SVG Europe Summit: ITV Sport and HBS to discuss FIFA World Cup 2026

Tony Cahalane, ITV Sport, technical director, Paul McNamara, ITV Sport, executive director and producer, and HBS director of digital Johannes Franken will take SVG Europe Summit attendees inside the FIFA World Cup 2026, as they reflect on the realities of delivering coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The trio will be part of a panel sharing production lessons, including the models that proved effective across time zones and platforms, and how viewing behaviour, storylines and time differences influenced editorial decisions, formats, and output.

Sponsored by Panasonic, The Summit returns to De Hallen Studio’s in Amsterdam on 10 September, bringing together senior leaders from across the European sports production and broadcasting industry to explore the commercial and technology trends shaping the future of live sport.

Other confirmed speakers include Louise Lawler, Eurovision Sport, head of content, Arjan van Westerloo, NEP Europe, executive vice president, and Rohit Nagarajan, Vizrt, chief executive officer. They will explore the key forces reshaping European sports broadcasting and production, including rising rights costs, digital shifts, and emerging technologies like AI and cloud production.

Thomas Schöneich, director of media & communications and Jelena Bagarić, TV & media operations manager at the European Handball Federation, will offer a candid look at how and why it produces and distributes content across broadcast, digital and emerging platforms, aligning media output with wider organisational goals. 

David Taunton, International Sports Broadcasting, head of production, and Bobby Baksi, SVT Sport, project manager, will then share practical tips for building efficient workflows for highlights, archive and social content.

The day will end with Yiannis Exarchos, chief executive of Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), receiving the 2026 Outstanding Contribution to European Sports Broadcasting award.

Register for The Summit now.