Olympic Channel, Grupo Globo Announce Strategic Distribution Partnership in Brazil

From Neymar’s spectacular golden goal at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 to the story of cross-country skier Victor Santos’ road to PyeongChang, fans across Brazil will now have more opportunities than ever to experience the excitement of the Olympic Games all year round through a new partnership between the Olympic Channel and Grupo Globo, Brazil’s largest media group, both parties announced today.

Beginning August 2018, viewers can watch both Olympic Channel original programming and Olympic-related content from Globo during Olympic Channel-branded broadcasted programming hours, on Globo’s free-to-air TV shows, such as Globo’s weekly magazine show Esporte Espetacular and SporTV’s news program on pay TV, and also on a dedicated Olympic Channel digital portal. Programming will feature year-round coverage of Olympic sports and athletes highlighting locally relevant content produced by both the Olympic Channel and Globo.

The agreement marks a key distribution landmark for the Olympic Channel in South America and runs through 2032, which amplifies Globo’s media rights agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Brazil for the Olympic Games.

“Having launched following the 2016 Rio Games, we are excited to collaborate with Globo to further engage Brazil’s passionate sports fans with the Olympic Movement all year round,” says Mark Parkman, GM of the IOC’s global Olympic Channel. “Deepening the connection between the Olympic Channel brand and the stories about the athletes and sports their audiences love contributes to the lasting legacy from the Rio Games.”

“It’s an honor to sign with the Olympic Channel after the successful results on our coverage of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the latest worldwide event, the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, in February 2018. We continue to reinforce our mission of supporting and nurturing the Olympic Movement and satisfying our audience’s many interests and demands. Our commitment with consumers is to deliver full multiscreen content with an outstanding quality,” said Pedro Garcia, Grupo Globo’s head of sports business.

Grupo Globo’s contribution will help the Olympic Channel to engage even more millions of Brazilian viewers who are used to seeing Olympic themes on Globo’s different platforms. During the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, SporTV broadcast nearly 300 hours live to 19.5 million viewers, reaching 40% of the total pay TV Brazilian market.

The new strategic distribution partnership complements the Olympic Channel, which launched as a worldwide digital platform following the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games Rio 2016.Through collaborations with the IOC’s rights-holding broadcast partners and National Olympic Committees, the Olympic Channel is developing localized versions leading to more personalized experiences for Olympic fans around the world.