The International Association of Athletics Federations has appointed ITN Productions as its partner in forming a joint venture company for host broadcasting and media production.
The selection of the UK-based production company comes after the IAAF launched a public tender process in May with the intent of taking greater control of the way its leading global events are presented.
The aim of the new company is to develop production capabilities that will be used by local organising committees around the world to ensure consistent high level broadcasts and production standards.
The company will initially deliver host broadcasting of IAAF World Athletics Series and IAAF World Indoor Tour events plus all the IAAF’s non-live production requirements including magazine and feature programming, digital and branded content.
The JV company will work with partners across the athletics family including rights holders, event organisers, sponsors and athletes to ensure quality and consistency of production across the sport.
Pending completion of agreements and final approval from the parties’ respective governing bodies, the company is expected to commence operations in January.
IAAF chief executive Olivier Gers said: “This is a great sport with outstanding athletes and stories and I was delighted by the amount of interest we received to our Request for Information when it opened in May.
“We have some exciting new ideas and were looking for a partner who shares our vision and is also prepared to think outside the box and bring the excitement, fun and spectacle of the sport to our fans all over the world.”
ITN Productions was host broadcaster for the 2017 IAAF World Relays in April, providing live broadcast, digital and social media coverage of the event in Nassau, Bahamas.