Industry

Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) have been awarded rights to provide linear and streaming coverage of all Olympic Games events from 2026 to 2032

The news was announced today by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which accepted the joint bid from WBD and EBU. Under the terms of the agreement, EBU members will deliver free-to-air coverage across Europe, while WBD will continue as the streaming home of the games.

The rights cover: the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy; the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics; the 2030 Winter Olympics (host city not yet decided); plus the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, Australia.

The deal is a continuation of the US$1.4bn rights deal Discovery made for the games in 2015 which saw the majority of coverage move behind paywalls for the first time on the US firm’s Eurosport network. European PSBs, which previously held exclusive rights, have seen their coverage limited to around 200 hours of coverage from the summer games and 100 hours from the winter version.

“This deal is a game-changer for public service media and demonstrates the abiding strength and solidarity of our union,” said Delphine Ernotte Cunci, president of the EBU.

However, WBD will continue to be the only place to present ‘every moment’ of the games on its streaming and digital platforms such as Discovery+. It will also hold full pay TV rights for its Eurosport channels.

“Viewers throughout Europe will continue to have extensive choice to access the games across multiple platforms,” said Andrew Georgiou, president and MD for Warner Bros Discovery Sports Europe.

The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed by the IOC, but in 2015 it was reported that Discovery paid €1.3bn (US$1.41bn) to acquire the Olympic rights from 2018 to 2024.

The IOC said the current partnership between the EBU and WBD will see the Olympic Games shown in 49 territories across Europe – more than any previous events.

“It demonstrates the ongoing appeal of the Olympic Games across Europe,” said IOC president Thomas Bach.