IEC announces further important IAAF deals

Having announced its first major signing earlier in the week, with a lucrative agreement with Sweden’s largest terrestrial broadcasters, TV4 and SVT, Stockholm based IEC in Sports has now concluded important deals with major broadcasters in Greece and Portugal.

Following its recent unprecedented grant of the broadcast rights in Europe and Africa (*) to the prestigious IAAF World Athletics Series 2010 to 2013, the International Sports Rights Agency, is now pleased to announce agreements with ERT in Greece and RTP in Portugal.

Both lucrative deals, in addition to the TV4/SVT deal announced earlier in the week, come with EBU members, putting paid to the rumours that IAAF’s move to use an agency rather than dealing with the umbrella EBU membership was misguided.

Under the terms of the agreements, both stations will show significant coverage from the IAAF World Athletics Series of Events from 2010 to 2013.

Commenting on its acquisition of these rights, Dimitris Gontikas, Director of Television, Elliniki Radiophonia Tileorassi SA, said “ERT has been a broadcast partner of the IAAF and its top World Championship events since its inception in 1983. We are delighted to continue this successful long-lasting partnership and we are excited to collaborate with IAAF’s new media rights partner, IEC in Sports. ERT and IEC have a long history of co-operation and together we are now finalizing planning and preparations for ERT’s broadcast of IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha in March.”

His views were compounded by Miguel Barroso, Head of Sports from RTP, who added “we are delighted in securing the rights to the IAAF World Athletics Series for the coming 4 years. As the incumbent rights holder, we have seen the growth of the sport and the Championships and we look forward to 4 great years of co-operation with the IAAF and IEC in Sports”

Jonas Persson, CEO of IEC in Sports, welcomed the deals, saying “this next wave of deals on IAAF World Athletics Series follows a strong period of market study and commercial review”. He concluded that “the tender processes in Greece and the Nordic Countries are clear examples of how a determined agency approach can yield very positive results for a major sports Federation like IAAF“.

Commenting on the deal, Lamine Diack, IAAF President said “These latest agreements, with free-to-air broadcasters with whom the IAAF was previously associated, proves that it is still possible to maximise revenue potential without giving up on reach and ratings. I commend IEC in Sports for their diligence and believe that we can look forward to many more positive announcements in the future.”