WBD adds European Athletics Championships to sports portfolio

The last-minute deal, which excludes the Nordics, Poland, and Russia, will see every event – including 24 men’s, 24 women’s, and two mixed relays – stream live and on demand on HBO Max.  

WBD’s premium linear channels will also carry coverage in available territories. This includes pay-TV coverage with localised commentary on Eurosport 1 across Europe together with coverage on TNT Sports 3 in the UK and Ireland. 

Running from 10-16 August, Birmingham 2026 is the first European Athletics Championships to be held in the UK in the competition’s 92-year history.  

HBO Max will deploy tech offers for viewers such as Multiview, which displays up to four concurrent live events, as well as Key Moments, which enables users to transition to the most crucial action points in a race or event stream. 

The deal comes soon after WBD’s coverage of every event at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games and less than two years until it covers the Olympic Games LA2028. 

Trojan Paillot, Senior Vice President (SVP) of Rights, Syndication, and Commercial Development at WBD Sports Europe, said: “We have carved out a reputation as being the leader in broadcasting multi-sport events across multiple markets and languages through one unifying mission to tell every story, covering every athlete and showcasing every event live from some of the world’s greatest sporting competitions.” 

Just months after pulling off the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, Alex Dinnin, Director of Graphics and Innovation at Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), recently sat down with IBC365 to reveal what technologies he’s got his eye on for the visual future of the legendary organisation. Discover more here.