Mediapro, the Spanish media rights and production agency, has secured a contract to produce live coverage and content for competitions organized by the World Karate Federation (WKF) until 2025.
Through its Broadcast Media Services (BMS) division, Mediapro will deliver audiovisual production and live coverage of the main events of the WKF throughout 2024 and 2025, including eight Karate 1-Premier League events, the World Team Championships, and the World Individual Senior Championships.
It will also produce a 25-minute program on each tournament during the Karate 1-Premier League circuit and ancillary content for the two championships.
As part of the deal, the European Karate Federation continental governing body has also contracted Mediapro to produce the Senior European Championships in both years.
The deal comes amid a period of change for WKF competitions. Starting in 2024, the governing body will stage the World Team and Individual Championship tournaments separately in alternate years to increase coverage of karate events globally.
Additionally, the eight Karate 1-Premier League events in 2024 and 2025, along with the continental championships will now be qualification events for the World Individual Championships.
WKF president Antonio Espinos said: “The agreement with Mediapro represents a milestone for the WKF, and we are pleased to have a global market-leading company as our main media partner.
“Given Mediapro’s extensive experience in the production of sporting events and content integration, we are convinced that our major events will reach never-before-seen heights in terms of excellence and popularity.
“This partnership will surely help us promote our most important events worldwide even more and will increase karate’s wider audiences in a broader global market.”
Along with Spanish soccer's LaLiga, Mediapro has counted major sports organizations as clients including soccer’s world governing body FIFA, and European governing body UEFA, basketball’s governing body FIBA, and the International Olympic Committee.
Mediapro has a deal with LaLiga covering free-to-air rights in Spain running from 2022-23 to 2024-25. That deal, worth slightly less than €14 million, sees the agency air one match per week on its sports channel Gol, as well as highlights.
Earlier this month, meanwhile, Mediapro struck an agreement with South American soccer’s governing body Conmebol, to once again handle the host broadcast for the Copa Libertadores Femenina club competition.
Under the agreement, Mediapro’s Colombia arm is now responsible for producing and broadcasting all 32 games during the tournament, totaling more than 1,800 hours of live content. The competition is currently being held in Bogota and Cali, running between October 5 and 21.
