In 1948, the first terrestrial television relay captured the arrival of the Tour of France in Paris. That year, only a few thousand people were able to watch the happenings on 300 television sets spread across France. In 1998, half a century later, some three million TV viewers all around the plant watched the final of the World Football Championship. At first sports were looked down upon, considered simply as a way to plug empty airtime. Today broadcasters fight over sporting events, which draw audiences far larger than any other type of TV programming. The world�s biggest stars are no longer Hollywood actors but the �Gods of the stadiums,� with some athletes earning more money in 10 years than the Beatles made in their entire career.

Photos

Credits

Directed by

Jean-Christophe Ros�

Co-writers:

Beno�t Heimermann

Produced by

Cie des phares et balises

Technical information

Copyright :

2004

Running time:

54 minutes

Broadcasts :

France 5 (10/02/2004), TV5, France 4, 2M (Morocco)