World Cup success may or may not be around the corner for England but Saltaire-based Pace Micro Technology has already qualified for a major boost thanks to France '98.

The cream of the world's footballing talent converges on France this summer and Eurosport, which will be screening all 64 games, has chosen Pace as its exclusive supplier of satellite TV set-top boxes.

Eurosport is hoping its comprehensive coverage of France '98 will entice thousands of viewers to purchase a Pace manufactured satellite system.

Under the terms of the deal between the two companies the Salts Mill firm's set-top receivers will be pre-tuned to the Eurosport channel.

Pace, which is hoping the deal will bring in an extra £2 million, will highlight its link with the broadcasting company in its marketing materials and is also supplying more than £50,000 worth of installed satellite systems as prizes for Eurosport-run competitions across the continent.

The Pace/Eurosport package will be available from leading electrical retailers from next month. Pace's regional director, David Coverdale, said: "Having the World Cup in Europe is a huge audience draw and the biggest event for the satellite trade for years. This is probably the last time it will be available to consumers so widely on free-to-air satellite transmission and with all 64 games on Eurosport it presents a great opportunity for the football public to get fully involved in the event.''

Michel Kubler, deputy managing director for Eurosport, which expects to reach 65 million viewers during the tournament, said: "We're partnering with Pace because of its genuine pan-European distribution network and its renowned sound and picture quality, which is essential for watching such an exciting sport like football.''

The World Cup boost comes a month after Pace reported losses of £12 million.

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