French pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports is seeking bids from free-to-air broadcasters in the country for rights to the finals of the men’s and women’s World Handball Championships next year.
BeIN Sports wants to share coverage of the finals of the two tournaments under a sublicensing deal with a free-to-air broadcaster.
The rights were put out to the market “recently,” according to French daily newspaper l’Equipe, with the winning bidder expected to be announced “in the coming days.”
The final of the 2015 men’s tournament in Qatar will take place on February 1, while the final of the women’s event in Denmark will be staged on December 20 next year.
Under French media law, the games would have to be available on free-to-air television if they feature the France national team, but beIN Sports editorial director Florent Houzot said that the company wanted to award the rights in advance of the tournaments.