Kontinental Hockey League to be Broadcast in Asia after Eurosport Deal

Eurosport Asia-Pacific, one of the leading sports channels in the region, has acquired exclusive broadcast rights to up to 60 games of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) per season.

The agreement runs for two years and is a real first for the top-tier Eurasian ice hockey league – which has never before achieved a comparable amount of TV coverage in Asia. The contract also covers mobile and internet rights on a non-exclusive basis. It was negotiated by the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media, as part of a KHL mandate for the Asian market.

The games will be broadcast live on Eurosport Asia-Pacific across 15 territories: Brunei, Cambodia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga and Vietnam.

Featuring 26 clubs from Belarus, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Russia, Slovakia and the Ukraine, the 2012/13 KHL League season has already started in September and will run until April 2013. All games will be televised live in HD 16/9 quality with English commentary and will be also featured on Eurosport Asia-Pacific’s dedicated Web TV platform.

lya Kochevrin, KHL Vice President, Commerce and Communications, commented: “This agreement is an important step to further broaden the international KHL footprint and a great success of our collaboration with Infront. With its strong commitment to high-quality live coverage, Eurosport Asia now provides the perfect platform for fans across the attractive Asian markets to access first class ice hockey. During two consecutive seasons, we are now able to develop a sustained following across the region, for the benefit of the league and its commercial partners.”

Arjan Hoekstra, Managing Director of Eurosport Asia-Pacific, added: “We are delighted to become the exclusive pan-Asian broadcaster of the KHL especially at such an important moment for their development. We will help the KHL develop by providing extensive live HD coverage to all fans in Asia on a regular basis. With comprehensive coverage on TV, internet and mobile, Eurosport brings unrivalled broadcast to fans in Asia and consolidates its winter sports offer.”