Reuters builds up to 2002 World Cup with comprehensive online package

Reuters is offering its clients a package of online football information products, including detailed venue, team and player profiles, alongside 24-7 breaking news, pictures, interactive graphics and a live results services. It is the most comprehensive multimedia package Reuters has ever offered and will bring the 2002 World Cup to life online.

Deploying its Wireless LAN Transmission system, a state-of-the-art wireless news operation, Reuters will run its largest off-site editorial operation in Korea and Japan with over 190 editorial staff, including 128 journalists, photographers, TV journalists and graphic artists. Reuters anticipates publishing 80 to 100 text headlines and filing over 10 million words during the competition.

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. Moreover, each of the 64 games being played will be covered by up to six Reuters photographers, providing unmatched coverage during the tournament.

Reuters will offer in-depth previews and analysis of matches, group-by-group analysis, team news and inter news of star players competing in the 2002 finals. Coverage will be tailored to the interests of local audiences with the Arab service including Arab team/player stories (from both on and off the pitch.) In addition to English, services are provided in Arabic, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Turkish. World Cup results will also be provided near real time.

A dedicated World Cup SMS service providing a complete turn-key solution for corporates, including the delivery of SMS messages to their users. The service consists of half time and full time results, and where necessary additional 'extra time' messages. This service will also be provided to telecommunication companies which will be able to send out to all its subscribers.

Over recent years soccer has exploded onto the Internet, driving website growth across the world. The 1998 FIFA 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. The 2002 FIFA World Cup promises to be even bigger, and Reuters is offering its clients the opportunity to grab a part of this online action.

Samir Sabbah, Head of Media Middle East and Africa, said: "This is our largest ever editorial team on location for a World Cup, covering all the news as it happens. The scale of Reuters operations in Korea and Japan will ensure that breaking news and pictures are collected and distributed to clients as quickly as possible -- as fast as four minutes from goal scored to desktop, using state-of-the-art wireless LAN technology for pictures. Our comprehensive and exciting multimedia package enables our clients to bring the full World Cup experience to their users, wherever they may be."

Keith Cooper, Director of Communications, FIFA and a customer of Reuters, commented: "The name of Reuters has long been synonymous with excellence in every field of journalism and FIFA has always enjoyed a strong working relationship with the agency. We can assume that this latest venture will maintain the high standards that have already been set."

Another exciting offer from Reuters to World Cup fans is its animated interactive online graphics packages which gives sites immediate appealing content to help build their World Cup community.

With an easy-to-navigate 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, from animated top 10 goals of all time; venues and stadia, around Japan and Korea, common soccer injuries, live results and standings, to animated top goal for each World Cup match.

Reuters will also be supplying background information and statistics on everything football fans could want to know about the World Cup, including profiles of 32 finalists teams, their coaches, players, stadiums/venues and a history of the World Cup.

Over 7,000 photographs will be taken during the 64 matches and over 100 static and animated graphics will be created, offering football fans a carefully chosen selection of the day's top photos through The Reuters World Cup Picture Gallery service. On average pictures will be distributed well within eight minutes, although Reuters aims to move the high priority match and news pictures within four minutes worldwide.

ENDS