The BBC has agreed a new deal with that will see them show highlights of the 2016 and 2017 Diamond League seasons as part of a new deal, whilst Eurosport will show all Diamond League meetings live this season except the two British meetings which will be broadcast on the BBC.
“The deal strengthens the BBC’s long-term commitment to athletics,” said BBC director of sport Barbara Slater.
“It is our biggest commitment in terms of coverage of the Diamond League on network television.”
David Kerr, the Managing Director of British Eurosport said, “The Diamond League is a great global series and we are thrilled to bring it to British Eurosport viewers.
“Our recent athletics broadcasts have delivered fantastic audiences, which demonstrates that the profile and popularity of athletics in the UK continues to grow on the back of the achievements of athletes like Jessica Ennis-Hill, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford at the London Olympics, as well as the emergence of future stars like Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
“Our Live Diamond League coverage will allow fans in the UK to follow the best of our domestic talent as well as global superstars like Usain Bolt and David Rudisha in the sport’s premier annual competition.
“It also complements our existing rights to the World Athletics Championships from Beijing in August, giving us unrivalled athletics coverage from May to September and sets us off on the road to the 2017 World Championships in London.”
The BBC has a seperate deal for the live broadcast of the two UK Diamond League meetings in Birmingham (7 June) and the Anniversary Games in London (24 and 25 July) which runs through to 2020.
Lamine Diack, the International Association of Athletics Federations president and chairman of the board of the Diamond League, said: “We are very proud to have a partner like the BBC to commit to such a broad coverage of our meeting series.
“BBC’s support is of course also great news with regards to the upcoming IAAF World Athletics Championships in London 2017 and confirms the importance of our sport in the UK.”
Diack went on to say: “Eurosport has always been a greatly valued supporter of athletics. With the commitment in the UK it will provide its viewers excellent live athletics and help us to further build the exposure of our sports in a key market. We thank Eurosport for their commitment and look forward to a great partnership.”
