Seven West Media has announced it has signed an agreement with the Australian Paralympic Committee to exclusively screen and stream the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
The company became the first free to air broadcaster in Australia to bag the rights to the Paralymics back in 2015, with the 2016 Rio games the first to be broadcast on the network. Rights to air the games were previously held by the ABC.
Seven West Media chief executive Tim Worner said: “This is so much more than a simple broadcast deal for Seven.
“We recognise the opportunity to do something really special, and we’re going throw the weight of our entire multi-platform network behind our remarkable athletes.
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“In partnership with the APC, our aim is to empower and inspire the team to even greater heights, and through our fundraising initiatives, help secure the financial support they need to reach their full potential.
“We’ve learned so much through the course of the Rio and PyeongChang Paralympic Games and the integrated Para-sport program in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, and we’re going to take all that to the next level in the run up to Tokyo.”
Seven came under some criticism for its coverage of the 2016 PyeongChang Paralympics after it decided to limit coverage of the event to a one-hour highlights show the day after competition.
Australian Paralympic Committee chief executive Lynne Anderson added: “We couldn’t be happier to be extending and deepening our relationship with Seven, which now has a growing reputation as a world leader in Paralympic sport broadcasting.”