Infront Sports to Broadcast Olympics in Africa

LAUSANNE: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has licensed the broadcast rights in sub-Saharan Africa to Infront Sports & Media for this year's Olympic Winter Games in Russia, the 2016 Games of the Olympiad in Brazil and the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics in China.

Infront has also picked up the exclusive broadcast rights for free-to-air television as well as the non-exclusive Internet and mobile broadcast rights. The agreement involves more than 40 territories in the region, including Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Thomas Bach, the president of IOC, said: "This agreement reflects the global appeal of the Olympic Games, and our aim is to reach audiences in all regions across the globe with the best broadcast offering. We want to not only generate viewership for sports where African athletes already perform successfully, but also boost appeal for Olympic sports gaining popularity on the continent.”

Richard Carrión, a member of IOC, said: "Infront has acquired the rights and will now work to sublicense those rights to broadcasters in the region to ensure excellent coverage of the Olympic Games for sports fans. The partnership with Infront allows us to take advantage of its network across the continent, supported further by a tailor-made editorial plan for African broadcasters and their viewers."


Stephan Herth, the executive director of summer sports for Infront Sports & Media, added: "We would like to thank the IOC for trusting in our broadcast distribution experience and ability to extend the spirit and scope of Olympic programming to an even broader audience. Our ambition is to encourage the growth of sport in Africa with a dedicated broadcast product and continue to advocate the Olympics as a worldwide event. We are looking forward to delivering the Winter Olympics to television screens in so many countries in Africa for the first time in 2014."