UEFA's Champions League final for the first time replaced the NFL's Super Bowl as the most-watched annual sports

MADRID, May 2010 – Intersport, the world’s leading sports retailer, is the official UEFA merchandising partner during the 2010 UEFA Champions League final between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich.

Europe’s top soccer event of the season will be held at the prestigious Santiago Bernabéu soccer stadion in Madrid on May 22.

TOSHIBA TEC and Intersport have extended their long-term partnership agreement whereby TOSHIBA TEC will supply a complete Electronic Point of Sale (POS) solution to handle an estimated half a million visitors in the build up to the final clash between the two best soccer teams in the Champions League this year.

Intersport will set up 14 temporary merchandising stores in Madrid in addition to a 350 sq.m Fan Zone inside the Bernabeu stadion; merchandising stores will also be opened at Valdebebas and Getafe where the European finals for the Under-21 and the Women’s will be played.

A total of 64 POS stations equipped with TOSHIBA TEC ST-A10 TouchPOS systems with integrated credit card reader and ticket printers will be in use from May 15 through 22.

“Intersport required a ruggedized, stable and reliable POS platform to handle the estimated half a million visitors during the festivities before and during the UEFA Champions League final in Madrid. We are very proud that they again put their trust in TOSHIBA TEC,” said Carlos Camaros, sales director TOSHIBA TEC Spain.

Extra Information

UEFA's Champions League final has for the first time replaced the NFL's Super Bowl as the most-watched annual sports event, according to a survey.

The yearly report from London-based Initiative Futures Sports and Entertainment, found that both events continue to grow but the European soccer final is growing faster.

With 2009 not including a 'mega event' — a Summer Olympic Games or a soccer World Cup or European championship — it offered a chance to measure the two biggest annual sporting events.

The 2009 Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United, on May 27, drew an average audience of 109 million while the Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals on February 1, attracted three million less.

In terms of 'total audience', the amount of people who watched part of the event, the difference was larger with the Champions League pulling in 206 million throughout the game while the Super Bowl managed 162 million.

While the Super Bowl's audience was overwhelmingly domestic, UEFA's product appeared to be doing better in the battle for viewers globally — in non-World Cup and non-Olympic Games year.

"The Champions League has been better able to exploit the large burgeoning populations of the Asia-Pacific region," said Kevin Alavay, the report's director, who noted the presence of global brands such as Barcelona and Manchester United helped UEFA.

Organising soccer body UEFA said about the 2010 final: “FC Internazionale Milano’s 45-year wait for victory in Europe’s leading club competition could soon be over, but final opponents FC Bayern Munchen will not make it easy for them in Madrid.”

About TOSHIBA TEC Europe

TOSHIBA TEC Europe (TERIS) manages product planning, marketing, sales, service support and distribution of point of sale systems, cash registers, scales, barcode printers, peripherals and software information systems throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. As a total solution provider, TOSHIBA TEC Europe offers a complete package from consulting and system design to system installation, operation and maintenance.
Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium TERIS has three divisions: the Retail division; the Auto ID & Printing division and the Services division.
TOSHIBA TEC is an independent operating company of Toshiba Corporation, a world leader and innovator in pioneering high technology, a diversified manufacturer and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products spanning information & communications systems; digital consumer products; electronic devices and components; power systems, including nuclear energy; industrial and social infrastructure systems; and home appliances.
Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 730 companies, with 199,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing US$67 billion.
For more information on TOSHIBA TEC point of sale systems, cash registers, scales, barcode printers, peripherals and software information systems, or for a dealer in your area, call +32 2 410 2100 or visit the TERIS web site at www.toshibatec-eu.com.

For media enquiries please contact:

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Contact: Mr Eric Dauchy
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