Handball: Milestone contract: Perform Group new partner of EHF

The European Handball Federation EHF has signed a new, long-term contract with the Perform Group and the sports marketing company Infront. The partnership has a value of at least half a billion euros over ten years.

The contract was signed in Cologne before the Champions League final on 27 May. From 2020, EHF’s new partnership with marketer Infront and Perform Group, one of the world’s leading companies in digital rights, will begin. The contract is worth between 500 and 600 million euros.

The aim is to help handball to grow more in existing and new markets through a long-term strategy. New and especially younger target groups are also to be addressed. Perform is represented on the German market with SPOX.com, the Goal.com football network and the DAZN streaming platform. DAZN will be showing US sports, top European football leagues and, starting next season, the Chamions League together with Sky Deutschland.

The contract covers the European Championships from 2022 to 2030, club competitions such as the Champions League and other cup competitions from 2020 to 2030, as well as youth and beach tournaments.

“This is a milestone for our sport and the EHF,” said EHF President Michael Wiederer. The new partnership with Infront and Perform will shape the sport at club and national team level, not only financially but also with high growth and development potential”.

“We will bring handball to a whole new audience and a new kind of fan,” said Jacopo Tonoli, COO of Perform. “With the Perform Group we are changing the world of sport and have shown with other rights holders that we can commercialize and grow their sport.”

Xavier O’Callaghan, President of the Representation of Europe’s top clubs Forum Club Handball, said: “I am convinced that we have made the right choice and look forward to what we can achieve together in the coming years.