The Euro50 Q&A: Laurent Dumeau, CEO, Trace Sports

Sports and music lifestyle broadcaster Trace has made strong headway in a crowded pay TV market over the past year. One highlight was the launch of the Trace Sports channel, headed by Laurent Dumeau.

Age 38

Education BA Hons, European Management/Chartered Accountant.

Previous positions Senior vice-president, global affiliate sales, vice-president, business Development EMEA, chief financial officer France, all at NBC Universal.

Life outside work Like a true, real Frenchman, enjoying wine and food while pretending to do lots of sports. Spending time with my wife and kids is my main priority when I’m not travelling.

Key achievements of 2012 Launching the new channel Trace Sports in over 70 countries and reaching over 35 million subscribers: making the channel one of the fastest growing in the world.

Most significant industry developments Media convergence is accelerating with major players such as Google, Amazon, and/or Netflix announcing large investments in original content. In sport, new entrants like BT Vision or BeIN Sport also made significant moves and it will be interesting to see what strategy they will implement to get a return on these investments in a fragmented digital industry.

Key challenges for 2013 User-friendly platforms and competitive value propositions will be important as choices gets larger and competition fiercer. The substantial investments to fund innovation demand higher ARPU. Consumers may not accept or afford to spend more. Complicated and/or poor value for money propositions will struggle.

Goals for next year Transform the Trace Sports distribution success into a ratings one by launching new signature shows and developing brand awareness. We will also keep expanding Trace Sports content proposition around the world and across all digital platforms.

Most admired industry personality I really respect entrepreneurs. The story of Comcast founder Ralph Roberts is quite fascinating.  I also admire the founder and chairman of Trace Group, Olivier Laouchez, who has built from scratch an incredible international media group.

Favourite TV show I have been captivated by Homeland but I also love family-friendly shows such as The Voice that I can enjoy with my kids.