The German Olympic Committee (DOSB) has offered to show the 2015 men’s handball World Championships on its online sports television channel, Sportdeutschland.TV, if a late deal for the tournament’s rights on German television is not sealed.
Hans-Peter Krämer, the DOSB’s vice-president of finance, said that the committee would be happy to acquire the rights for “well under” €100,000 ($125,000) if a “last-minute deal” is not reached with another broadcaster.
It was confirmed last week that German public-service broadcasters ARD and ZDF have pulled out of talks to acquire rights for the tournament.
Bernhard Bauer, the president of the DHB, the sport’s governing body in Germany, responded to Krämer’s comments by saying: “This is an offer, but we hope that we will not have to accept it. We are still hoping that the games are shown on free-to-air television. We are handball players, so we will play until the final minute.”
Jonathan Rogers, the managing director of Pitch International, the agency responsible for trying to broker a deal in Germany, added to the DPA news agency: “We are committed to finding a solution in Germany, as we have done in other European countries.”