German public-service broadcasters ARD and ZDF have agreed rights partnerships with the DOSB New Media division of the German Olympic Sports Confederation and cycling’s returning Deutschland Tour event.
SportA, the sports rights agency of ARD and ZDF, has signed a sublicensing agreement with DOSB New Media that will run through to the end of 2019.
The comprehensive rights package includes more than 100 German championships, various federal leagues and many other top national events from 26 different national sports associations. Where ARD and ZDF are not already covering the events, DOSB New Media’s online streaming service, Sportdeutschland.TV, will show the action on an exclusive basis.
Björn Beinhauer, managing director of DOSB New Media, said: “Such an agreement is an absolute novelty, giving the associations a new and attractive stage to present to their fans and new audiences.
“We are convinced that the broadcasting of a sports event as a livestream and as video on demand, especially at Bundesliga and German championships level, will become the standard and we will work together with the associations to implement a nationwide transmission.”
Meanwhile, ARD and ZDF will provide coverage of the Deutschland Tour across all four days for its returning edition later this year.
In addition to the live broadcasts and race summaries on ARD and ZDF, the Deutschland Tour will also be shown live by international sports broadcaster Eurosport.
The Deutschland Tour returns to the calendar in 2018 following a 10-year absence. This year’s event will run from August 23-26.
The Tour is being organised by Amaury Sport Organisation. ASO has a 10-year agreement in place with the German Cycling Federation (BDR) with the aim of relaunching the Deutschland Tour as a top-tier event.