Sporteurope.TV, the German sports streaming service, has extended and expanded its rights deal covering ice hockey's IIHF World Championship through the 2029-31 cycle.
The early extension, brokered by heavyweight sports marketing agency Infront, will see Sporteurope.tv, formerly known as Sportdeutschland.tv, provide coverage of the men's event beyond its current contract, which runs through 2028.
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As part of the new deal, Sporteurope.TV's coverage will also expand beyond Germany, Austria, France, and Italy next year to audiences in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Björn Beinhauer, chief executive at Sporteurope.tv, said: "With this early extension, we are demonstrating our long-term commitment to top-flight international ice hockey. Sporteurope.tv is thus continuing to develop as the ‘Home of Ice Hockey’ and ranks among the largest European rights holders in the sport. This sends a strong signal to our viewers, partners and the market as a whole.”
In terms of recent rights activity from that German broadcaster, September has already seen Sporteurope.tv agree an early extension of its rights deal – covering Germany and Austria – with the United States Tennis Association (USTA).
The platform will have exclusive free-to-air and pay-TV rights for the 2028-2030 three-year period.
Jenns Mennigmann, Infront's co-head of media, added: "Extending the partnership through to 2031 gives us the long-term platform to continue developing the reach of the IIHF World Championship, while the addition of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg from 2027 brings the competition to fans across an even broader footprint.”
Regarding the IIHF World Championships, mid-July saw US-based subscription service FloSports secure rights to the event.
Infront, meanwhile, holds exclusive media and marketing rights to all IIHF competitions through a 10-year deal running from 2024 to 2034, struck in 2019.
