New media rights agreement includes all EHF club and national team competitions involving Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland with special focus on free TV coverage.
Zug, Switzerland – Infront and Perform Group have today unveiled a new agreement with Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group), for the distribution of all EHF club and national team competitions in the Nordic region. The deal comes just weeks after Infront and Perform Group announced a 10-year partnership with the EHF and EHF Marketing GmbH, beginning in 2020.
The comprehensive agreement with NENT Group includes the 2022/2024/2026 Men's and Women's EHF EURO events (including qualification away-matches) and the 2021/2023/2025 Men's and Women's Beach Handball EURO events (including draw).
Also included in the package of rights acquired by NENT Group are three seasons of coverage of the EHF’s top men’s and women’s club competitions (2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23), including the EHF Champions League, a new second tier ‘European Handball League’ and a renamed third tier competition, the ‘EHF Cup’.
All games involving the Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and Finnish handball national teams played at the men's and women's EHF EUROs in 2022, 2024 and 2026 as well as away qualifiers will be broadcast live on NENT Group’s free TV channels, as will all semi-final and medal matches.
Free-to-air coverage is also guaranteed in the three main EHF club competitions for all matches involving clubs from the four Nordic nations as well as from the finals of these competitions, including the EHF FINAL4 events.
NENT Group will broadcast all other matches not involving Nordic clubs or national teams on TV and/or on its own dedicated sports OTT platforms.
As part of the new 10-year agreement with the EHF and EHF Marketing GmbH, Infront and Perform will work closely with the federation to enhance the fan experience, strengthen the sport’s digital footprint and to develop further innovations in order to bring fans even closer to the heart of the game.
Julien Ternisien, Vice President Summer Sports at Infront said: "This new agreement with NENT Group shows how attractive EHF as a platform is and will enable us to reach Nordic fans with a top-quality product developed alongside EHF and Perform. Handball and its fan base are growing and we are glad to be actively involved in this expansion. The long-term partnerships with EHF and NENT Group are key to developing the sport of handball and enable us to keep building on the great work that has been done until now."
Anders Jensen, NENT Group President and CEO: “NENT Group is now the undisputed home of handball for every passionate Nordic handball fan. As the region’s leading entertainment provider, we are delighted to have secured these rights to one of the most popular sports in the Nordics, and we will continue to add to our unrivalled sports offering.”
Martin Hausleitner, Secretary General of the European Handball Federation, said: “Handball is immensely popular across Scandinavia and we are delighted to have secured a deal with NENT Group that guarantees handball fans in the region not only free-to-air coverage but also a comprehensive package of both club and national team competitions. The new agreement with Infront and Perform is already bearing fruit and this first TV deal underlines the potential for the further growth and development of the sport through to 2030.”
David Szlezak, Managing Director of EHF Marketing GmbH, said: “The bundling of both club and national team rights by the EHF and EHF Marketing has created an extremely attractive platform for broadcasters, a fact underlined by this new long-term agreement with NENT Group. This deal offers handball fans the opportunity to follow the stars of the game across both club and national team competitions on innovative platforms and, with the guarantee of free-to-air coverage, will enable us to bring Europe’s top club competitions to both our existing fan base and new audiences.”Jacopo Tonoli, Chief Commercial Officer of Perform Group, said: “We are delighted that NENT Group has agreed to deliver one of Scandinavia’s favourite sports to its passionate fans. This is the first exciting deal of the new long-term joint venture, and we are all committed to evolving the way in which fans around the world watch and engage with handball.”
Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) is the Nordic region’s leading entertainment provider. We entertain millions of people every day with our streaming services, TV channels and radio stations, and our production companies create exciting content for media companies around the world. We make life more entertaining by enabling the best and broadest experiences – from live sports, movies and series to music and original shows. Headquartered in Stockholm, NENT Group is part of Modern Times Group MTG AB (publ), a leading international digital entertainment group listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (‘MTGA’ and ‘MTGB’). NENT Group is proposed to be listed separately on Nasdaq Stockholm during the second half of 2018.
Infront is a leading sports marketing company managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events, including the distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production, event operation and digital solutions. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 1,000 staff working from over 39 offices across more than 14 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year. In 2015, Infront was integrated into Wanda Sports Group, part of Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group.
Perform Group is the digital leader in global sports media and one of the fastest growing sports media companies in the world. With almost 3,000 employees in over 30 countries, its businesses touch every aspect of the way fans engage with sport. Perform Group streams sport to fans directly through DAZN, its unique live and on-demand service. It partners with the biggest rights holders to help them commercialise and grow their sports around the world. It produces better, faster, more detailed content and data for broadcasters, media companies, sports teams, and brands.More information: performgroup.com