KVH will bring FIFA to Mariners
KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI) has come to an agreement with IMG Media to distribute video content of the 2014 FIFA World Cup ™ to merchant ships. KVH will deliver coverage of the month-long tournament, which takes place in Brazil this summer, via KVH’s satellite network to merchant maritime customers, with the exception of passenger vessels, cruise ships, and ferries.
“Knowing how many football fans there are among the world’s seafarers, we are thrilled to be able to provide coverage of the world's greatest sporting event,” says Mark Woodhead, managing director of KVH Media Group. “Life onboard a ship often isolates seafarers from their friends and family and their lives onshore. Imagine being in the middle of the ocean and being able to watch your country play in the 2014 FIFA World Cup ™. This is the biggest sports occasion of the year and the first time seafarers have had access to this kind of programming.”
The 2014 FIFA World Cup ™, held every four years, brings the best national football teams from around the world. (Football is known as soccer in the U.S. and Canada.) The month-long tournament is organized by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the global governing body for the sport. This year’s tournament takes place in 12 stadiums across Brazil between June 12 and July 13. During the tournament, 32 teams will play in the 2014 FIFA World Cup ™ Finals rounds to advance to the championship match. Among the 32 teams will be Spain (the 2010 champion), Brazil, Italy, Germany, Argentina, Portugal, United States, and England. It is estimated that 3.2 billion people, or about 46% of the world’s population, watched at least part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup ™ coverage, making it the “biggest TV sports event in the world,” according to FIFA.
KVH’s coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup ™ will include highlights of each of the Finals rounds matches and full coverage of the championship match, distributed via KVH’s satellite network.
About IMG Media
IMG Media, based in London, is the world’s largest independent producer and distributor of sports programming. It is part of IMG Worldwide, a global sports, fashion, and media business with 3,500 employees operating in more than 30 countries around the globe. IMG’s areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging, including representation of the world’s elite athletes, coaches, industry executives, and prestigious sports organizations across the sports, entertainment, fashion and media industries.
About KVH Industries, Inc.
KVH Industries is a leading provider of in-motion satellite TV and communications systems, having designed, manufactured, and sold more than 175,000 mobile satellite antennas for applications on vessels, vehicles, and aircraft. KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband service is the market share leader in maritime VSAT, according to a 2014 industry report by Euroconsult. Several thousand vessels around the world use KVH’s advanced TracPhone® V-IP satellite communications antenna systems and mini-VSAT Broadband service, which operates over KVH’s C/Ku-band satellite network. In addition, KVH recently announced it is launching the IP-MobileCast content delivery service, which is designed to deliver news, entertainment, sports, and training content directly to subscribing vessels over the top of the mini-VSAT Broadband connection. KVH is also a leading news, music, and entertainment content provider to many industries including maritime, retail, and leisure. KVH is based in Middletown, RI, U.S.A., with facilities in Illinois, Denmark, Norway, the U.K., Singapore, the Philippines, Cyprus, and Japan.
