Press releases
Lagardère Sports captures management of European media rights for the 2014 and 2016 Olympic Games
Archives Lagardère Sports and Entertainment
Paris, February 18, 2009
Lagardère Sports and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced today that they have finalized an agreement under which the IOC will award Sportfive, a subsidiary of Lagardère Sports, management of European media rights for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sotchi, Russia, and the 2016 Summer Olympics. The agreement makes Lagardère Sports a preferred partner to the IOC, which has agreed to give control of media rights to an agency for the first time since it was founded. The Olympic Games are the world’s premier sporting event, attracting an average of 25,200 broadcasters in 220 countries for the Summer Olympics and 200 countries for the Winter Olympics.
Under the terms of the agreement, Sportfive will manage these media rights in 40 European countries (excluding France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the UK) for all media platforms, including free-to-air television, subscription television, the Internet and mobile phone.
The IOC selected Sportfive in response to a call for tenders issued in May 2008, notably because of the company’s demonstrated ability to market media rights and its commitment to promoting the Olympic Games and Olympic values. The agreement puts Sportfive in a position to diversify its portfolio still further by winning access to all Olympic sports.
According to Olivier Guiguet, chairman and CEO of Lagardère Sports, “This agreement marks a new phase in growth for Lagardère Sports, now the undisputed leader in the field of sports rights. It demonstrates that, in just two years, the Group has been able to establish its credibility and offer proof of its ability to capture international contracts with prestigious organizations such as the IOC. Lagardère Sports and Sportfive are very proud to be working alongside the IOC in promoting the Olympic Games and the Olympic spirit.”
Sportfive CEO Richard Worth has this to say to mark the signing of the agreement: “We have already been working together with the IOC for a number of months to reach this point, and have been positively encouraged by the excellent spirit of partnership and co-operation which has developed. Our determination is to fully uphold the Olympic ideals throughout our relationship with the IOC and to establish a broadcaster network of the highest quality and commitment.”
Lagardère Sports Contact
Press Contact
Image 7 - Grégoire Lucas / Anne-France Malrieu - Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 70 74 70 -glucas@image7.fr - afmalrieu@image7.fr
About Lagardère Sports
Lagardère Sports, one of four operating divisions within the Lagardère Group, specializes in the sports economy. Established in 2006 with the acquisition of Sportfive, Lagardère Sports owes its subsequent expansion to a combination of organic growth and targeted acquisitions.
With a current workforce of over 610 employees worldwide, the Group is active in three principal areas:
- Media: production, management of sports audiovisual rights and new media
- Marketing: sponsorships, hospitality and stadium consulting
- Events: ownership and management of sporting events
In 2007, thanks to its Sportfive subsidiary, Lagardère Sports won a renewal of its contract with the Olympique Lyonnais football club, a renewal of rights to the Africa Cup of Nations and naming rights for the stadium in Hamburg. Turnover at Lagardère Sports exceeded €440 million in 2007.
About Sportfive
SPORTFIVE, the world’s no.1 football agency and one of the largest sports agencies worldwide, covers the entire spectrum of sports rights marketing, from worldwide TV rights trading to stadium advertising, shirt sponsorships, stadium development and hospitality programmes.
In all, the group markets more than 30 national football associations and over 250 international clubs and 10 leagues. In addition to its core business – football - SPORTFIVE is also active in international handball, rugby, tennis, rallying, triathlon, athletics and more. SPORTFIVE is a company of Lagardère Sports.
About the IOC
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), created in 1894, is a non-governmental organization with volunteer members who represent its work around the world, and an administrative staff based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The IOC and its 205 National Olympic Committees worldwide promote the Olympic Movement, whose vision is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport. In addition to selecting the host city and coordinating the staging of the Olympic Games, the IOC and NOCs collaborate with a range of organizations and their members in the public and private sectors to place sport at the service of society. The main goal is to promote the values of Olympism, which include excellence, respect and friendship.
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