Discovery Reaches Olympics Deal with German Broadcasters -- Sponsor Spotlight

(ATR) German television viewers will be able to watch much of the next four Olympic Games free-to-air following a deal between public broadcasters ARD and ZDF and Discovery Communications.

ARD and ZDF will alternate coverage on a daily basis with German-produced content also available free-to-air on both TV and streaming on mobile devices from Eurosport, the European home for the Olympics.

German viewers will be able to follow every German medal hopeful through three additional feeds of live action on ARD/ZDF.

Eurosport, which is owned by Discovery, will retain exclusivity to broadcast select live events involving snowboard, ice hockey, figure skating and short track at PyeongChang 2018.

The financial details of the deal, which is subject to final approval by the Broadcasting Councils in Germany, have not been released.

Discovery won the European broadcast rights for the Olympics from 2018 to 2024 in 2015 and has since struck free-to-air agreements with 20 of the biggest national broadcasters in Europe.

"For the Olympic Games, our ambition is to share the world’s greatest event with more people, on more screens, than ever before," Eurosport CEO Peter Hutton said in a statement.

"Establishing free-to-air partnerships with the best national broadcasters across Europe, such as ARD/ZDF, will enable us to fulfill this transformational goal."

Chinese Petrol Aids Ashgabat Competition

The Chinese National Petroleum Corporation will be an Official Partner for the Ashgabat 2017 Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games.

Last week, Ashgabat 2017 added Mastercard as an official sponsor. The Games are set for Sep. 15-24 in Turkmenistan.

Ashgabat 2017 chairman Dayanch Gulgeldiyev said in a statement the Games were glad to add another "global brand" ahead of competition.

"Ashgabat 2017 is another clear demonstration of the tremendous contribution Turkmenistan has been making in the global sports movement," Lee Shulan, CNPC IT Director General, said in a statement.

"We are extremely excited to be a part of this world class sporting event."

Written by Gerard Farek and Aaron Bauer.

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