Australia’s commercial broadcaster, Nine Network, has announced a new rights deal with governing body World Athletics to broadcast this year’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The deal will see coverage of the event aired across the Nine Network linear channel and 9Now streaming service between September 13 and 21 as the broadcaster looks to expand its sports content ahead of Brisbane hosting the 2032 Olympic Games.
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Public broadcaster SBS already holds the rights to the event, having struck an agreement with World Athletics earlier this year. However, it is understood that the deal was non-exclusive, enabling Japanese agency Dentsu to sell the rights to other interested domestic broadcasters.
World Athletics' international rights, including those for Australia, are sold by Dentsu as part of its 10-year agreement that ends in 2029. Under that deal, Dentsu distributes the governing body’s international sponsorship and licensing rights, as well as media rights outside Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.
Both broadcasters will air the event simultaneously.
The event has attracted attention in Australia due to the presence of several high-profile Australian athletes, including Paris 2024 Olympic pole vault gold medalist Nina Kennedy, as well as sprinters Gout Gout and Lachlan Kennedy, who will compete in the prestigious 100m sprint.
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By GlobalDataOther Australians include Paris 2024 Olympic men’s discus bronze medallist Matt Denny, Olympic 1500m silver medallist Jess Hull, Olympic high jump silver medallist Nicola Olyslagers, and long jump rising star Liam Adcock.
The new deal comes shortly after Nine Network struck an exclusive rights agreement to air the upcoming 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore from July 11 to August 3.
