DISCOVERY AND RADIO FRANCE REACH OLYMPIC GAMES AGREEMENT FOR BEIJING 2022 AND PARIS 2024
Discovery today re-affirmed its commitment to reaching more people and making the Olympic Games more accessible than ever with Radio France announced as the Official Radio Partner in France for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The agreement between Discovery, Home of the Olympics in Europe* and Radio France, sees the French public service broadcaster assume non-exclusive radio rights, covering all aspects of its home Olympic Games at Paris 2024 from its preparations right through to competition-time for millions of listeners across the country. Radio France has also secured Official Radio Partner status for Beijing 2022, underlining its commitment to the Olympic movement.
Antonio Ruiz, Senior Vice President, General Manager Discovery France and Iberia said: “Our partnership with Radio France is another example of Discovery's commitment to the implementation of extensive and innovative agreements around the Olympic Games. With more than 40 partnerships signed or underway for the broadcasting of the next Olympic Games across Europe, Discovery is continuing its commitment to the IOC to reaching as many people as possible.
“Discovery's unrivalled experience in developing commercial agreements with major players in the European market, and in particular with major public broadcasters, reflects the strategic value and commercial success of the Group's acquisition of the Olympic Games."
Sibyle Veil, President and CEO of Radio France, said: "By becoming the official radio for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, Radio France is committed to ensuring that this historic event and its preparations can be experienced by all French people, free of charge, throughout the country. Like culture, sport plays an essential role in our society and the public service will support, through its coverage of the Olympic Games, everyone in sport, whether professional or amateur, female or male, able-bodied or disabled."
Vincent Rodriguez, Director of Sports for Radio France, added: "The Olympic Games calendar for the next few years has never been so rich! After Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 next year, Radio France listeners will be able to experience the highlights of the preparation and the events of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and of course those of Paris 2024. Our teams will be mobilized as closely as possible to follow athletes and all those involved in the Olympic Games, allowing all of our audiences to experience this exceptional adventure at the heart of the event."
Last year, Discovery complemented its status as the Home of the Olympics in Europe by becoming an Official Broadcaster of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in France. In a separate agreement, it was announced that France Télévisions would sub-license (from Discovery) exclusive free-to-air audio-visual rights to the 2022 and 2024 editions of the Olympic Games.
Discovery holds the exclusive multimedia rights for 50 countries and territories in Europe through to Olympic Games Paris 2024, announced with the International Olympic Committee in June 2015. Since the agreement, Discovery has concluded in excess of 30 Olympic Games sublicensing agreements, following partnership deals with national broadcasters including in Austria (ORF), Belarus (Belarus National State Broadcasting), Croatia (HRT), the Czech Republic (Ceska Televize), Finland (YLE), Hungary (MTVA), Netherlands (NOS), Slovenia (RTV Slovenija), Slovakia (RTVS), Switzerland (SRG SSR) and UK (BBC).
*Excludes Russia. Eurosport will be an Official Broadcaster in France and the UK for Tokyo 2020.