Exclusive live rights across almost all of Europe to the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games have been snapped up by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) alliance of the continent’s public service broadcasters.
Through a deal unveiled today, at least 25 EBU members will cover the action in their respective markets, the body has said, across all platforms. Italy (the host nation) and the UK (where commercial broadcaster Channel 4 holds rights) are specifically mentioned as being excluded from the agreement.
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The 2026 Paralympic Winter Games will take place between March 6 and 15 next year, in the Milan Cortina region of Northern Italy, and a request for information (RFI) tender process for these European rights went live last December.
In terms of highlights coverage, meanwhile, the Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) media and entertainment giant will air daily highlights on its various linear sports channels on the continent.
In addition, the Eurovision Sport streaming service run by the EBU will "broadcast all six Paralympic winter sports," the EBU has said, complementing linear broadcasting and "offering the EBU's most comprehensive digital coverage of the Paralympic Winter Games to date."
The EBU has held Paralympic Winter Games rights across the continent since the Sochi 2014 edition of the multi-sport event.
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By GlobalDataGiven the location of these Games, the action will take place during a favorable time zone for the various EBU members.
EBU members in the following 23 countries have already committed to providing live Paralympics coverage: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, and Ukraine.
The free-to-air broadcast body and its members have also sealed rights for the 2026 Winter Olympics (alongside WBD), meanwhile, through a deal disclosed in early 2023 that covers all Olympic Games – Winter and Summer – through 2032.
Glen Killane, EBU Sport's executive director, has now said: "Public service media has the unique ability to deliver major events to mass audiences, free-to-air, while also reaching younger and more diverse fans online.
“This will also be our most extensive digital coverage of the Paralympic Winter Games to date, with a wide range of content made available to engage fans wherever they are."
Andrea Varnier, Milano Cortina 2026 chief executive, added: "We are proud to collaborate with the European Broadcasting Union to ensure broad, free-to-air access to the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games across the continent. The involvement of Warner Bros. Discovery further enriches this partnership, adding new storytelling perspectives and enhancing the overall media experience through its daily highlights coverage."
In terms of other deals struck for next year's Paralympics, July saw Brazilian broadcasting heavyweight Globo pick up rights, primarily for its Sportv pay-TV channel (although there will be additional linear free-to-air and digital coverage).
