The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that all media rights in Europe for the four Olympic Games in the 2026-2032 period have been awarded to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Warner Bros. Discovery. Following the IOC’s launch of a competitive tender, the EBU and Warner Bros. Discovery presented a joint bid to acquire all media rights across 49 territories in Europe for the XXV Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad Los Angeles 2028, the XXVI Olympic Winter Games in 2030, and the Games of the XXXV Olympiad Brisbane 2032, as well as for the Youth Olympic Games in the period.
“We are delighted to have reached a long-term agreement with two of the world’s leading media companies. The EBU and its members provide unparalleled broadcast expertise and reach across Europe, and Warner Bros. Discovery, through the recent combination of WarnerMedia and Discovery, represents one of the world’s largest media and entertainment companies across all programming genres and platforms. It demonstrates the ongoing appeal of the Olympic Games across Europe. As the IOC redistributes 90% of the revenues it generates, this long-term agreement also provides critical financial stability to the wider sporting movement and ultimately supports the athletes themselves,” said Thomas Bach, President of the IOC.
This new agreement guarantees free-to-air reach for the Games through the EBU’s network of public service broadcasters, the vast majority of which continued Olympic Games coverage across the past three Games in partnership with the IOC and Warner Bros. Discovery. Starting in 2026, the EBU will hold free-to-air rights on television and digital platforms. Every EBU member will broadcast more than 200 hours of coverage of the Olympic Summer Games and at least 100 hours of the Olympic Winter Games on TV, with a broad range of radio coverage, live streaming and reporting across web, app and social media platforms.
Delphine Ernotte Cunci, President of the EBU and CEO of France Télévisions, commented: “We are proud to have secured the Olympic Games for audiences to enjoy free to air until 2032. This deal is a game-changer for public service media and demonstrates the abiding strength and solidarity of our Union.”
Andrew Georgiou, President and Managing Director for Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, declared: “As the ‘Home of the Olympics in Europe’ for the last three Olympic Games, we are pleased to be extending our relationship with the IOC through 2032. Ahead of what promises to be a magnificent Olympic Games Paris 2024, we are delighted that Warner Bros. Discovery will remain the only place where fans can get every moment of the following four Olympics.”