The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), an alliance of public service broadcasters across Europe, has today announced a significant restructuring of the leadership team within its sports division.
Andreas Aristodemou will assume the role of director of Olympics, succeeding Pascal Fratellia who recently stepped down from the position.
Aristodemou, who has been with the EBU since May 2015, has held key leadership positions in Eurovision Sport, including as senior sports project manager for soccer from 2015 to 2018, followed by a stint as head of aquatic sports in 2019, with additional support in soccer.
Since 2020, he has served as head of summer sports, making significant contributions to the EBU's sporting portfolio.
In his new role, he will be responsible for all IOC matters at the EBU and will join the sport management team, reporting to Glen Killane, executive director of EBU Sport.
Fratellia was named director of Olympics, a newly created role, in March 2023 after the EBU acquired long-term rights to the major event. Last month (April), he announced his departure from the organization after 17 years.
Meanwhile, Frédéric Sanz has been promoted to the newly expanded position of head of summer sports and cycling. Since joining the EBU in 2015, he has had a key role in the summer sports team, initially as senior sports rights manager and later as the head of cycling operations.
He has overseen several men and women’s cycling properties such as the Tour de France, the Vuelta, and the UCI Cycling World Championships.
In his expanded role, Sanz will oversee the entire summer sports portfolio, including athletics, aquatics, and gymnastics, and will continue to report to Adrian Fikentscher, director of acquisitions, sales, and partnerships for EBU Sport.
Aristodemou and Sanz have been credited with playing a key role in the acquisition process for the Olympic Games rights for the 2026-2032 period, which were secured by the EBU last year.
Another senior leadership change will see Jean-Baptiste Casta assume the role of director of business operations and the new Eurovision Sport streaming platform.
Casta has had a leadership role in the sport team since 2015 when he joined as senior sports rights manager of soccer from international sports marketing agency Sportfive.
Since then, he has been head of business development and head of strategy and business operations, and has played a key role in strategic projects such as the recent development of the EBU’s first direct-to-consumer sports streaming platform.
Casta is part of the management team and continues to report to Killane.
These transitions will be facilitated through a gradual handover period from June 1 “to ensure uninterrupted service delivery.”
The EBU said the organizational changes in the sports division are “aimed at enhancing operational effectiveness and strengthening the leadership team, in anticipation of a major sports calendar, including the Olympic Games from 2026.”
Killane said: “These appointments are an acknowledgment of the talent we have in our sports team at the EBU which has consistently achieved positive results in a fiercely competitive arena.
“We remain totally focused on delivering top results for our members and our partners. The media landscape is changing rapidly, just as we are to ensure we continue to succeed.”
