UK public-service broadcaster the BBC has signed a long-term deal to cover badminton showpiece the All England Open Championships, while sports producer and distributor Sunset+Vine has extended its production contract for the tournament.
Sunset+Vine will host broadcast the Championships until 2021. The new four-year deal follows 17 years of a partnership with tournament organiser Badminton England which first saw Sunset+Vine host broadcast the All England Open Championships back in 2000.
In a separate agreement, Sunset+Vine has brokered a deal with the BBC which will see the Championships broadcast live across the corporation’s digital platforms until 2021.
The BBC offered coverage of badminton for the first time in 10 years last March by showing the 2017 Championships via its website and digital red button service. It said it would return for this year’s event in an announcement made last month.
Adrian Christy, chief executive of Badminton England, said: “The Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships is the oldest and most prestigious badminton event in the world and the presentation of the Championships to a global audience reach of 250 million people, deserves the highest quality production.”
The Championships have been selected by the Badminton World Federation as one of only three top-tier, Super 1000 tournaments in the new BWF World Tour.
This year’s championships will be held between March 14-18 at Arena Birmingham.