French public-service broadcaster France Télévisions has renewed a rights deal for the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance motor-racing event.
The agreement, which ensures free-to-air domestic coverage of the race, will cover four editions, from 2017 to 2020.
France Télévisions renewed a long-standing agreement with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, which operates the event.
The agreement was brokered by the Infront Sports & Media agency, which is the exclusive media-rights partner of ACO and the World Endurance Championship, operated by the FIA, the global governing body of motorsports.
Under the deal, coverage will be shown on France Télévisions’ main channels, France 2 and France 3, as well as simultaneously via the FranceTVSport digital platform, which will offer more than 15 hours of live coverage, as well as highlights and news updates before, during and after the event.
France 3 will provide an additional six hours of live overnight coverage for the first time, from midnight to 6am.
News highlights will also be offered via France Télévisions’ FranceInfo news channel during the race. Further race updates will be provided during the Tout le Sport and Stade 2 sports magazine programmes on France 3 and France 2 respectively.