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The images from the Olympic Games remain free to receive in Germany
Photo: Fei Maohua / dpa
Sports fans can look forward to extensive TV coverage of the Olympic Games until at least 2032.
There will be hundreds of hours of moving pictures in Germany on ARD and ZDF as well as on Eurosport.
This is ensured by a contract between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the US company Warner Bros. Discovery, which was published on Monday.
At ARD and ZDF, the relief was great, because the stations initially received nothing in the previous call for tenders by the IOC eight years ago.
Only after lengthy renegotiations with the Eurosport parent did they secure the rights for the games from 2018 to 2024 via sub-licenses.
While the public broadcasters failed to go it alone, this time they secured extensive rights through the EBU.
Thanks to the merger of the public service broadcasters in Europe, ARD and ZDF are allowed to report more than 200 hours on the Summer Games and at least 100 hours on the Winter Games on television.
Most recently, the IOC had taken 1.3 billion euros for four games
In Germany, Olympic pictures will also be shown on the free TV channel Europort, which belongs to Warner Bros. Discovery.
Unlike eight years ago, the US company worked together with the EBU on the IOC tender this time and received the rights through a joint bid.
The IOC will redistribute 90 percent of the revenue generated, said Bach.
He did not say how much the contract is worth.
In the last tender for Europe, the IOC said it had raised 1.3 billion euros for four games.
The TV package includes the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles and 2032 in Brisbane as well as the 2026 Winter Games in Milan/Cortina d'Ampezzo and the 2030 games that have not yet been awarded. IOC President Thomas Bach said about the contracts with EBU and Warner Bros. Discovery: "We are delighted to have formed a long-term partnership with two of the world's leading media companies."
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