24th July 2013

British Athletics Extend BBC Partnership

 

24 July 2013

British Athletics today confirmed that British athletics events will continue to be shown on terrestrial television through to 2020 following an extension to the current broadcasting rights agreement with the BBC.

The deal ensures that British Athletics’ grand prix events like the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games and high profile domestic events such as the Sainsbury’s British Championships will continue to be broadcast on free to air television, giving the sport an enviable broadcast platform in the years building up to and beyond the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London.

The extension to the current broadcast rights agreement was announced today by UK Athletics CEO Niels de Vos, who also outlined the sport’s vision towards 2017 using the momentum of the 2012 Games to win more medals, stage world class events, create an athletic nation and stage the best ever World Championships.

De Vos said: “British Athletics is absolutely delighted with this new deal with the BBC. It will ensure that our elite events will be broadcast to the widest possible audience over the next seven years until at least 2020.

“We know that world class athletics on the BBC really fuels the public passion for the sport, and we could not ask for a better partnership to showcase our sport. The commitment the BBC have shown and the length of the deal confirms the commercial appeal of our sport.”

Barbara Slater, Director BBC Sport says “We’re very proud to continue our association with British Athletics. This deal enables BBC Sport to bring the best of top-flight UK competition to audiences complementing our coverage of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the 2016 Olympics in Rio and the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London, making the BBC the place for audiences to follow the full story of the UK’s top track and field athletes right through to 2020”

De Vos concluded: “This agreement is further evidence of the continued commercial appeal of athletics which has seen major national brands such as Sainsbury’s, The National Lottery and Unilever all sign sponsorship agreements in recent months.”