Seven has signed a new agreement with Swimming Australia that will keep the sport on the network until 2025.
Following an exciting 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.”
“Swimming has a rich and proud history in Australia and is part of our country’s DNA. We are delighted that this long term deal will ensure that our sport will be shared and enjoyed by all Australians as Swimming Australia and Channel 7 aim to further expand our sport’s reach and popularity and build the profile of our great Australian swimmers and role models.” Anderson said.
Dual-World Champion from the Kazan World Championships Mitch Larkin was thrilled with the announcement of the deal.
“I have very fond memories as a kid of cheering on my idols from home, watching them race on television and getting to know them as athletes – it sparked my interest in the sport and my drive to compete and get to their level.
“To have swimming broadcast on Channel Seven for the next nine years is a huge step forward for swimming and the opportunities for our sport and our team profile to grow with this deal is really exciting,” Larkin said.
Channel 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.”
Seven was the first network to broadcast the World Swimming Championships in primetime – the Championships
in Perth (1998) that announced the arrival of Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett as World Champions in the lead-up to the Olympic Games in Sydney.
Commenting, 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.
Commenting, 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 President John Bertrand AM said this new innovative partnership was a game changer. “This deal is a game changer for the sport of swimming, both in terms of rich content to be broadcast to the nation as well as our ability to go to the sponsorship market with the Seven Network as our partner.
“Our athletes have pride, passion and commitment as they strive for success on the world stage. It gives me great pleasure to know that we can share these stories with the nation and share the journey of our Dolphins Team, across the Seven Network until 2025,” Mr Bertrand said.
“Swimming Australia would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation for the support that Network Ten have provided Swimming Australia since 2008. We have valued the partnership and wish to thank and acknowledge Network Ten for their contribution and investment into our sport,” Anderson said.
Swimming Australia and Network Ten came to a mutual agreement to end the broadcast contract prior to the final year of their deal.
