It’s moving on the side of RTL Sport! The private channel was the center of all the attention of the summer transfer window on TV with in particular the arrival at the head of the sports department of Vincenzo Ciuro, straight from Eleven Sports (from where also comes the new big boss of RTL Belgium, Guillaume Collard). He thus joins Anne Ruwet and Emiliano Bonfigli for the big football evenings, more and more numerous on RTL. An arrival which in any case reflects the ambition to take the ball even further as soon as the opportunity arises.
“Today, sport at RTL is more than ever a pillar of the channel,” Vincenzo tells us straight away. “It’s a very strong position from the new management, which has really decided to make the sport an entity in its own right. The ambition is to anchor sport even more, not only on TV, but also digitally, which is an area that we absolutely want to develop with better use of the content we already have, but also the creation of new content. , new formats, using even better RTLplay. Our desire is to bring sport to all our media. »
And Anne Ruwet adds: “What is strong in our current offer is that everything is complementary: we have the proximity with the Belgian Cup, the unifying side with the Red Devils in the League of Nations and the prestige with the Champions League, which brings together the big stars of the round ball. We brew widely, we reach a large audience. »
Vincenzo was in any case very quickly integrated into the RTL Sport team. “We already knew each other well. With Emiliano, we made many trips together when we each commented on the Champions League. We spent a lot of time in planes, restaurants, hotels. I’ve also known Anne for a bunch of years. And I discovered a great team that works behind the screens. It’s a small team, but it’s very close-knit, with a lot of mutual aid and professionalism. My arrival is part of this framework, with an ever stronger desire for innovation. But also changes. I want to make RTL Sport an even more qualitative, cutting-edge label, where the ambition is to be on top everywhere. But I am flabbergasted by the work this team is doing. When you see the human resources made available and the performance on screen over more than 50 evenings a year, it’s very impressive. »
RTL therefore has nothing to be ashamed of in relation to RTBF when it comes to sport. “Personally, I never had a feeling of inferiority vis-à-vis the RTBF”, specifies Emiliano Bonfigli. “They have more rights, so it’s normal that they show more sports, including niche competitions. And they have other missions than RTL. An opinion shared by Vincenzo. “We have often stuck a label of sports specialists on RTBF and a sometimes more negative label on the shoulders of RTL. But there are things I see at RTBF that are poorly exposed and things at RTL that are very well handled. The reality often lies in the middle. RTBF is also protected, as the public television of a small country, by European regulations, which is not our case. We are a private channel that has fought hard over the past two decades to develop content and rights. Qualitatively, RTL has nothing to be ashamed of! “ And Anne Ruwet to specify all the same that it is not necessary to oppose automatically the two chains. “There is no rivalry. When we meet again, we are happy. There is a positive vibe. »
Still, the arrival of Vincenzo also led to departures, in particular that of Philippe Vande Walle who was dismissed when he had been a consultant and co-commentator for eight years. “We were at a turning point”, justifies Vincenzo. “Following my arrival, the idea was to bring freshness to the team, including the consultants. Knowing that Felice Mazzù could no longer continue and that Mbaye Leye was going to have to reduce the sails, I also wanted to innovate at this level by bringing in new faces, whether they were sure values like Johan Wallem and Thomas Chatel, or people of the new generation like Will Still or Damien Marcq. We were at a turning point where we had to change and revitalize things. »
Sports other than football?
From now on, should we also imagine that RTL launches into other sports than football, which, for the time being, has the monopoly of retransmissions on the private channel? “As enthusiasts, we always want to have more and more rights,” explains Emiliano. “Afterwards, we have to see what is possible. But the urge is there. Anne Ruwet is just as enthusiastic: “When Guillaume Collard arrived at RTL, I gave him the title of the man of all possibilities. With all the dynamics in place, I want to believe it. He has a sports streak and the arrival of Vincenzo is there to set up a new dynamic. These are not just words, there is really something concrete. Even if there are budget limits. »
In any case, in the immediate future, it is the round ball which will hold the top of the bill, with the two Nations League matches: Belgium / Wales this Thursday September 22 and Netherlands / Belgium on Sunday 25. “These are the last two important matches of the Red Devils before the World Cup, which will show what state of mind they are in,” recalls Anne. “And there is a real stake. Belgium must finish first in their group if they want to find themselves in the “final four”, the final square of the League of Nations in June. »
This is all the more important as in this case, it is possible that our country will host the matches of this final phase. “I think it’s possible that we finish first,” adds Emilano. “A month and a half before the World Cup, these two meetings will be taken very seriously by the players and Roberto Martinez. We are not going to relive an evening like during the first leg against the Netherlands where we were upgraded. And Vincenzo concludes: “The Devils have been pricked in their pride and they will want to show themselves! This should promise two great encounters.
Vincenzo Ciuro: “As a child, I commented on matches in my garden”
At 39, the new head of sports at RTL already has more than fifteen years of career as a commentator on the Proximus TV and Eleven Sports channels. A passion for football that dates back to his childhood. “I played from my 6 years to my 22 years. My earliest memories are of the World Cup in Italy. I’ve been a football fan since I was a kid. When I was very young, I already used to commentate in the garden on the matches I played with my cousins or friends. And I’ve been living from my passion for fifteen years. I realized my dream. “A passion job, but very demanding, especially in the evenings and weekends. “I am lucky to have a very understanding wife who has always supported me since the beginning of my career. It’s super-important, because it involves sacrifices in social and family life. His ultimate dream? “To comment on even a World Cup match. And even better a final with Belgium. There, I can die peacefully. (Laughs.)”
