Geneva, 28 December, 2011 – More than 40* Members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) will be able to broadcast the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's New Year’s Concert, at Vienna's Musikverein Concert Hall, on 1 January.

Under its current concert package** with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (VPO), the EBU has since 2009 successfully distributed to more than 40 countries the world’s most watched and listened to annual classical music concert on TV and radio. 

The EBU recently renewed its distribution agreement with the VPO for the TV and radio broadcast rights for a further five years until 2017, offering EBU Members an exclusive portfolio of three classical concerts, including the New Year's Concert.

Joergen Franck, EBU TV Director a.i., welcomed the contract renewal as "an excellent continuing collaboration and creative exchange for the benefit of EBU Members".

The New Year’s Concert, which is produced by Austrian public broadcaster and EBU Member ORF, will be recorded in both Standard and High Definition and distributed globally on the EBU’s Eurovision and Euroradio satellite and fibre networks.

The 2012 New Year's Concert will be conducted by Latvian maestro Mariss Jansons. Jansons, who began his career with the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, is the principal conductor of both the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Amsterdam.

Note to editors:
*The 44 EBU Members that will be able to broadcast the concert are: Albania (RTSH), Andorra (RTVA), Azerbaijan (ITV), Belarus (BTRC), Belgium (RTBF & VRT), Bosnia Herzegovina (BHRT), Bulgaria (BNT), Croatia (HRT), Cyprus (CYBC), Czech Republic (CT), Denmark (DR), Egypt (ERTU), Estonia (ERR), Finland (YLE), France (FR2), Georgia (GTVR), Germany (ZDF), Greece (ERT), Hungary (MTV), Iceland (RUV), Italy (RAI), Kosovo (RTK), Latvia (LTV), Lebanon (TL), Lithuania (LRT), Macedonia (MKRTV), Moldova (TRM), Montenegro (RTCG), Netherlands (NOS), Norway (NRK), Poland (TVP2), Portugal (RTP), Romania (TVR), Russia (RTR), Serbia (RTS), Slovenia (RTVSLO), Spain (RTVE), Sweden (SVT), Switzerland (SF, TSI & TSR), Turkey (TRT) and UK (BBC).

**The EBU concert package comprises:
• The internationally popular New Year’s Concert from the Musikverein Concert Hall, Vienna. 
• The annual Summer Night Concert Schönbrunn, at the Schlosspark, Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna.
• A special concert held in a different international location each year:
In 2009 it was at the Shanghai Oriental Art Centre; in 2010 at the Cankar Hall, Slovenia, hosted by RTVSLO; in 2011 it took place at the National Auditorium of Music, Madrid, hosted by RTVE and in 2012 it will be held at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on 7 September, as part of the BBC Proms.

European Broadcasting Union
The EBU serves 85 national media organizations in 56 countries in and around Europe. It represents its Members and promotes the values and distinctiveness of public service media in Europe and around the world. The Eurovision and Euroradio networks deliver news, sports, events and music to EBU Members and other media organizations. Services to Members range from legal advice, technical standardization and development to coproductions and exchange of quality European content.

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