Norwegian public-service broadcaster NRK has renewed its domestic rights for Norwegian Ski Federation events for a further five seasons, while also striking an sublicensing agreement with commercial and pay-television broadcaster TV2.
NRK’s deal with the Norwegian Ski Federation, from 2021-22 to 2025-26, is for rights to all International Ski Federation (FIS) Alpine, cross-country, ski jumping, Nordic Combined, freestyle, freeskiing and snowboard World Cup events held in Norway.
It currently holds the same set of rights in a five-season deal, from 2016-17 to 2020-21.
Following on from its domestic deal with the Norwegian Ski Federation, NRK has agreed a sublicensing agreement with TV2 for selected FIS events held in Norway between 2021-22 and 2025-26.
The broadcasting split between the two broadcasters is unknown, but the pair have said that this decision will be made well in advance of the start of the 2021-22 season.
The domestic deal follows on from the news this week that the Norwegian Ski Federation renewing its deal for international rights with Infront for a further five seasons, from 2021-22 to 2025-26. Infront currently hold rights in the 2016-21 cycle.
In Norway, pan-Nordic broadcaster Nordic Entertainment (Nent) Group holds rights to those events outside Norway (excluding events in Austria and Switzerland) in the 2021-26 cycle after agreeing a package deal with the Infront agency last year.
Nent’s deal with Infront for the package of FIS events initially shocked the market.
Skiing has been traditionally shown by the region’s public-service broadcasters and NRK currently hold these rights in a five-season deal , from 2016-17 to 2020-21, with Infront. Critics argued that moving from a public-service broadcaster to a commercial platform would have a damaging effect on the sport’s audience.
In securing domestic rights until 2025-26, along with the Visma Ski Classics over the same period, NRK has said that it will continue to have a “a strong position in winter sports”.