The global sports and entertainment company, IMG has prolonged its tie-up with Channel 4 to provide coverage of England men’s UEFA Nations League games, European Qualifiers, and International Friendlies.
Commencing with England’s European Qualifier against reigning champions Italy on March 23, the company will produce the live match feed and highlights show for the channel’s remaining 14 games in 2023 and 2024.
Pete Andrews, Channel 4’s Head of Sport, said, “At Channel 4 we’re really excited to be showing the next 14 England matches on terrestrial television for the next two years. The Euro 2024 campaign starts here, live and free on Channel 4. We can’t wait to start working on these new matches with IMG, who presented really exciting proposals for the coverage.”
IMG will also distribute UEFA‘s regular magazine show to collaborators, as well as digital and social content for 4Studios.
The arrangement extends IMG’s previous association to produce Channel 4’s coverage of England’s six UEFA Nations League matches last year.
The company is also in charge of the channel’s live coverage of Betfred Super League rugby, which is being broadcast on free-to-air television for the first time in the competition’s 26-year history.
Barney Francis, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Production at IMG, said, “We’re thrilled to be expanding our production partnership with Channel 4 and helping to bring their distinctive and innovative tone to live sports. We’ve built a reputation as best-in-class for our football production, working with partners and broadcasters to deliver premium coverage to fans around the globe from our world-leading production hub.”
The expanded agreement continues to add to IMG’s global football production credits, such as the World Cup, AFCON, the EFL highlights show for ITV, and UEFA Champions League coverage for CBS. IMG is also the international production partner of the Premier League.
Alberto Horta was assigned as IMG’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director for DACH, as the sports and events management firm looks to expand even more in the region.
Horta’s new role will be to power IMG’s marketing plan and broadcast rights distribution in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland reporting directly to Ross Hair, SVP and Head of EMEA at IMG Media.