The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the continent’s major alliance of public service broadcasters, has announced the multi-year renewal of its agreement with the World Aquatics (WA) governing body that will see it continue as the exclusive rightsholder for WA competitions across its member territories.
Brokered by global agency Sportfive, WA’s global media rights agency, the three-year partnership (2024-26) renewal will cover WA’s biggest global events including its World Aquatics Championships, which in 2025 will take place in Singapore from July 11 through August 3.
Other major WA events covered by the deal include its 2024 and 2026 World Swimming Championships, and the World Cup series’ of Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Artistic Swimming, Open Water Swimming, and High Diving.
Rights for live, highlights, and delayed coverage are also part of the package, including rights to prior WA events that took place in 2024 such as that year’s edition of the World Aquatics Championships.
25 EBU member broadcasters have already committed to showcasing WA competitions, including France Televisions, Germany’s ZDF, Italy’s Rai, Spain’s RTVE, and NOS of the Netherlands.
Among new rights included in the deal are those of the EBU’s member nations in North Africa, most notably Tunisia and Morocco, however, the deal excludes the host nation of any of its World Cup series events should they take place in an EBU territory.
Coverage on each EBU broadcaster will be supplemented by additional content provided by the EBU itself through its Eurovision Sport digital service.
Speaking on the announcement, EBU director of acquisitions, sales, and partnership Adrian Fikentscher stated: “With 25 EBU members already on board and Eurovision Sport as a complement, we’re ensuring that fans in Europe and beyond will have access to over 2,000 hours of top-tier aquatic events free-to-air.
“This deal not only enhances the visibility of these competitions but also supports the growth and development of aquatics sports globally.”
This is the second prominent rights acquisition by the EBU in as many weeks, with the broadcaster having last week struck a deal with European soccer governing body UEFA to cover its 2025 Women’s European Championships.
In total, 37 EBU members from 34 European countries will broadcast every match from the 31-game tournament live on their respective free-to-air services.
