Olympic Broadcast Rights Awarded in Germany, France, Korea

LAUSANNE: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has awarded the broadcast rights for the 2014 and 2016 Games to ARD and ZDF for Germany, while France Télévisions is to serve as the exclusive French home for the Games through 2020, and SBS is on board for the Korean rights from 2018 to 2024.

In Germany, ARD and ZDF picked up the rights across all platforms—free- and pay-TV, Internet, mobile—for the XXII Olympic Winter Games (2014) in Sochi, Russia, and the Games of the XXXI Olympiad (2016) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. France Télévisions picked up the exclusive broadcast rights in France, also covering all platforms. In addition to the 2014 and 2016 Games, France Télévisions’ deal includes the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games, which have yet to be awarded to a host city. SBS bagged the exclusive broadcast rights in the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for the Games in 2018 and 2020, as well as the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in 2022 and the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in 2024. SBS picked up the rights across all platforms, and the agreement also includes a commitment to broadcast the Youth Olympic Games during the same period.

Of the deal with ARD and ZDF, Jacques Rogge, IOC president, said, “We are very pleased to continue our relationship with ARD and ZDF. They have provided fantastic broadcast coverage of the Games to the widest possible audience in Germany for many years and have demonstrated a strong commitment to the Olympic Movement.” Added IOC executive board member Thomas Bach: “ARD and ZDF have proven to be excellent broadcast partners for the Olympic Movement. This is the first time we have negotiated broadcast rights directly in Germany, as opposed to through a broadcast union, and we are delighted to continue our relationship with the experienced teams at both ARD and ZDF.”

Ulrich Wilhelm, the CEO Bayerischer Rundfunk and director general for sports rights in the ARD, said, "We shall continue to cover the Olympic Games in a way which will fully preserve its outstanding and unique character." Markus Schächter, the director general of ZDF, commented, “The Olympic Games are part of the world’s biggest live events. ZDF and ARD highly appreciate the award of the rights by IOC which confirms the high level standards we have reached in sports coverage.”

Rogge said of the French agreement: “We are very pleased to continue our partnership with France Télévisions. We are confident they will continue to do a fantastic job of providing the best possible broadcast coverage of the Games to the largest possible audience in France across a variety of media platforms.” Bach added: “Traditionally the IOC has negotiated broadcast rights on a pan-European basis, however the media landscape is changing quickly and we have adapted our approach in recent years by negotiating directly in certain markets. We are delighted to reach this agreement directly with our long-term partner France Télévisions and look forward to continuing our work with them.”

Rémy Pflimlin, the chairman of France Télévisions, remarked: “The Olympic Games are part of the DNA of our group, and are one the cornerstones of sports programming of France Télévisions, that is known in France as the ‘widest field of sports’ on free-to-air television. We are very pleased to renew our long time partnership with the IOC, with this agreement which is, for the first time, signed for four Olympic Games, and which will allow us to provide the Olympic Games with the widest possible coverage on all media platforms. Through this agreement, which secures our presence on the Olympic Games for the upcoming decade, we confirm our continued support to the Olympic sports.”

Rogge commented of the deal with SBS: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with SBS through to 2024. SBS have been our broadcast partner in the region for many years and I would like to thank them for their commitment to the Olympic Movement.” Richard Carrión, IOC executive board member, added: “This is the first broadcast agreement we have reached for the period running to 2024. This long term agreement is testament to the continuing appeal of the Olympic Games, and we are delighted that SBS will continue to provide fantastic coverage of the Games well into the next decade.”

Se-Young Yoon, SBS’ chairman, concluded: "[It is a] great pleasure to be the first broadcaster in the world to extend our contractual partnership with the IOC through 2024." He added: "SBS will gladly continue the support for the Olympic Movement overall and young Olympic athletes in particular."