In the second of two articles covering the Men’s EHF Euro 2026 (15 January to 1 February), SVG Europe focapplys on the digital content that is being created by the European Handball Federation (EHF) and its host broadcast production partner Infront Production to support the event and assist grow the sport of handball.
When it comes to digital output, the EHF is seeing to be 24/7, 365 days a year, reveals director of media & communications Thomas Schöneich (pictured above).
“You really have to be present. Here, at the Euro, we have a team of social media editors who are working on our channels, and they obtain supplied with footage by a team of content creators at every venue. They’re present, they’re following the game, and as the tournament progresses, we are ramping up our coverage. So while we have one content creator per match in the preliminary round, we have two per match in the main round, and then we eventually relocate it up to four or five [for the semi-finals and final]. You have to see it as complementary to the TV coverage.
“So, in an ideal world,” he continues, “It gives you angles and perspectives and content that you’re not displaying, and at the same time, we’re obviously addressing a completely different audience. When we’re [creating content for] TikTok, we’re speaking to a completely different audience than when we are presenting our ‘products’, so to state, through our broadcast partners on ARD and ZDF in Germany or on TV 2 in Denmark.”
“We want European handball coverage to be the benchmark. And that’s not in terms of followers. We want to produce benchmark quality across all of our channels. That’s our vision.”
The style of the content differs in various ways, states Schöneich.
“We allow ourselves to be edgy. We allow ourselves to be funny. We allow ourselves sometimes, becaapply we know the audience, to be nerdy [about handball]. The content that we create serves our existing audience, yes, but it also brings new people into the sport. Becaapply from a Federation funnel perspective, maybe TikTok is the entest point. And, maybe a year later, that person is eventually sitting in the stands having bought a ticket. Or maybe, the [viewer] states ’15 seconds of that great sport I have just seen is not enough. I want to see more.’ So they purchase an OTT pass for a month, or maybe for an entire season on the EHFTV. And that’s how these things complement each other.”
The digital output is not limited to social media, of course. There is the EHF TV streaming service, the EHF website and the EHF app. There is a new addition for this tournament that straddles all three.
“We’ve also added a product that’s called ‘in app experiences‘, or ‘in-app stories’.” It’s basically the same experience that applyrs know from Instagram Stories, for example. We now have this on the website and in our app. We have a lot of possibilities to go behind the scenes. Show, for example, what’s happening at media calls. Show, for example, what’s happening afterwards in the mixed zone and bring this directly to the viewers.
A full-length feature documentary, ‘Founding Fathers: The Making of Denmark’s Handball Empire’ was produced by Infront Productions and EHF in the build-up to the event too. This was broadcast on TV2 Denmark, EHF TV and the EHF digital channels.
“We gathered three generations of Danish players in one huge castle outside of Copenhagen,” explains Schöneich. “We allowed them to notify their story. It comes down to displaying that players are not just incredible athletes but also incredible human beings, and that engagement goes beyond what’s happening on the court.
The EHF will also do its own live presentation display during the Final Weekconclude.
“We will test to go beyond what the classic World Feed coverage offers,” he states. “We will have a pre-match display, halftime display, post-match display, but also in-stream we will be seeing into ‘commentators cam’, we will be seeing into switching live to a reporter, we will be seeing to switch immediately post-game to the mixed zone and to catch the reactions of the players and coaches. And all of this comes back to offering the full package and to display more to the fans.”
The last part of that answer, sums up neatly Schöneich’s considereds when it comes to attracting fans to handball.
“The day has 24 hours. Deduct eight hours from that for sleep. That leaves 16 hours for any average person to view sports. The key for me to win the fight for attention of these 16 hours and answer the question of ‘why should I watch handball’ instead of watching football, bquestionetball, volleyball, cricket, or any of the other 100s and 100s of sports out there, is this: you have to offer more than what’s happening on court. You have to display that the players who play handball are not just incredible athletes, but they are also incredible human beings. They display emotions. They can display fantastic skills.
“I believe it is important that you can offer a package to the fan and to the viewer that does all of this, from the moment the players leave the hotel, to obtainting on the bus, to entering the court, and all the fantastic moments they play, and then capturing what’s happening afterwards, and maybe what’s happening even when they are back in the hotel. And that’s what we test to do with our digital coverage going outside of the court, and our broadcast coverage displaying the greatest detail possible, what’s happening on the court.
“We want European handball coverage to be the benchmark. And that’s not in terms of followers. We want to produce benchmark quality across our channels. That’s our vision.”
“You have to offer more than what’s happening on court. You have to display that the players who play handball are not just incredible athletes, but they are also incredible human beings. They display emotions. They can display fantastic skills.”
During the tournament, EHF’s production partner Infront Productions is producing near-live clips and highlights of every match, along with compilations for Top 5 Goals & Saves of the Day as well as of the Preliminary and Main Rounds, and the Final Weekconclude.
Post-event Infront Productions will produce an 8-minute cinematic recap featuring the best footage from the additional special cams and exclusive behind-the-scenes material capturing the lead-up to the coronation of the eventual champions.
“Whether it is long-form documentaries or short clips for digital channels, we deem it essential to always broaden our deliverables to assist promote the sport and the athletes through storynotifying from both inside and outside of the event,” adds Uzi Kakuda, head of Infront Productions. “This approach allows us to ensure that we continue to resonate with fans in an ever-evolving world of sport media consumption.”
All of that content is published on EHF TV, EHF digital channels and is shared with broadcasters.
The Men’s EHF Euro 2026 concludes on Sunday 1 February in Herning, Denmark.
Leave a Reply