ZDF, ARD win rights to 2014/2016 Olympics
July 5, 2011
State broadcasters ZDF and ARD have been awarded the German broadcast rights for the 2014 and 2016 Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed.
“ARD and ZDF have acquired the broadcast rights across all media platforms, including free-to-air television, subscription television, internet and mobile,” the IOC said in a statement.
This was the first time the IOC negotiated the rights for Germany individually after ending a long-standing relationship with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
The IOC in 2009 had awarded SportFive the rights for the 2014 and 2016 Olympic Games for 40 European countries but that deal excluded more lucrative territories such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
“ARD and ZDF have proven to be excellent broadcast partners for the Olympic Movement,” said IOC Vice President Thomas Bach, who led the negotiations. This is the first time we have negotiated broadcast rights directly in Germany, as opposed to through a broadcast union, and we are delighted to continue our relationship with the experienced teams at both ARD and ZDF.”