The International Fencing Federation (FIE) has announced a new long-term partnership extension with media and entertainment giant Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) as it looks to attract new audiences in the run-up to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games (LA28).
Under the agreement, WBD will continue to air all major events on the international fencing calendar in 75 markets across Europe and Asia through its Eurosport (Europe and Asia) and TNT Sports (UK and Ireland) networks, with streaming available in Europe via its newly launched HBO Max platform.
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The agreement includes live coverage of the FIE World Championships across Europe, the FIE European Championships across Europe and Asia, as well as highlights of the FIE Grands Prix circuits for the epee, foil, and sabre disciplines, across Europe and Asia.
As part of the partnership, WBD will work to boost the visibility of the sport by producing highlights and editorial features for its channels and platforms, while also collaborating with FIE to expand fencing's social media presence, expand its reach, and attract new audiences through social clips and branded content in the run-up to LA28.
Abdelmoniem Elhusseiny, interim president of the FIE, has said: “Building on the momentum of Paris 2024, where our sport captured the imagination of audiences across the globe, this renewed agreement reflects our shared commitment to elevating fencing’s visibility and inspiring new generations of athletes and supporters.
“Together with WBD, we look forward to continuing this journey and ensuring fencing’s place among the most celebrated Olympic sports on the road to LA28.”
WBD said it plans to capitalize on the significant audiences that watched its fencing coverage at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with the broadcaster noting high figures in key territories including France, Italy, and Hungary.
WBD aired the 2024 edition across 50 European territories as part of its previous rights deal with the IOC covering all Olympic Games between 2018 and 2024.
The media giant also holds rights to the four editions of the Olympic Games between 2026 and 2032 (winter and summer) in all European countries except Russia, as part of a renewed rights deal struck in January 2023.
Trojan Paillot, WBD's senior vice president of sports rights acquisition and syndications, said: “As a leading multi-sport broadcaster and the home of the Olympics in Europe, we are committed to giving fans unrivalled access to the sports that define the Olympic Movement.
“Our extensive reach, deep production expertise and ability to engage audiences across all platforms enable us to bring new visibility to Olympic sports such as fencing.
“As we continue to work closely with the FIE through this long-term partnership, we look forward to helping the sport reach new fans, celebrate its athletes and ensure its presence is felt well beyond the Olympic Games."
The new deal comes amid a high-profile race to acquire WBD, which most recently saw global streaming giant Netflix pull out, leaving rival Paramount open to complete a transaction that could shake up the broadcasting world.
Should the merger pass regulatory scrutiny (a likely prospect given Paramount owner Larry Ellison’s close relationship with US President Donald Trump), it would create a sports rights behemoth that would encompass a major suite of rights across the US and globally.
Paramount’s CBS Sports network holds rights to several major properties, including European club soccer’s UEFA Champions League, American football’s NFL, PGA Tour golf, and top-tier college sports. In 2024, it aired the most-watched NFL Super Bowl in history.
Its Paramount+ streaming service has, as of late, become its primary sports rights vehicle, striking multi-year rights agreements with the TKO-owned Zuffa Boxing organization and MMA promotion UFC.
In terms of WBD's major sports rights, meanwhile, in the US it has a domestic rights stable that includes the French Open tennis grand slam, Major League Baseball, college football, and ice hockey’s NHL, as well as an expansive international portfolio that also includes the HBO Max service.
