NENT acquires rights to IHF, EHF handball competitions
June 13, 2018
Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) has secured the exclusive Nordic media rights to the IHF World Handball Championship until 2025 and the EHF European Handball Championship (EHF EURO) until 2026. NENT Group has also extended the rights to the EHF Champions League, European Handball League and the EHF Cup until 2023. NENT Group is the undisputed Nordic home of handball and will show matches live on its TV channels and Viaplay streaming service.
The IHF World Handball Championship is contested by the world’s best 24 handball teams every two years. Both the women’s and men’s tournaments will be shown live by NENT Group until 2025, starting with the 2019 competition in Japan (women) and Denmark and Germany (men). The Norwegian women’s team has appeared in three of the previous four finals, winning gold twice.
NENT Group will also bring handball fans full coverage of the EHF EURO for both women and men between 2022 and 2026. NENT Group already holds the rights to the next tournament in 2020 in Norway and Denmark (women) and Sweden, Austria and Norway (men).
In addition, NENT Group has extended its exclusive Nordic rights to the EHF Champions League, European Handball League and the EHF Cup for a further three seasons until 2023.
Anders Jensen, NENT Group President and CEO: “NENT Group is now the undisputed home of handball for every passionate Nordic handball fan. As the region’s leading entertainment provider, we are delighted to have secured these rights to one of the most popular sports in the Nordics, and we will continue to add to our unrivalled sports offering.”
Kim Mikkelsen, NENT Group SVP and Head of Sport: “International handball has captured the imagination of fans across the Nordic region in recent years. The European club competitions are also growing quickly and taking the sport to the next level. We will bring viewers the best and broadest possible coverage of this hugely entertaining sport.”
Hassan Moustafa, President, International Handball Federation: “I’m pleased to get the first license deal of this new cycle done in the Nordic countries, where handball is extremely popular and has a great following. I am confident that Nordic Entertainment Group is a perfect home for our great competitions and I look forward to the partnership with the leading broadcaster in the region.”
Michael Wiederer, President of the European Handball Federation: “Handball enjoys huge popularity across the Nordic countries, thanks in no small part to the success of the region’s clubs and national teams on the international stage. This new long-term agreement with NENT Group offers handball fans a comprehensive offering of international handball throughout the year and the chance to watch the stars of the sport in action across all of the EHF’s top-class club and national team competitions.”
NENT Group has acquired the rights to the IHF World Handball Championship and to the EHF competitions in deals with the agency MP & Silva and with the agencies Infront and Perform Group, respectively.
NENT Group already holds the exclusive Nordic media rights to the DKB Handball-Bundesliga until 2023.
NENT Group brings millions of fans closer to the sports they love – every shot, every goal, every touchdown, every putt, every punch, every lap, every time. NENT Group shows more than 50,000 hours of the world’s best live sporting action every year on its TV channels and streaming services, including NHL and KHL ice hockey, UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, Formula 1, NFL American football, boxing, UFC and golf.