Infront awarded free-to-air sub-Saharan Africa Olympic rights

Infront Sports & Media has acquired the broadcast rights in sub-Saharan Africa to Sochi 2014, Rio 2016 and this year’s Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China.

The new deal includes exclusive free-to-air television and radio rights, as well as non-exclusive internet and mobile rights, to 43 territories in the region, from Angola to Zimbabwe.

Infront will now work to sublicense the rights to sub-Saharan broadcasters, working in collaboration with France-based agency TV Media Sport (TVMS), which previously distributed Uefa Euro 2012 and the 2013 IAAF World Championships across sub-Saharan Africa.

The programming on offer includes live and delayed signal and highlights to all competitions, as well as full coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies for all three events.

In addition, in order to tailor the programming for the African market Infront and TVMS will produce a specific broadcast feed which will include a focus on African athletes and competitions popular in the region, with programming presented in English, French and Portuguese.

“This agreement reflects the global appeal of the Olympic Games, and our aim is to reach audiences in all regions across the globe with the best broadcast offering,” said IOC president Thomas Bach.

“We want to not only generate viewership for sports where African athletes already perform successfully, but also boost appeal for Olympic sports gaining popularity on the continent.”

IOC member Richard Carrión, who led the negotiations, added: “The partnership with Infront allows us to take advantage of its network across the continent, supported further by a tailor-made editorial plan for African broadcasters and their viewers.”

Stephan Herth, the executive director of summer sports at Infront, thanked the IOC for showing trust in the agency, adding: “Our ambition is to encourage the growth of sport in Africa with a dedicated broadcast product and continue to advocate the Olympics as a worldwide event.

“We are looking forward to delivering the Winter Olympics to television screens in so many countries in Africa for the first time in 2014.”

Sochi 2014, Russia’s first Winter Olympics, is scheduled to run from 6th to 23rd February.