1 in Romania
Channel 2 in Iceland
The deals signify a phenomenal reaction to the show at MIP TV and the event currently delivers a potential reach of 650 million viewers. Negotiations are underway with other international broadcast partners, further expanding the global reach for the show.
The awards will be the first major production for Celador Music & Events (a subsidiary of Celador International). Headed up by MD Guy Freeman, the production team includes some of the most experienced and respected names in live television entertainment with credits including Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, The BRIT Awards and The Eurovision Song Contest.
1,500 guests and internationally renowned stars from the worlds of sport, music and screen will gather to celebrate the achievements of the world’s finest footballers at the event. The awards evening will be interspersed with spectacular performances from the world’s hottest music acts and hosted by a number of international celebrity guest presenters, many of who will be announced shortly.
Celador International represents all licensing and commercial rights connected to the FIFPro World XI Player Awards including international television sales distribution, products and interactive media. Advanced negations are also underway with both headline and category exclusive sponsorship partners.
The 38,000 professional footballers belonging to the 40 professional organisations across the world that form FIFPro (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballers Professionnels) will this month vote for their World XI ‘super team of 2005’ – choosing the four defenders, four midfielders, two forwards and one goalkeeper. There will also be three further awards presented at the awards evening – the World Player of the Year awarded to whoever in the World XI receives the most votes, the World XI Legend award voted for by the FIFPro Awards Committee and the Young Player of the Year voted for by fans across the globe in the only public voting category of the awards.
France and Arsenal’s Thierry Henry, England and Chelsea’s John Terry, Ashley Cole, Portugal and Manchester United’s Christiano Ronaldo have all voiced their support for the awards along with world football legends Eusebio and Chile’s Elias Figueroa who launched the event to the TV market at MIP TV last week.
Adrian Woolfe, Managing Director at Celador International, said: “We are delighted to be announcing Sky One as our UK broadcast partner. Sky is the natural home for the awards and is synonymous with football broadcasting the in the UK. We look forward to working together to tailor the event to football and entertainment fans across the UK. Our aim is to create a truly unique event on a global scale and together with our international broadcaster partners we are well on the way to delivering just that. We’re confident the FIFPro World XI Player Awards will become one of the most highly anticipated global events in the annual awards calendar.”
Guy Freeman, Managing Director at Celador Music & Events and producer of the show, said : “The FIFPro World XI Player Awards production will not be a conventional awards show. We are eliminating nomination video packages and instead the best footage of relevant action highlights will be integrated into stunning live music performances. State of the art display technology will be incorporated around the performance area. In short the world’s greatest footballers and music artists will be sharing the same spectacular stage for the first time in what we believe is a unique worldwide entertainment event. It is a defining show for Celador Music & Events.”
Sam Rowden, Head of Acquisitions at Sky One said: “We are delighted to be partnering Celador International in the UK for this event. The FIFPro World XI Player Awards is a perfect fit for the channel, marrying sports and entertainment in a high-end production and follows the success of other live programming events on Sky One including The Match.”
For more information on the event please contact for Celador International:
Sarah Warren: +44 20 7845 6857 / +44 7967 981638 swarren@celador.co.uk
Naomi Segal: +44 20 8206 5157 / +44 7974 070881 naomi.segal@taylorherring.com
For any broadcast queries please contact at BSkyB:
Richard Turner +44 20 7705 6845 / + 44 7711 021026 richard.turner@bskyb.com