The agreement covers 50 markets in Europe and will advance the shared ambition to further amplify Eurosport’s live coverage of the Olympic Games with compelling content that connects more audiences with the power of sport and the Olympic Movement 365 days a year. 

Launching August 2nd, fans will see: Olympic Channel-branded programming hours and content launching on Eurosport and Eurosport Player; Eurosport presence on the Olympic Channel; an Olympic Channel digital portal on Eurosport.com; and digital amplification of content through dedicated presence on Eurosport’s local Facebook pages and Twitter handles.

Eurosport will use its unrivalled sport production capabilities and expertise to produce new and exclusive original content for sports fans across all platforms, as well as access to localised content, original series, news and other engaging features. The Olympic Channel will promote Eurosport’s platforms, with its coverage of live sporting events and the Olympic Games.

Branded programming starting August 2nd on Eurosport will feature content including:

60 minute specials:

   · Hall of Fame series: reliving the greatest stories from most memorable Olympic Games – from Rio 2016 to Lillehammer 1994.  

 Short form video content on all-screens including:

   · “On the Line”: A fascinating inside track on some of the most famous Olympic Games moments as told through exclusive archival footage and insightful interviews. 

   · “The Olympics: On The Record”: The most famous Olympic records are presented in entertaining packages using recreations, animations and a mix of other visual methods.

Theme Week:

   · Eurosport will present an annual theme week filled with round-the-clock Olympic sports programming and content.

The partnership further deepens Eurosport’s position as the Home of the Olympic Games in Europe, providing fans with the best live and on demand sport so they never miss a moment of the athlete’s journey to the Games, whether watching on TV, streaming on mobile, tablet or online through Eurosport Player. It complements the Olympic Channel global digital platform, which was launched by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) following the Closing Ceremony of Rio 2016, as it continues to develop localised versions leading to more personalized experiences for Olympic fans around the world.

Jean-Briac Perrette, Discovery Networks International President and CEO, said: “This long-term partnership with the Olympic Channel raises the bar in terms of delivering the very best Olympic stories to more audiences in the most accessible way.

“For Eurosport, the Olympic Games is always much greater than two weeks of sport.  Establishing a long-term partnership with the Olympic Channel to produce, distribute and showcase the very best Olympic content will significantly strengthen our ongoing programming that will keep the Olympic flame burning all year-round.”

Mark Parkman, general manager of the IOC’s global Olympic Channel, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Eurosport to bring audiences closer to the Olympic Movement through a more personalized experience through the Olympic Channel.

“As we approach our one-year anniversary, this new partnership is an important step as we continue to grow and expand the platform across the globe with localised versions further enabling fans to discover, engage and share in the power of sport and the excitement of the Olympic Games.”

Peter Hutton, CEO Eurosport, said: “The IOC has been an extremely strong partner during the preparations for our first Games as Home of the Olympics at PyeongChang 2018.  We are pleased this new collaboration will deepen our relationship and extend our Olympic storytelling even further.

“When we tell Olympic stories we believe it is important to bring something different.  This is why we don’t just replay the Olympic archive but make it show fans something new – such as when we lined up Usain Bolt, Carl Lewis and Jessie Owens together on-screen for the first time in Race of Legends.”

The agreement runs through 2024, which coincides with the duration of Discovery Communications’ current tenure as Home of the Olympics and exclusive multimedia rights holder for the Olympic Games in Europe*.

ENDS.

For more information, please follow the Olympic Channel on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, or log on to olympicchannel.com.

Notes to Editors

*Territories included:  Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France*, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City State.

*Eurosport is “Home of the Olympics” in France 2022-2024.  Excludes Russia.

As “Home of the Olympics” in Europe, Discovery will bring the Games to more people, on more screens, than ever before.  For the first time across Europe, every moment of the Olympic Games will be shared, via Eurosport Player, and include coverage from every angle and aiming to connect everyone through dedicated storytelling across social platforms.

The series of Olympic programming and content will accompany an unrivalled summer of live coverage of Olympic sports on Eurosport – including the Tour de France, The Championships, Wimbledon, US Open tennis, IAAF World Championships in Athletics and FINA World Aquatics Championships – and the most comprehensive live coverage of the winter sport season in the build up to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.