Reuters, the global information, news and technology group has announced ambitious multimedia plans for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The event kicks off on 31 May in Korea and Japan.
Reuters is offering its clients a multimedia package of online football information products including detailed venue, team and player profiles, along with breaking news, pictures, interactive graphics and a live results service. Reuters will run its largest off-site editorial operation in Korea and Japan with over 165 editorial staff, including 135 journalists, photographers, TV journalists and graphic artists chipping in. Reuters will cover all 32 teams and, as a major component of its World Cup coverage, one photographer will shadow each of the top 17 teams during the tournament both on and off the pitch, with unrestricted access to the teams' training grounds, hotels and free time.
According to an official release, the 1998 World Cup in France was viewed by over 3.7 billion people and created more online traffic than any other single media event. The official france98.com website received more than 13 million visitors and generated over 1 billion page impressions, claims Reuters.
The Reuters World Cup portfolio includes nine distinct media products. These include the Reuters World Cup News Service in English, which offers clients in-depth previews and analysis of matches, squad announcements and group-by-group analysis, team news and interviews of star players competing in the 2002 finals, and the Reuters World Cup news language variants which provide tailored coverage that addresses the needs and interests of the local audience. Services are available in French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and Turkish.
The Reuters World Cup top news and picture gallery in Chinese and Japanese offers clients in-depth previews and analysis of matches, squad announcements and group-by-group analysis, team news and interviews of star players competing in the 2002 finals. The Reuters World Cup Interactive Graphic product is a once-off animated interactive online graphics package will provide illustrated explanations on key facts about the tournament, including the off-side rule, the timetable fixtures, the venues used in Korea and Japan and how the equipment has evolved. With an interactive format created in Macromedia Flash, football fans will enjoy delving into a multi-linked, visually rich information database that brings this major sports event to life.
