Multi-lingual and multi-national news broadcaster Euronews has agreed a major deal with SportAccord to provide regular coverage of the sports covered by the umbrella association for international federations and organisations.
Under the deal, Euronews will distribute original sports news from SportAccord’s member federations through the ‘Sports United’ weekly programme from January 2015 as well as other magazine shows focusing on specific sports.
Euronews will also have access to major national, regional and international competitions, “from football and gymnastics to beach volleyball and judo,” SportAccord said.
Each programme will be produced in 13 languages and available in more than 420 million households across 156 countries, as well as on digital media platforms.
The deal has been announced just weeks before the International Olympic Committee is due to put a proposal to create a new Olympic television channel to a members’ vote. The IOC executive committee has already approved the plan.
“We are very excited about the mutually beneficial partnership with Euronews,” SportAccord president Marius Vizer said. “This partnership will enable premium exposure for SportAccord members and at the same time raise interest in all sports of the masses. Euronews, the international and multi-lingual news channel offers us the opportunity to highlight the richness of our federations’ activities and to make it accessible to a broad audience.”
Euronews chief executive Michael Peters added: “Today, it is very complex to buy and trade distribution rights for sport events. We decided to take a more global, high-level approach. SportAccord showed interest in the idea. Furthermore, this agreement came as a natural fit. At Euronews, our editorial team of over 400 journalists from 30 nationalities represents our channel’s diversity. It was natural to us to partner with SportAccord, an organisation that represents a broad and nearly unlimited diversity of athletes, sports and disciplines.”