The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Olympic Channel has secured a distribution deal with Claro Sports to bring linear and digital programming to 17 territories in Latin America.

The deal, which runs through 2024, will see programming hours broadcast under the Olympic Channel brand on the Claro Sports 24-hour television network and the Claro Video streaming service. There will also be a digital portal dedicated to the IOC’s global over-the-top (OTT) service on Marca Claro.

The year-round coverage of Olympic sports will include original programming and new content focused on locally relevant stories, which will be co-produced by the Olympic Channel and Claro Sports.

Claro Sports chief executive Arturo Elias Ayub said: “Having the Olympic Channel represented in our programming will be a big step to connect the Latin American audience with the values of Olympism, beyond the Olympic Games.”

The strategic alliance means that the Olympic Channel now has linear exposure on four continents, building on deals with the Japan Consortium of broadcasters, BeIN Media Group in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and NBC Universal in the US. Unlike the tie-up with Claro Sports, the agreements with BeIN and NBC led to the launch of dedicated Olympic Channel linear networks.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Claro Sports to deliver the Olympic Channel experience to their viewers,” added Mark Parkman, general manager of the Olympic Channel. “Our partnership with Claro Sports gives us a powerful position in Latin America to further engage fans and new audiences with the Olympic movement as we continue to deepen our relationships with viewers around the world.”

The 17 territories included in the agreement are Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.