Following the tender published by the International Olympic Committees, EBU and Warner Bros. Discovery submitted a joint bid to acquire media rights in 49 European countries* for the 25th Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, and the 34th Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 , the XXVI Olympic Games Winter Games 2030 and the XXXV Olympic Games Brisbane 2032, as well as the Youth Olympic Games 2026/2032.
Thomas Bach, IOC President, said: “We are delighted to have reached a long-term agreement with two of the largest media companies in the world. EBU and its partners will guarantee an unparalleled experience across Europe, while Warner Bros. Discovery, through the recent merger of Warner Media and Discovery, one of the world’s largest media and entertainment companies across all genres and across all platforms. This demonstrates the undiminished appeal of the Olympic Games in Europe, and since the IOC redistributes 90% of the revenue generated, this long-term arrangement will also provide crucial financial stability for the sports movement in general and ultimately for the athletes themselves.”
The IOC’s first partnership with the European Broadcasting Union dates back to 1956, while since a 2015 agreement with the IOC, Warner Bros. Discovery has broadcast the 2018-2024 Olympic Games in Europe. The new agreement will ensure free broadcasting of the Olympic Games through the EBU’s network of public broadcasters, most of which have sponsored coverage of the last three editions of the Olympic Games in partnership with the International Olympic Committee and Warner Bros. Discovery.
From 2026, the European Broadcasting Union will own the rights to free-to-air broadcasts for TV and digital platforms. Each EBU member will broadcast more than 200 hours of coverage of the Summer Olympics and at least 100 hours of the Winter Games with broad radio, live broadcasts and editorial coverage across web, apps and social media platforms.
Delphine Ernott-Conse, President of the European Broadcasting Union and CEO of France Télévisions, said: “We are proud to have confirmed that the public will be able to broadcast the Olympic Games for free until 2032. This agreement represents a breakthrough for public service media, demonstrating the strength and unity of our union. Thanks to its partners, EBU has a reach of over 1 billion viewers across Europe across linear and non-linear platforms. That is why I am very pleased to welcome this partnership with the International Olympic Committee and the discovery of Warner Brothers to reach as wide an audience as possible across Europe.”
For Warner Bros. Discovery, today’s announcement cements the Olympics’ home in Europe after record audience and digital audience growth over the past three editions towards the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. New agreement, only at Warner Bros. Discovery It will be possible to see every moment of the Olympic Games, broadcast live on its digital platforms such as Discovery + and live pay TV on its pay channels such as Eurosport.
Andrew Georgiou, President and Managing Director of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, saying: “As the home of the Olympics, we are delighted to extend our relationship with the International Olympic Committee until 2032. Looking forward to shaping the extraordinary Games Paris Olympiad 2024, we are delighted that Warner Bros. Discovery will remain the only place where fans will be able to catch every moment We are grateful to work with the European Broadcasting Union and its partners on the next stages of our Olympic journey, to extend the commitment we made with the International Olympic Committee in 2015 to reach the widest audience through comprehensive and accessible coverage of the Olympic Games.”
Warner Bros. Discovery and the European Broadcasting Union have a long history of partnerships to broadcast major sporting events, such as the Biathlon World Cup and World Championships, the IAAF World Championships, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.
In the last three editions of the Olympic Games, Warner Bros. Discovery has partnered with over 45 free-to-air broadcasters across Europe to reach a record audience of 372 million people on the continent for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, of which 175 million are on Warner Bros. Channels. Discovery, while the number of Europeans who visited its platforms during the Olympic Games in Beijing 2022, 156 million, was 19 times higher than the previous edition of the Winter Games.
* List of 49 countries: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, 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, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City.
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