The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced an agreement with the Arab States Broadcast Union (ASBU) for the broadcast rights in the Middle East for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games and the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in 2016.
The ASBU has acquired the rights across all broadcast platforms, including free-to-air television, subscription television, internet and mobile phone, in the following territories: Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
The ASBU and its members have committed to a minimum of 200 hours’ exposure for the Olympic Games in 2016 and to a daily 52-minute highlights programme at prime time for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games on terrestrial, over-the-air television.
IOC President Jacques Rogge said: “The ASBU has been the IOC’s broadcast partner in the region since 1976 and has shown a great commitment to the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement. We are delighted to be able to extend our partnership with the ASBU for a further four years”.
Commenting on the deal, IOC Executive Board member Richard Carrión, who led the negotiations said: “This agreement will ensure Olympic fans across the region will be able to see the Olympic Games on a media platform of their choice. We look forward to continuing our successful relationship with the ASBU.”
Speaking about the agreement, ASBU Director General, Salah Eddine Maaoui, said: “We highly commend and value this great achievement which will further enhance our successful partnership with the IOC and will allow us to contribute to maintain the universal character of the Games and, in particular, to be accessible to the widest possible television audience free of charge. We extend our warmest thanks to the IOC team for the frank and productive discussions that led to this deal and we pledge our commitment to work for the widest exposure of the Olympic Games in the ASBU region and for the enhancement of the Olympic values”.
(Source: IOC)
