Qatari broadcaster beIN Media Group has agreed a programming partnership with the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Channel platform.
The partnership begins today (Monday) with programming blocks, and will eventually lead to the launch of a 24/7 linear channel on November 1.
The new channel, which will be entitled ‘beIN Sports Home of the Olympic Channel’, will be made available across 24 Middle East and North Africa territories.
From today, a daily eight-hour programming block will be shown on beIN Sports’ free-to-air channel. The block will feature an exclusive preview shows to highlight some of the coverage that will be available through the partnership.
The programming will include Olympic-related content and will also promote the new linear channel ahead of its November launch. The new channel will offer year-round coverage of Olympic sports and will be accessible through a subscription-based model.
The channel will showcase extensive coverage of the 2018 winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Other programming will include live broadcasts from beIN’s sports-rights portfolio, original series produced by the Olympic Channel, IOC archive footage, and additional news and highlights.
Today’s deal serves to amplify the existing partnership between beIN and the IOC. BeIN holds exclusive broadcast rights in the Mena region to the 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024 Olympic Games.
The Olympic Channel launched following the conclusion of the 2016 summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.