Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has acquired rights for International Association of Athletics Federations events, including the athletics World Championships, in a six-year deal from 2014 to 2019.
The deal means the broadcaster will show three editions of the biennial World Championships, including the 2015 event in Beijing.
CCTV will also broadcast World Athletics Series events, which include the World Indoor Championships, the Continental Cup, the World Junior Championships, the World Youth Championships, the World Cross Country Championships and the World Relays, which will make their debut in 2014.
CCTV struck the deal with the Dentsu agency, one of the association’s media distribution partners.
“I am particularly pleased that this agreement will ensure that coverage of the IAAF’s most important events will not only be seen in China but by the broadest possible audience, thanks to CCTV’s status as the country’s most important free-to-air broadcaster,” IAAF president Lamine Diack said. “One of the key pillars of the IAAF’s commercial and sporting strategy is to fully develop the potential of our sport in Asia, and this deal is a major step in this direction.”