ELF TELEVISION IN POLE POSITION
The expansion of European League of Football continues apace, with recent announcements regarding coverage in Scandinavia and South America now being followed by good news from central Europe.
The league confirmed the extension of broadcast partnerships in both Poland and the Czech Republic at the start of the week, and has since agreed terms on an expanded arrangement in Austria.
Polish broadcaster POLSAT will remain as the exlusive broadcaster of ELF games in Poland, where it has concentrated on the Wroclaw Panthers via both free-to-air TV channels and digital platforms. The new deal runs until 2027, as does a similar arrangement with Czech Republic and Slovakian broadcaster O2 Sport, which will continue to show all games involving the Prague Lions through a similar combination of free-to-air television channel and digital platforms. Both deals also include coverage of the playoffs, along with additional ‘on demand’ content.
Meanwhile, the amount of airtime earned by the ELF on free-to-air television in Austrian has been strengthened in an extended deal with national public broadcaster ORF alongside the existing long-term partnership with PULS 24, marking another milestone for both league and sport Europe. ORF Sport+ will again broadcast three selected ELF games live on free-to-air TV — including the highly-anticipated ‘Battle of Austria’ between the Vienna Vikings and the Raiders Tirol this weekend (June 7th) — showcasing the league to a wider audience in a country already fervent in its support for football.
“This is another major milestone for our league and fantastic news for football fans in Austria,” said ELF managing director Zeljko Karajica. “We’re proud to have secured ORF as a strong and reliable partner who helps us bring the ELF to a broader audience on free TV.”
The other games to be shown on ORF will be the July 19th clash between the Vikings and Panthers, and the game on August 17th featuring the Raiders against Cologne Centurions.
“The ELF has taken the hearts of football fans in Europe by storm and is generating significant interest in Austria as well,” noted Johannes Aigelsreiter, head of sports at ORF. “With the Vienna Vikings and Raiders Tirol, we have two strong teams on the field that can now be seen live on ORF Sport+. Our extension of the successful partnership in 2024 is a strong signal for the sport.”