FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 6th, 2017

NBC SPORTS GROUP AND IAAF DIAMOND LEAGUE PARTNER ON LONG-TERM MEDIA RIGHTS AGREEMENT FOR TRACK & FIELD COVERAGE

NBC Sports Group to be the U.S. Home of the Diamond League Through 2019

NBC Sports Group to Present 58 Hours of Television Coverage of 14 Diamond League Track & Field Events from May – September 2017

Multiple Streams Available on NBC Sports Group’s Digital Platforms

Content will be Presented As Part of Recently-Announced Olympic Channel Partnership among NBCUniversal, the IOC, and the USOC

STAMFORD, Conn. – April 6, 2017 –NBC Sports Group and the IAAF Diamond League have partnered on a media rights agreement for exclusive television and digital streaming rights to the league’s annual track and field events through 2019, both parties announced today. As part of the agreement, which begins Friday, May 5, with the first event of the season in Doha, Qatar, NBC Sports Group will present 58 hours of Diamond League coverage this season, including 10 hours on NBC.
“No Olympic sport so readily conveys the motto of ‘faster, higher, stronger’ like Track and Field, and we are thrilled to be able to showcase so many of its finest athletes outside of the Games with this prestigious series,” said Jim Bell, President, NBC Olympics Production and Programming.
In addition to its television coverage, NBC Sports Group will host multiple simultaneous streams on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product available on mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs. Content will be presented as part of recently-announced Olympic Channel partnership among NBCUniversal, the IOC, and the USOC.
The Diamond League series regularly attracts the world’s top track and field athletes. Olympic gold medalists such as Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, Great Britain’s Mo Farah, and American Allyson Felix have all won Diamond League races in previous seasons. Other athletes expected to highlight this year’s series include Americans Tianna Bartoletta, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, Matthew Centrowitz, the 2016 Olympic 1500m gold medalist, Jeff Henderson, the 2016 Olympic long jump gold medalist, and Tori Bowie, a two-time Olympic medalist at the Rio Games.
Highlighting the action in Doha are two-time Olympic medalist LaShawn Merritt of the U.S., renewing his rivalry in the men’s 400m against 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada; five-time Olympic medalist Justin Gatlin of the U.S. in the men’s 100m against Canada’s Andre de Grasse, who won three medals at the Rio Games; 2016 Olympic 100m and 200m gold medalist Elaine Thompson of Jamaica, who will face 2015 world champion and 2016 Olympic 200m silver medalist Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands in the women’s 200m; and two-time Olympic gold medalist Christian Taylor in a strong men’s triple jump field that includes U.S. teammate Will Claye, a three-time Olympic medalist.
The annual Diamond League stop in Eugene, Oregon, will be presented by NBC Sports Group as part of its partnership with the USATF. Coverage of Olympic Sports on NBC Sports Group platforms is a presentation of the Olympic Channel, Home of Team USA.
The partnership was developed by IMG, a global leader in sports, events, media and fashion.
Complete programming information will be announced at a later date.
Following is the schedule of events for 2017:

Date (2017)	Event
Fri., May 5	IAAF Diamond League – Doha
Sat., May 13	IAAF Diamond League – Shanghai
Sat., May 27	IAAF Diamond League – Eugene*
Thurs., June 8	IAAF Diamond League – Rome
Thurs., June 15	IAAF Diamond League – Oslo
Sun., June 18	IAAF Diamond League -Stockholm
Sat., July 1	IAAF Diamond League – Paris
Thurs., July 6	IAAF Diamond League – Lausanne
Sun., July 9	IAAF Diamond League – London
Sun., July 16	IAAF Diamond League – Rabat
Fri., July 21	IAAF Diamond League – Monaco
Sun., Aug. 20	IAAF Diamond League – Birmingham
Thurs., Aug. 24	IAAF Diamond League – Zurich
Fri., Sept. 1	IAAF Diamond League – Brussels

*Per NBC Sports Group’s partnership with the USATF

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–