European Athletics announced the renewal of its long-running contract with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in December 2010. The partnership, which has been in place since 1981, was extended for the period 2012-2015.
European Athletics and EBU signed the new contract at the EBU headquarters in Geneva.
The renewed commitment will cover all of European Athletics' major events including the Helsinki 2012 and Zurich 2014 European Athletics Championships, the Göteborg 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships and the yet to be awarded 2015 indoor championships.
The agreement also covers the European Team Championships and European Cross Country Championships taking place during the four-year contract period.
European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz said, 'I am very pleased that we are continuing our valued partnership with EBU. Our agreement is a vital part of our ongoing aim to increase the popularity of athletics around Europe.
“EBU gives us the biggest platform to promote our sport on public free-to-air TV channels throughout the continent, which is an extremely important consideration for us.”
Stefan Kürten, EBU Director of Sports & Business Department, expressed his satisfaction: “I am very pleased that we have reached an agreement with European Athletics for another four years. This demonstrates our commitment to support all major sports and federations aiming to reach the largest audience in Europe.”
European Athletics and EBU renewed their commitment following impressive viewing figures for the Barcelona 2010 European Athletics Championships. The cumulative audience (excluding news audiences) was 368 million for the six-day event compared to the 340 million who watched the seven-day championships in 2006.
Christian Milz, Director General of European Athletics, said, 'These fantastic figures show a huge interest in our flagship events and we look forward to working together with EBU for many more years to ensure our sport continues to be an attractive product for television audiences in Europe.”
EBU Head of Summer Sports Julien Ternisien emphasised that the renewal of this agreement is an important achievement for the organisation and its members: “This deal provides European Athletics with a strong and reliable broadcast commitment from many EBU members and shall enable the further development of athletics all over Europe.”