Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Baku 2015 European Games has signed an international broadcast agreement with leading German channel SPORT1.

SPORT1 has over 20 years of experience in providing leading sports coverage to viewers in Germany.

SPORT1 has become the exclusive broadcaster of the inaugural European Games in Germany, enabling viewers to enjoy free-to-air live coverage of all 17 days of competition next summer.

The platform will provide a minimum of 45 hours of Games coverage across television, internet, radio and mobile platforms, with the majority being broadcast live.

Live coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies will also be shown, in addition to highlight packages being made available.

The deal will also see SPORT1 broadcast the first European Games on free-to-air television in Austria and Switzerland, with an additional minimum commitment of 20 hours coverage shown on their pay TV channels.

Chief Operating Officer of Baku 2015 Simon Clegg said: "We are delighted to announce that SPORT1 will broadcast the inaugural European Games in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, offering millions of European sports fans the opportunity to enjoy live coverage of this historic event."

The agreement shows the high level of interest in the games around the continent and ensures fans follow their athletes' achievements across a range of media platforms, he added.

SPORT1 will work closely with Baku 2015 host broadcaster International Sports Broadcasting (ISB) and will manage their production through teams based in Baku and Germany. This will result in high quality, localized productions to ensure the best and most relevant coverage is provided to viewers.

Chairman of the Management at SPORT1 Olaf Schroder said as a broadcaster of the first ever European Games, SPORT1 is taking on a pioneering role of promoting the event in three major broadcast territories.

"Only on SPORT1 will supporters in Germany be able to watch the world-class performances of our top athletes as they battle it out for medals in Baku," he said.

General Director of the German Olympic Sports Confederation Michael Vesper added: "This is good news for our top athletes as well as for the millions of fans, and will help make Baku 2015 a success in Germany. We are very happy that the first European Games will be available to all supporters on free-to-air television on the leading German sports channel."

The deal sees Germany, Austria and Switzerland join Turkey, Romania, Hungary and Belgium in already confirming broadcast commitments for the Games.

Commercial Director of Baku 2015 Charlie Wijeratna said SPORT1's scheduling commitment and enthusiasm make it a great platform for distribution in these three territories. "The European Games are a major multi-sports event and we are looking forward to viewers being able to follow elite sport in the beautiful city of Baku."

More than 6,000 athletes will compete in a total of 20 sports over the 17 days of competition next year, with newspapers, websites, radio and TV stations all committed to covering the games.