RTÉ partners with Discovery Communications to secure free-to- air rights for 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games
RTÉ Sport has announced that it has reached an agreement with Discovery Communications to secure the exclusive free-to-air television and multi-platform broadcast rights for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
Under the agreement and continuing the public broadcaster’s history of Olympic Games coverage, RTÉ will sublicense the exclusive free-to-air broadcast rights from Discovery Communications including the linear TV channel and non-exclusive radio rights. The RTÉ package includes digital rights to the content it broadcasts on its linear channel.
RTÉ’s PyeongChang 2018 coverage will offer more free-to-air access than during the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, with live coverage of the Opening and Closing ceremonies and daily highlights packages to be broadcast on RTÉ 2, via digital simulcast, and catch-up TV services.
Eurosport will broadcast comprehensive live coverage of PyeongChang 2018 across two channels, offering significantly expanded coverage to Irish sports fans compared to Sochi 2014, the previous Olympic Winter Games. Eurosport will broadcast comprehensive live coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games across two channels.
The free-to-air coverage afforded by the new rights agreement underlines Discovery’s commitment to make the Games available to more fans and across more screens in Europe than ever before.
Susanna Dinnage, EVP & MD Discovery Networks UK and Ireland, said: “The deal between Discovery and RTE delivers multichannel, multiplatform access to the best of the Olympic Games action, guaranteeing the widest possible audience for the world’s greatest sports event.
“Our partnership with RTÉ is a win for every fan following Team Ireland in PyeongChang and Tokyo. Our objective is to engage and entertain local audiences with an exceptional Olympic Games experience, working with the finest national partners such as RTÉ.”
Group head of sport Ryle Nugent said: “As has been proven over the last 12 months, the international sports right market is extremely competitive. To secure such a prestigious event as the Olympic Games across all platforms is a clear signal of RTÉ’s commitment to securing free-to-air rights for Irish audiences and prioritising Irish teams on the international stage.”
The news follows Discovery Communications’ announcement with the International Olympic Committee in June 2015 that it had secured exclusive multimedia rights across 50 countries and territories in Europe for the 2018-2024 Olympic Games. It marks Discovery’s fifth Olympic Games sublicensing agreement, following partnership deals with national broadcasters in the Czech Republic (Ceska Televize), Finland (YLE), Netherlands (NOS), and UK (BBC), all tailored individually to the broadcast market of each country.