The Baku 2015 European Games today signed an agreement with national broadcaster TV Channel Russia, granting the network free-to-air and pay TV rights in the country. The agreement will ensure that 53 million Russian households will have access to coverage of the inaugural event, which will take place from 12-28 June.

Russian viewers will be able to enjoy over 10 hours of sporting action from Baku daily, shown across a combination of Russia 2 (free-to-air) and Sport 1, Sport, and Fight Club (pay TV) programming. There will also be online coverage on leading Russian sport websites Vesti.ru and Sportbox.ru.

Mr Simon Clegg, Chief Operating Officer of Baku 2015, said: “I am delighted that we have come to an agreement with TV Channel Russia to broadcast the first European Games in such a pivotal market. The Russian Olympic Committee will be sending over 300 of their best athletes to Baku, and through our partnership with TV Channel Russia, we can be sure that the passionate Russian public will share in their experience through extensive coverage across all platforms.”

Mr Alexander Taschin, Head of Sports Broadcasting at VGTRK, added: “The first European Games is a significant event in the sporting world due to the competition format as well as the fact that 12 sports offer qualification opportunities for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. For us, it is also important to broadcast the achievements of our national delegation, which will be the largest at the Games. Therefore we offer our viewers coverage of all events across the three sport channels which are part of the VGTRK ‘Digital TV’ package.”