NEWS
CAfrica Sports to Televise Samsung Diamond League
Track and Field Events Across Sub-Saharan Africa
— Multiyear Partnership Includes Highlights of 2010 Inaugural Seasons—
—Deal concluded by IMG Media, a division of global sports and media company, IMG Worldwide, for Samsung Diamond League—
DENVER, COLO. – CAfrica Sports, Africa’s leading free-to-air premium sports program broadcasting company, today announced that it will televise coverage of the Samsung Diamond League, the world’s premier track and field events league, to sub-Saharan African television viewers. The deal was concluded by IMG Media, a division of global sports and media company, IMG Worldwide for the Samsung Diamond League.
Today’s news comes on the heels of CAfrica Sports’ previously announced multiyear partnership with the NBA to televise NBA basketball games and original programming in 21 African countries. CAfrica Sports distributes programming through a formal network of free-to-air broadcasters throughout the continent. The company’s combined broadcast network reaches a combined population of more than 300 million consumers, effectively making CAfrica Sports the broadest free-to-air sports network in Africa.
“We’re thrilled to bring the Samsung Diamond League to African viewers as this programming represents the elite in track and field events and features the biggest stars of the sport including Usain Bolt, Kenenisa Bekele and Tyson Gay,” said Robert Fogler, chief executive officer of CAfrica Sports. “The addition of Samsung Diamond League to our lineup further expands our commitment to bringing the best of the world’s sports to a broad base of African viewers.”
Entering its second year of competition, the Samsung Diamond League is a global league which runs May through September with 14 cities holding track and field meetings. Athletes compete to earn Diamond Race points throughout the season in 32 event disciplines, with the athletes who earn the most points winning the Diamond Race in their respective event(s), awarded a Diamond Trophy, a cash prize and the distinction of being the world’s top track and field athlete in that event discipline. CAfrica Sports has begun its coverage of the Samsung Diamond League by broadcasting a 30-week, half-hour series of highlight shows featuring the most exciting moments of the Samsung Diamond League’s 2010 inaugural season.
“The Samsung Diamond League represents the world’s premier one-day track and field television programming, and this agreement with CAfrica Sports provides an opportunity to significantly expand our reach in Africa,” said Lamine Diack, IAAF president and chairman of the Board of Samsung Diamond League. “Working in partnership with CAfrica Sports, we look forward to delivering the thrill of competition along with a weekly highlights show so that fans can track their favorite athletes’ progress throughout the season.”
“IMG Media is delighted to connect Samsung Diamond League programming and CAfrica Sports,” said Robyn Cox, Managing Director, IMG Sub Saharan Africa. “CAfrica Sports is a great partner for us because of their wide-ranging free-to-air, pan-African terrestrial broadcaster network, and the professionalism with which they coordinate the production broadcast of the Samsung Diamond League. As a global leader in sports and entertainment distribution, we are committed to developing partnerships with leading companies to harness new opportunities and build new channels for content distribution.”
About CAfrica Sports
CAfrica Sports is a U.S.-based television broadcasting company that delivers premium sports programs through a formal network of free-to-air broadcasters in sub-Saharan Africa. The company’s broadcast network spans 20 countries reaching a combined population of more than 300 million consumers, effectively making CAfrica Sports the broadest free-to-air TV sports network in Africa. CAfrica Sports broadcast model provides a single point of distribution for multinational sponsors and advertisers seeking cross-continent marketing opportunities. Equally important, CAfrica Sports helps sponsors and advertisers understand market dynamics, challenges and opportunities so they may advance their brands and tap Africa’s vibrant and growing markets. Learn more at www.CAfricaSports.com.
About Samsung Diamond League
The series features the best of track and field for the first time globally since the inaugural season in 2010. It is coordinated by the Swiss-based Diamond League AG, which is held by the IAAF and the organisers of the individual events. For more information, visit www.diamondleague.com .
About IMG
IMG Worldwide is a global sports, entertainment and media business, with nearly 3,000 employees operating in 30 countries around the globe. IMG’s areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging: IMG College is the leader in collegiate marketing, licensing and media rights. IMG’s Joint Ventures, IMG Reliance, IMGX and IMG CCTV, in the emerging markets of India, Brazil and China, offer the company significant long-term growth opportunities. IMG Media is the world’s largest independent producer and distributor of sports programming. IMG Events and Federations owns and manages some of the most sought after events and includes long standing associations with the world’s most important sports organizations, leagues, and federations. IMG Fashion owns and operates fashion events around the world and IMG Models represents the world’s top models and leading designers and IMG Art+Commerce represents the most influential photographers, art directors and stylists. For the past 50 years, IMG Clients has been the global leader in talent representation, including over 1,000 elite athletes, coaches, industry executives and prestigious sports organizations across the sports, entertainment, fashion and media industries. IMG Academies is the world’s largest and most advanced multi-sport training and educational facility delivering sports training experiences to more than 12,000 dedicated athletes from approximately 80 countries every year. IMG Consulting connects many of the world’s leading brands with consumers through access to unique sports and entertainment properties. IMG Licensing is considered one of the premier independent licensing companies in the sports, entertainment and media world. More information is available at www.imgworld.com.
Sarah Eder |
Petr Stastny | Katie Byrne |
Eder Communications for CAfrica Sports |
Diamond League AG | IMG |
303-887-9744 office |
+41 41 500 23 40 | +208 233 7425 |
| katie.byrne@imgworld.com |