DSF to Become Sport1

ISMANING: Constantin Medien is bringing the German sports channel DSF and online portal Sport1 under the same umbrella, retaining the Sport1 name.

As of April 11, DSF will be known as Sport1, with a new logo and additional programs. The channel will feature around 1,150 hours of live sports this year, and has secured the rights to the Ice Hockey World Championship, to be held in May in Germany, and will also be showing the opening game at the VELTINS-Arena in Schalke/Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The channel is also broadcasting the 14 track and field athletics meetings of the IAAF Diamond League. Alongside the extra live sporting events, around 20 new sports entertainment formats, documentaries and magazines will be added to the lineup in 2010.

There are also plans for mobile extensions, with more news, videos and live tickers on the WAP portals, as well as additional iPhone Apps. Sport1 will also grow its social-media activities, promoting and engaging in dialogue using Facebook, StudiVZ/MeinVZ and Twitter.

Zeljko Karajica, the managing director of DSF and Sport1, said: "Our one-brand strategy takes account of the increasing fragmentation in the digital media world and the associated changes in media usage. By bundling our competence and consistently linking the contents of our communication channels TV, online and mobile, we will be able to make the very most of multimedia value-creation chain."

Bernhard Burgener, the CEO of Constantin Medien, added: "We are creating a sustainable business model with strong credibility through this strategic realignment and new positioning of the umbrella brand Sport1. We are safeguarding the trust placed in our company and our products and are opening up new revenue streams."