Baku 2015 secures new rights partners

Organisers of the 2015 European Games have secured a number of new rights deals for the inaugural edition of the multi-sport event, which will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Dutch public-service broadcaster NOS will provide coverage in the Netherlands, while the Setanta Sports Eurasia division of international sports broadcaster Setanta Sports will broadcast coverage in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Austrian public-service broadcaster ORF has acquired exclusive free-to-air rights in the country and will broadcast a daily hour-long highlights show on its ORF Sport Plus channel.

Public-service broadcaster Czech TV and pay-television broadcaster Digi Sport will provide daily coverage of the Games on an exclusive basis in Czech Republic.

In addition, the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee has agreed a deal to licence domestic free-to-air channel TV6, owned by commercial and pay-television broadcaster Modern Times Group, to provide coverage of the Games in the country.

Simon Clegg, chief operating officer of Baku 2015, said: “Our broadcasting arrangements across Europe mean that more than 225 million European households will be able to watch the Games, delivering 75 per cent of total market penetration in the 32 European countries announced to date.”