The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that all media rights in Europe for the four editions of the Olympic Games from 2026-2032 have been assigned to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Following the tender published by the IOCs, the EBU and Warner Bros. Discovery have presented a joint bid to acquire the media rights in 49 European countries* of the XXV Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the XXXIV Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, the XXVI Olympic Winter Games 2030 and the Games of the XXXV Brisbane 2032 Olympics, as well as for the Youth Olympic Games of the period 2026/2032.
IOC President Thomas Bach said: “We are delighted to have reached a long-term agreement with two of the world’s leading media companies. The EBU and its partners will ensure an unrivaled experience across Europe, while Warner Bros. Discovery, through the recent merger of Warner Media and Discovery, represents one of the largest media and entertainment companies in the world across all genres and across all platform. This demonstrates the undiminished appeal of the Olympic Games in Europe and as the IOC redistributes 90% of the revenues generated, this long-term arrangement will also provide critical financial stability to the sporting movement at large and ultimately for the athletes themselves.”
The IOC’s first partnership with the EBU dates back to 1956, while since the 2015 agreement with the International Olympic Committee, Warner Bros. Discovery has broadcast the 2018-2024 Olympic Games in Europe.
The new agreement will ensure free-to-air transmission of the Olympic Games through the EBU’s network of public service broadcasters, most of which have ensured coverage of the last three editions of the Olympic Games in partnership with the IOC and Warner Bros. Discovery.
From 2026, EBU will own the free-to-air rights to TV and digital platforms. Each member of the European Broadcasting Union will broadcast over 200 hours of coverage of the Summer Olympic Games and at least 100 hours of the Winter Games with extensive radio, live streaming and editorial coverage across web, app and social media platforms.
Delphine Ernotte Cunci, president of the European Broadcasting Union and CEO of France Télévisions said: “We are proud to have ensured that the public will be able to broadcast the Olympic Games free-to-air until 2032. This agreement represents a breakthrough for public service media, demonstrating the strength and unity of our Union. Thanks to its partners, the EBU has the potential to reach over one billion viewers across Europe across linear and non-linear platforms. That’s why I’m very pleased to welcome this partnership with the IOC and Warner Bros. Discovery to reach the widest possible audience across Europe.”
For Warner Bros. Discovery, today’s announcement strengthens Home of the Olympics in Europe following record audience and digital audience growth over the past three editions towards the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. new agreement, only on Warner Bros. Discovery will it be possible to see every instant** of the Olympic Games, live streaming on its digital platforms such as discovery+, and live pay-TV on its pay-TV channels such as Eurosport.
Andrew Georgiou President and Managing Director of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, commented: “As Home of the Olympics, we are delighted to extend our relationship with the International Olympic Committee through 2032. Looking forward to what is shaping up to be the extraordinary Games Paris 2024 Olympics, we’re delighted that Warner Bros. Discovery remains the only place where fans will be able to follow every moment of the next four editions. We are grateful to work with the European Broadcasting Union and its partners in the next stages of our Olympic journey, extending the commitment we made together with the IOC in 2015 to reach the widest audience through accessible and extensive coverage of the Olympic Games ».
Warner Bros. Discovery and the European Broadcasting Union share a long history of partnerships to broadcast major sporting events, such as the Biathlon World Cup and World Championships, World Athletics Championships, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.
In the last three editions of the Olympic Games, Warner Bros. Discovery has partnered with over 45 free-to-air broadcasters across Europe to reach a record audience of 372 million people on the continent at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, of which 175 million on Warner Bros. Discovery channels, while the number of Europeans who visited its platforms during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games, 156 million, was more than 19 times higher than the previous edition of the Winter Games.