By David Owen
October 23 – Next month will bring the end of a football broadcasting era, with Francis Tellier set to step down as chief executive of Host Broadcast Services (HBS) after almost two decades.
It has been announced that the 65-year-old Frenchman is to retire from the role, with his deputy, Dan Miodownik, taking over with effect from November 1.
Tellier – who founded HBS in 1999 as host broadcaster of the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea, the first and still at least for another few years only World Cup staged in more than one country – will stay on as a special adviser to HBS and its parent company, the sports marketing group Infront.
He will also serve as non-executive President of International Games Broadcast Services, a production joint venture with IMG, which is working on next year’s rugby union World Cup in Japan.
Tellier’s first World Cup in a prominent position came in 1998 in his host nation France, where he was managing director of TVRS98, host broadcaster of that tournament.
All told he has worked in senior roles on six FIFA World Cups and five Asian Games.
Philippe Blatter, Infront President, described Tellier as “a true trailblazer” in host broadcast production, “continuously pushing the boundaries of innovation, and always meeting the high demands of our clients”.
He went on: “Regardless of event size, format, location or challenge, Francis was always the consummate professional – calm, composed and confident, while ensuring the broadcast success of the biggest sports shows on Earth.”
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