NTT Europe Online Powers Sporting Sites to Glory at Industry Awards

LONDON -

- Euro2008, UEFA and Arsenal Websites Recognised by SportBusiness Ultimate Sports Websites Awards

LONDON, August 19 /PRNewswire/ –

NTT Europe Online’s managed hosting clients, Euro2008.com, Arsenal.com and the official UEFA website were each named in the top 15 sports websites at the inaugural SportBusiness Ultimate Sports Websites Awards.

Euro2008.com was awarded for having the ‘best content for an event site’, and ‘best site for attracting new fans’, with parent organisation UEFA receiving an award for being the ‘best federation or league site for attracting new fans’. Arsenal.com meanwhile was judged the 11th best overall sports website.

Commenting on the results, Damian Skendrovic, Regional Director - Northern Region at NTT Europe Online, said: “It’s a great accolade to see three of the websites we host ranked within the top 15 sports sites across the world. Sports websites have their own unique requirements and live events such as Euro2008 only have one chance to get it right, which is why they demand the completely reliable infrastructure and dedicated support NTT provides. We work closely with a range of sports organisations to guarantee the continued performance of their websites and applications, ensuring a fast and problem-free experience for fans across the globe.”

Kevin Roberts, editorial director at SportBusiness Group, added: “Since SportBusiness International’s launch in 1996 we have covered the development of sports websites at every step. Today they are at the very core of many sports clubs and events, providing a 24/7 interface with fans and creating a real sense of community and belonging and reaching every part of the world. The best websites have changed the way that the world of sport relates and reacts to its customers…the fans.”

NTT Europe Online provides managed hosting services to a range of clients in the sports sector, delivering scalable, high performance hosting that is ideally suited for organisations looking to deliver video and audio content and complex ticketing and e-commerce services to a growing worldwide audience of online fans.

The Ultimate Sports Websites Awards were introduced by renowned sports media publisher, SportBusiness Group, to recognise the increasingly important role that an effective online presence plays in all areas of sport and commerce.

The awards are based on the findings of a new report from SportBusiness that examines how sports organisations can achieve online success with popular, reliable and profitable websites. ‘Ultimate Sports Websites: Creating a Winning Online Proposition for Sport’ ranks the very best sports websites worldwide and highlights the results NTT Europe Online has achieved in delivering sports content online for its customers.

About NTT Europe Online

NTT Europe Online provides managed hosting, security and application management services to businesses globally. These services provide the reliability, availability, security and scalability needed to underpin business success online.

NTT Europe Online is certified to ISO27001 for Information Security Management and, as part of NTT Communications, has the global reach and scale to support businesses of all sizes. NTT Communications is the global data and IP services arm of the Fortune Global 500 telecom leader, Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corporation (NTT). For further information visit www.ntteuropeonline.com

About the SportBusiness Ultimate Sports Websites Awards

The Ultimate Sports Websites Awards are based on the findings of a new SportBusiness report by Rachael Church-Sanders. ‘Ultimate Sports Websites: Creating a Winning Online Proposition for Sport’ provides a ‘how to’ guide to creating a successful and profitable sports website. It shows the latest website monetisation strategies and backs them up with case studies as well as ranking the very best sports websites worldwide.

Source: NTT Europe Online

For further details, please contact: Josh Turner / Chris Brawley, Brands2Life, Tel: +44(0)207-592-1200, ntteo at brands2life.com. For an executive summary or more information on the report, please contact Adam Barker, Information Sales Manager, SportBusiness Group: adam.barker at sportbusiness.com +44(0)20-7954-3481