IOC awards 2014-2016 broadcast rights in Sub-Saharan Africa
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has awarded the broadcast rights in Sub-Saharan Africa* to Infront Sports & Media AG for the XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014 in Sochi, Russia, the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2014 in Nanjing, China.
Infront has acquired exclusive broadcast rights on free to air television and non-exclusive internet and mobile broadcast rights.
IOC President Thomas Bach said: “This agreement reflects the global appeal of the Olympic Games, and our aim is to reach audiences in all regions across the globe with the best broadcast offering. We want to not only generate viewership for sports where African athletes already perform successfully, but also boost appeal for Olympic sports gaining popularity on the continent.”
IOC member Richard Carrión, who led the negotiations, said: “Infront has acquired the rights and will now work to sublicense those rights to broadcasters in the region to ensure excellent coverage of the Olympic Games for sports fans. The partnership with Infront allows us to take advantage of its network across the continent, supported further by a tailor-made editorial plan for African broadcasters and their viewers. ”
Stephan Herth, Executive Director Summer Sports of Infront Sports & Media, said: “We would like to thank the IOC for trusting in our broadcast distribution experience and ability to extend the spirit and scope of Olympic programming to an even broader audience. Our ambition is to encourage the growth of sport in Africa with a dedicated broadcast product and continue to advocate the Olympics as a worldwide event. We are looking forward to delivering the Winter Olympics to television screens in so many countries in Africa for the first time in 2014.”
*Includes:
1. Angola 
2. Benin 
3. Botswana 
4. Burkina Faso 
5. Burundi 
6. Cameroon 
7. Cape Verde 
8. Central Africa Republic 
9. Chad 
10. Comoros 
11. Congo, Democratic Republic of 
12. Congo, Republic of 
13. Côte d’Ivoire 
14. Equatorial Guinea 
15. Eritrea 
16. Ethiopia 
17. Gabon 
18. Gambia 
19. Ghana 
20. Guinea 
21. Guinea-Bissau 
22. Kenya 
23. Lesotho 
24. Liberia 
25. Madagascar 
26. Malawi 
27. Mali 
28. Mauritius 
29. Mozambique 
30. Namibia 
31. Niger 
32. Nigeria 
33. Rwanda 
34. São Tomé and Príncipe 
35. Senegal 
36. Seychelles 
37. Sierra Leone 
38. Swaziland 
39. Tanzania 
40. Togo 
41. Uganda 
42. Zambia 
43. Zimbabwe