ARD and ZDF, the German public-service broadcasters, have together extended their media rights tie-up covering national team tournaments organized by the European Handball Federation (EHF).

Through a deal between the Infront (on behalf of the EHF) and SportA agencies (on behalf of the free-to-air duo), ARD and ZDF will cover action from the men’s and women’s EHF European Championships (held biennially) between 2026 and 2030.

In total, six individual EHF Euros will be covered, with the deal following on from the existing tie-up ARD and ZDF have for these events. That agreement was announced in 2018 and covers the 2020-24 cycle (of which this year’s competitions took place in Germany).

Martin Hausleitner, the EHF’s general secretary, said: “The continued broadcast of the EHF Euros on free-to-air will bring our premier competitions to the broadest possible audience in Germany. Not only will this help continue to grow the men’s game, it is also a significant step forward in our mission to elevate the profile of women's handball.”

Jens Mennigmann, co-head of media at Infront, added: “This agreement only showcases our commitment to promoting handball and ensures the sport's excitement and dynamism reaches a wide and diverse audience. We believe that by making premier events like the men’s and women’s EHF Euro more accessible, we are contributing to the enduring popularity and growth of handball.”

Infront has a media rights tie-up for EHF competitions in place until 2030.

The agency has claimed that the 2024 men’s EHF Euro secured the largest broadcast reach in the tournament’s history.

An audience of over 5 million watched the final of the 2024 men’s EHF European Handball Championship national teams tournament on TF1, the French public-service broadcaster, as the country claimed its first title in a decade.

In late May, Sport TV extended its broadcast deal in Hungary for the EHF’s top-tier competitions.