The International Table Tennis Federation’s 2017 World Championships have commenced in the German city of Düsseldorf, with the global governing body detailing new rights partners in the Americas.
The World Championships opened yesterday (Monday) and are due to run through to June 5. The ITTF said the new stable of broadcasters includes US sports broadcaster ESPN and Canadian public-service broadcaster CBC, as well as Brazilian media group Globo and Latin American media platform Claro Sports.
The ITTF said the deals ensure that the World Championships are being seen extensively in the Americas, a key growth area for table tennis. In total, the federation said the 2017 Worlds will be broadcast in over 120 territories across the world, setting new viewership records.
The ITTF will also be streaming eight tables of action on its online streaming platform tv.ITTF.com for all eight days of the competition.
New technologies and innovations such as aerial cam, ball-tracking technology and a live show on social media platform Facebook will also be utilised.