FIFA hosted its first ever Asian broadcaster servicing meeting in Singapore on Tuesday and Wednesday (Jan. 28 and 29), a milestone for Media Rights Licensees from the region to share expertise as they prepare for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.

The FIFA seminar brought together 18 broadcasters from across Asia, including Afghanistan and Mongolia, to discuss how to make the most of FIFA TV production services for football fans in the region during the World Cup. Many broadcasters expressed an interest in FIFA’s decision to produce the final of the FIFA World Cup™ in 4K visual technology and in FIFA’s new multimedia services. It was also an opportunity for smaller broadcasters to gain valuable production expertise and knowledge for their own domestic productions.

“Asian broadcasters are early adopters of new technology, so we are excited to share these new services with this market ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil,” said Niclas Ericson, FIFA Director of TV. “This is also an opportunity for broadcasters to improve television production standards for their domestic football and to learn from others.”

“This workshop is a milestone for the region’s television and multimedia preparation for the greatest sporting show on earth,” Ericson said.

FIFA TV is offering a broad range of multimedia services for the June/July competition in Brazil, making it the first truly multimedia World Cup. Broadcasters will be able to design their own services for tablets, computers and smartphones, using multiple camera angles, extensive statistics and footage, giving consumers an unprecedented depth of match experience. FIFA is also breaking new ground by producing the World Cup final in 4K, which gives viewers four times’ the resolution of standard high definition footage.

“This is the first time we have participated in a FIFA workshop. It has been a great opportunity for us to get best practices in working with media rights and sharing experiences with other FIFA broadcasters,” said Prasana Krishnan, Executive Vice President of Channel SIX, India.

Most of FIFA’s revenue from broadcasting rights for the FIFA World Cup™ goes directly back into football, helping to govern the global game, fund football and social development programmes in the 209 member associations and to stage FIFA’s full range of competitions.

(FIFA Press Release)