World Athletics and NBC Sports Group have today announced a ten-year media rights agreement that provides NBC Sports with exclusive multi-platform media rights to World Athletics Series events in the United States until the end of 2029.
The new agreement extends the existing World Athletics-NBC Sports partnership, which now includes the next five editions of the World Athletics Championships, the sport’s flagship event, starting with the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
These championships will be held in the United States for the first time from 15-24 July 2022 at the reimagined Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene.
The local organising committee in Oregon has launched its new brand and website today on the occasion of 600 days to go to the event.
The rescheduling of major sports events due to the pandemic this year means that NBC Sports, which also holds Olympic Games rights until 2032, will now broadcast a global athletics event into the US every year from 2021 to 2025.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe welcomed the agreement and its potential to build the audience for track and field in the United States.
“The World Athletics Championships Oregon22 will be a historic occasion for our sport and we are delighted to have such a trusted broadcast partner by our side to showcase our sport in the United States,” he said.
“The next decade presents a tremendous opportunity for us to build our American fanbase for track and field by highlighting the amazing athletes the US produces, and telling their stories as they take on the greatest athletes from around the globe. NBC Sports’ ability to take fans inside those must-watch moments will be vital to our efforts.”
NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel added: “We are thrilled to extend our long-term partnership with World Athletics. Track and field is a cornerstone of the Olympic programme, and with the World Championships coming to the US for the first time ever in Eugene in 2022, and a group of young and talented American stars on the rise, we couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to deliver these events and tell their stories for years to come.”
The new agreement, delivered with the support of World Athletics’ global commercial partner, Dentsu Inc, covers every World Athletics Series event until 2029.
The following events will be presented across NBC Sports platforms:
• Five World Athletics Championships
• Five World Athletics Indoor Championships
• Five World Athletics Cross Country Championships
• Five World Athletics Relays
• Five World Athletics Half Marathon Championships
• Five World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships
• Five World Athletics U20 Championships
In addition to the World Athletics Series events, NBC Sports currently holds the long-term US media rights to the Wanda Diamond League series and elite USA Track and Field events.