UA:PBC, the public-service broadcaster in Ukraine, has been given rights to the upcoming multi-sport European Championships in Munich for free “as a gesture of solidarity” by rights-owner European Championships Management (ECM).
This year’s championship, which will be the second edition of the tournament, started today (August 11) and will involve 4,700 athletes from around 50 countries competing in 176 medal events.
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Under the pair's agreement, UA:PBC regional channels will offer at least 75 hours of coverage on linear television and 175 hours of live streaming showcasing all of the nine sports in the event’s program.
Coverage of athletics, beach volleyball, canoe sprint, cycling, gymnastics, rowing, sport climbing, triathlon, and table tennis will be shown across the 11 days of the championships starting today and finishing on August 21.
An ECM spokesperson said: “It is very important, firstly, that Ukrainian athletes can participate in Munich, so we are very pleased to be able to provide free-to-air coverage in Ukraine through UA:PBC so that the Ukrainian people, despite very challenging circumstance, may have the possibilities to see their national sports stars in action across many sports.
“In a hugely challenging situation and conditions under which they operate, UA:PBC have made a huge effort to broadcast the European Championships Munich 2022 to the people of Ukraine.
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By GlobalData“With Ukraine claiming silver and bronze at the recent World Athletics Championships and with many iconic athletes currently competing in the yellow and blue, we are also very happy to bring the European Athletics Championships, alongside the other sports, back on free-to-air Ukraine television.”
Ukraine has sent 161 athletes to Munich and has targeted 30 medals, building on its eighth-place position at the inaugural 2018 European Championships in Glasgow and Berlin.
UA:PBC is a member of the European Broadcasting Union, the alliance of public service broadcasters, but this agreement is separate from that body’s rights agreement that was announced earlier this week.
That deal will see the European Championships covered by over 40 broadcasters and more than 3,500 hours of live, delayed, and digital programming aired across more than 50 channels.
In a statement, UA:PBC said: "The presence of the Ukrainian team at the European Championships is an opportunity to show the world that Ukraine is here and is victorious in its resistance.
"And that's also the opportunity for viewers in Ukraine to unite to support our team together during this difficult time.
"The European Championships is one of the biggest sports events of the year, so UA: PBC is grateful for the opportunity from European Championships Management and plans to cover performances of Ukraine as widely as possible."
