• Contract for five years with option to extend for four years
Swimming Australia and the Seven Network have announced a new partnership with Seven the home of swimming for the next nine years, from 2016 until 2025.
The partnership was announced in this press release:
Following the FINA World Championship campaign that saw the success of the Australian Dolphins Swim Team broadcast live into homes across Australia by the Seven Network, this new deal will bring the fans unsurpassed coverage of the sport via free to air television and digital platforms.
Swimming Australia CEO Mark Anderson said that this announcement was an exciting step forward for the sport of swimming in Australia.
“We are making excellent progress across our sport and with the Australian Dolphins Swim Team. This deal is another very significant and exciting step forward for swimming in Australia. It gives me great pleasure to welcome Channel Seven as a long-term partner of Swimming Australia and we look forward to working with them to grow our sport both in and out of the pool.”
Seven will be the official broadcast partner for the next five years with the option to extend for a further four years at the end of this period.
In addition to receiving a rights fee, the new broadcast deal will also see both Swimming Australia and Channel Seven partnering together to sell sponsorships that will package up swimming and advertising properties together.
“This is more than just a broadcast deal; it is an innovative partnership that will see mutual benefits to Swimming Australia and the Seven Network. The way we have structured the agreement is a great demonstration of the partnership as both partners seek to not only build the profile of the sport but to also grow our revenue to allow us to develop the sport across all levels,” Anderson said.
“This deal will see the Seven Network take swimming through two Olympic and Paralympic cycles and the Commonwealth Games at an exciting time in the Dolphins’ history.”
Saul Shtein, Seven’s head of sport, said: “We are delighted to sign this new partnership. Seven has a deep and proud connection with swimming in Australia and this new agreement further underlines our leadership in sports television. Today’s signing aligns perfectly with our long-term partnership with the International Olympic Committee and our commitment to the Commonwealth Games and the Paralympic Games.
Kurt Burnette, Seven’s chief revenue officer, said: “We are looking forward to working closely with Swimming Australia in further expanding its presence on television and across all of our media and digital platforms to deliver innovative marketing partnerships for our clients. The opportunities will be enormous.”
Swimming will feature on our screens during a number of major international events including next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio and the FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary the year after in 2017 and the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018.
As well as this, the Seven Network will broadcast Swimming Australia’s major international and national events that are hosted within Australia. In April all eyes will be on the swimmers as they search for a spot on the Olympic and Paralympic Teams, with all the action available via the Seven Network.
Viewers across the country will be taken into the centre of the action, behind the blocks and into the pool to see the swimmers chase their dreams at the 2016 Hancock Prospecting Australian Swimming Championships in Adelaide during April next year.
Swimming Australia and Ten came to a mutual agreement to end the broadcast contract prior to the final year of their deal.
Source: Seven Network
Photo Source: Australian Dolphins Swim Team