Discovery & Olympic Channel Enter European Partnership

Olympic Channel and Discovery Communications have struck up a new partnership that covers 50 markets in Europe.

Starting August 2, Olympic Channel-branded programming and content will be airing on Eurosport and Eurosport Player. Eurosport will also have a presence on the Olympic Channel. Additionally, an Olympic Channel digital portal will be made available on Eurosport.com. The partnership further calls for digital amplification of content through dedicated presence on Eurosport’s local Facebook pages and Twitter handles. Eurosport will make use of its sport production capabilities and expertise to produce new and exclusive original content for sports fans across all platforms, as well as access to localized content, original series, news and other engaging features. Olympic Channel will promote Eurosport’s platforms, with its coverage of live sporting events and the Olympic Games.

The agreement runs through 2024, which coincides with the duration of Discovery Communications’ current run as “Home of the Olympics” and exclusive multimedia rights holder for the Olympic Games in Europe.

Mark Parkman, the general manager of the IOC’s global Olympic Channel, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Eurosport to bring audiences closer to the Olympic Movement through a more personalized experience through the Olympic Channel.

“As we approach our one-year anniversary, this new partnership is an important step as we continue to grow and expand the platform across the globe with localized versions further enabling fans to discover, engage and share in the power of sport and the excitement of the Olympic Games.”

Jean-Briac Perrette, Discovery Networks International’s president and CEO, said: “This long-term partnership with the Olympic Channel raises the bar in terms of delivering the very best Olympic stories to more audiences in the most accessible way.

“For Eurosport, the Olympic Games is always much greater than two weeks of sport. Establishing a long-term partnership with the Olympic Channel to produce, distribute and showcase the very best Olympic content will significantly strengthen our ongoing programming that will keep the Olympic flame burning all year round.”

Peter Hutton, the CEO of Eurosport, said: “The IOC has been an extremely strong partner during the preparations for our first Games as Home of the Olympics at PyeongChang 2018. We are pleased this new collaboration will deepen our relationship and extend our Olympic storytelling even further.

“When we tell Olympic stories we believe it is important to bring something different. This is why we don’t just replay the Olympic archive but make it show fans something new—such as when we lined up Usain Bolt, Carl Lewis and Jessie Owens together on-screen for the first time in Race of Legends.”