The Seven Network has continued building its already impressive sports broadcast portfolio with the announcement that it has secured the broadcast rights to the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. Seven’s coverage of the Paralympic Games will follow its exclusive coverage of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Seven’s agreement with the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) delivers:
- free broadcast television rights;
- subscription television rights;
- digital rights, including online and Hybrid Broadband Broadcast Television; and
- radio broadcasting rights.
Seven has said that it will create and deliver the most comprehensive, technologically advanced, multi-platform coverage of the Paralympic Games in Rio to all Australians on any communications device. Seven will deliver 14 hours a day of live coverage on broadcast television across the network’s digital broadcast platform.
This is great news for Paralympic Games coverage in Australia. While it has had strong coverage over the years thanks to the ABC the move to a commercial free-to-air network is a great a boost for the APC as it will provide them with the chance to attract more sponsorship dollars as sponsors will now be able to advertise during Games coverage.
Kerry Stokes, Chairman of Seven West Media, said:
“We are honoured to be the network of the Paralympic Games in Rio. We are proud of our long partnership with the IOC and the Olympic movement, and we look forward to our partnership with the International Paralympic Committee and the Australian Paralympic Committee.”
Glenn Tasker, Chairman of the Australian Paralympic Committee, said:
“This is an historic day for the Australian Paralympic movement. We are very proud to welcome the Seven Network as our first ever commercial broadcast partner for the Paralympic Games and we are equally excited about the opportunity we now have to share the stories of Australia’s Paralympic athletes.”
Seven is now the undisputed broadcaster of major multi-sport events in Australia as it now counts the Paralympic Games in Rio, the Olympic Games from at least 2016-2020 (with options for 2022/24) and the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in its sports broadcast rights portfolio.
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