German Pubcasters ARD & ZDF Score Olympics Deal

Discovery Communications has sublicensed ARD and ZDF in Germany the free-to-air broadcast rights for live and highlights coverage of the Olympic Games through 2024.

The agreement covers the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and 2024, for which the host city is to be confirmed. This means that Eurosport will not transmit the Olympic Games exclusively in Germany between 2018 and 2024. Eurosport to retain exclusivity for select live events such as snowboarding, ice hockey (excluding German team matches and finals), figure skating and short track at PyeongChang 2018.

Peter Hutton, the CEO of Eurosport, said, “This long-term commitment between Discovery and ARD/ZDF is another example of our game-changing approach to premium live sport, empowering viewers to watch the biggest moments in sport whenever and however they choose. For the Olympic Games, our ambition is to share the world’s greatest event with more people, on more screens, than ever before. Establishing free-to-air partnerships with the best national broadcasters across Europe, such as ARD/ZDF, will enable us to fulfill this transformational goal.”

Susanne Aigner-Drews, the managing director of Discovery Networks Germany, said: “We have discussed a partnership with ARD/ZDF for some time and our new collaboration, for the Olympic Games until 2024 shows our desire to put viewers first.  They will enjoy the unrivaled coverage and have the chance to follow every moment, through more than 100 events, for the first time with Eurosport.”