Olympic Channel Pacts with Global Sports Federations

LAUSANNE: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced cooperation agreements with 27 international sports federations to collaborate on content for the upcoming Olympic Channel.

A launch date for the OTT channel will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Among the sports federations partnering with the IOC are Badminton World Federation, International Basketball Federation, International Boxing Association, International Golf Federations, International Hockey Federation, United World Wrestling, World Rugby, International Swimming Federation and International Tennis Federation.

The channel will broadcast live sports events, news and athlete stories, as well as historical Olympic footage and official films from the IOC’s archives. There will also be a focus on educational and youth-oriented programming, sustainability, sports science and nutrition, and the promotion of a healthy and active lifestyle.

More than 60 full-time employees representing 20 different nationalities are already working on the channel. Its commercial and distribution departments are located at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, while the technical and production units operate out of Madrid. The Spain team is already working with production companies from around the world.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “The Olympic Channel will mark a major shift in how the Olympic Movement connects with young people all year round. The International Federations have embraced the Olympic Channel and we look forward to working with them on the exciting programming and promotional opportunities. The newly formed Olympic Channel team is making steady progress, with the emphasis on ensuring the product is right and the quality of the programming matches our ambition. We look forward to announcing the 2016 launch date in the coming weeks.”

Mark Parkman, the general manager of Olympic Channel Services, said: “Preparations for the launch of the Olympic Channel are on course and the announcement of these cooperation agreements with our IF partners is another important step forward. We expect to make further announcements regarding collaborations with other IFs and stakeholders in the near future. Content production has begun, the technology and platforms are being tested, and there is a growing sense of energy and excitement here among the Olympic Channel team as we prepare for launch this year.”