July 18, 2016) – IMG, one of the largest independent producers and distributors of sports media, has agreed a deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the international inflight and inship rights for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The deal will see IMG distribute live coverage of the Games to the airline and cruise line industries, excluding all routes within the US. In addition, the company will produce other non-live inflight programming, including daily and weekly highlights programs and a review of the Games, which will be available within two days of the event’s conclusion.
The deal will also see more than 200 hours of live action shown across the 17 days of competition on Sport 24 and Sport 24 Extra, the IMG-owned and operated channels produced exclusively for the inflight market, including every minute of the opening and closing ceremonies.
Richard Wise, senior vice president, IMG Media said, “The Olympic Games is the biggest event on the sporting calendar and we are very pleased to be providing the inflight and inship market with the best of the action live, starting with the opening ceremony on Friday 5th August. It will certainly make those airlines and cruise lines carrying the live feed a more appealing proposition to passengers when choosing who to travel with during this time.”
Timo Lumme, IOC TMS managing director, added, “We are very pleased to have reached an agreement with IMG for the Olympic Games Rio 2016 to be shown in the air and at sea. Our objective is to reach the widest possible audience and therefore it is important that coverage is as accessible as possible, and we are delighted that viewers will be able to watch the action live while on their travels.”
IMG provides more sports programming to airlines than any other distributor, each year supplying over 600 hours of programming to more than 50 international airlines, while Sport 24 is a 24/7 service, currently available across 11 airlines and six cruise lines.
