WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY CONTINUES AS THE HOME OF SPORT CLIMBING IN EUROPE

A new four-year agreement between Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports Europe and the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) will see all IFSC Climbing and Para Climbing World Cup and World Championship events continue to be broadcasted to millions of fans across Europe exclusively on Max and discovery+*.  

Fans will also be able to watch the semi-finals and finals of every World Cup and World Championship event live on WBD’s premium linear channels – Eurosport across Europe and TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland.  

Since 2022, WBD has played a key role in the soaring popularity of Sport Climbing, bringing coverage of the sport to new audiences across Europe in tandem with the rapid expansion of the industry, which is expected to grow by more than 11% over the next eight years**. Last year, Sport Climbing coverage reached millions of viewers on WBD’s platforms, including record-breaking audiences during the Olympic Games Paris 2024.  

This new agreement between the IFSC will see WBD continue to share the stories of climbing athletes and elevate their profiles as the faces of the sport in the lead-up to the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles. 

The 2025 IFSC World Cup series begins with the Boulder events in Keqiao, China on 18 April, featuring the return of 2024 Boulder World Cup winners Natalia Grossman (USA) and Sorato Anraku (Japan). 

Trojan Paillot, SVP Sports Rights Acquisitions and Syndications at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: "We are delighted to renew our partnership with the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC). Sport Climbing captivated audiences across our platforms during the Olympic Games in Paris last year, and we’re excited to leverage our extensive reach to build on this momentum and further grow the sport as we look ahead to LA28.”  

IFSC President Marco Scolaris, said: “The numbers of eyes from around Europe on our sport through our partnership with WBD is something we are proud of. Climbing, and the heroes of our sport, are in the homes of millions, showcasing the skill and beauty of Climbing. There are still many stories to tell as we head into our third Olympic Games, and this new deal will help ensure they are told.” 

WBD saw record viewership and engagement during the Olympic Games Paris 2024, with a cumulative reach of more than 215 million in Europe and more than seven billion minutes streamed over the course of the Games with Sport Climbing among the most engaged new sports since it was first incepted into the Olympics at Tokyo 2020.  

Sport Climbing is part of WBD’s extensive multi-sport portfolio which is available on WBD’s streaming services, Max and discovery+, for millions of fans across Europe. The combination of other premium sport and entertainment content available live or on-demand is supporting WBD’s streaming acceleration as it continues to rollout Max in new markets, including the UK, Italy and Germany in 2026. 

Event dates: 

18-20 April – Keqiao (CHN) – Boulder   

25-27 April – Wuijiang (CHN) – Lead, Speed 

2-4 May – Bali (INA) – Lead, Speed 

16-18 May – Curitiba (BRA) – Boulder  

20-21 May – Salt Lake City (USA) – Lead (Para Climbing World Cup)  

23-25 May - Salt Lake City (USA) – Boulder  

31 May- 1June – Denver (USA) – Speed  

5-8 June – Prague (CZE) – Boulder  

12-15 June – Bern (SUI) – Boulder  

22-24 June – Innsbruck (AUT) – Lead (Para Climbing World Cup) 

25-29 June – Innsbruck (AUT) – Boulder, Lead 

5-6 July – Krakow (POL) – Speed  

11-13 July – Chamonix (FRA) – Lead, Speed 

17-19 July – Madrid (ESP) – Lead  

4-6 September – Koper (SLO) – Lead  

20-28 September – Seoul (KOR) – All disciplines (World Championships)  

23-26 October – Laval (FRA) – Lead (Para Climbing World Cup) 

Notes to editor 

*Max is available in France, Poland, Greece, the Nordics, Iberia, Central and Eastern Europe. In Belgium and the Netherlands, Warner Bros. Discovery’s enhanced streaming service is branded HBO Max. discovery+ is the streaming service in Austria, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Ireland with Max coming to these markets from 2026.  

** Transparency Market Research - Global Climbing Gym Market Report (2023)