Discovery sub-licences 2022/2024 Olympic rights to France Televisions

JB Perrette

Discovery, via its Eurosport subsidiary, and France Télévisions have announced a partnership that will see the two broadcasters present complementary coverage of the Olympic Games in France, including for Beijing 2022 and Paris 2024, the first Summer edition of the Games to be hosted by France for a century.

Under the partnership, France Télévisions will sub-license exclusive free-to-air rights to the 2022 and 2024 Olympic Games from Discovery. Eurosport meanwhile will offer fans every moment of the Olympics, featuring dedicated streams covering every sport, event and gold medal: available on all screens through to Paris 2024. By creating a joint offering, the partners say viewers in France will enjoy the broadest possible access to the Games and availability of more coverage than ever before.

JB Perrette, president and CEO, Discovery International, said: “Our ground-breaking agreement with the International Olympic Committee has already seen us deliver records at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.  This new partnership provides the perfect opportunity to build on this achievement in France. It is a big win for viewers as we can guarantee the access to free-to-air coverage that can inspire the nation, alongside Eurosport super-serving fans with every minute of the Games.”

Delphine Ernotte Cunci, president, France Télévisions, called it “an important moment for the public service broadcaster. France Télévisions will be able to offer the Olympics Games to all audiences and all the French people.”

The sub-licensing arrangement follows Discovery’s long-term partnership with the International Olympic Committee, announced in June 2015, which included exclusive multimedia rights for 50 countries and territories in Europe from 2018 to 2024.