The Czech Republic’s O2 TV has signed a major deal with BPA sports marketing that will see its viewers offered all ice hockey Extraliga matches exclusively from next season until 2023.
Starting in the new season, the entire Extraliga will be screened in an innovative television format, with a total of five live streams each week. The broadcasting rights for the three game days are held by O2 TV Sport. Two matches a week will be offered by CT Sport, which all O2 TV customers, regardless of their tariff plans, can also watch.
Commenting on the development, Anna Lenerova, head of O2 TV content, said: “Hockey is undoubtedly one of the most popular sports, so the negotiations on distribution rights were quite demanding, and lasted for over a year. We managed to get even more ice hockey for our viewers, who, starting next season, will see all clubs from the entire Extraliga play. Under our original agreement, it could happen that our ice hockey fan viewers wouldn’t get to watch the elimination rounds – which would be a great pity. We are pleased that O2 TV now can offer truly the most exciting sports content for our viewers, whether it be football, tennis or hockey. What’s more, our cooperation agreement with BPA is in place through 2023 – and we will have the Champions League through 2021 – which underscores how we plan our purchases for the long run”.
Marek Kindernay, MD of O2 TV Sport, added: “Thanks to O2 TV, teams will get more revenue, which they can invest in the development of the club, youth leagues, and activities for fans. We want to contribute to improving of the overall hockey product”.
In a separate development, O2 TV has added Eurosport HD, Sport 1 HD and Spektrum HD to its M programme package.
Starting April 10, subscribers will be offered the channels, which had previously only been available in SD.
Branislav Valo, responsible for O2 TV, said: “We’ve combined channels available in both HD and SD resolution so that O2 TV viewers can watch them in the best available quality. By adjusting, we have made it easier for our customers to navigate the channel list. (The channels) will all be found in logical blocks by genre, and if there are both SD and HD versions they will be available in better quality dependent on the internet connection”.
Most viewers will be offered the M package, while the number of channels in the L and XL packages will remain unchanged.
O2 TV notes that customers who do not want the newly organised channel list, which includes blocks covering genres such as serials, sports and documentaries, can useindividual set-top box settings to cresate therir own list and channel order.
