Queensland's Commonwealth Games Minister Stirling Hinchliffe claimed the deal was the biggest single tender available for the event.

The announcement comes almost two months after Gold Coast 2018 officials controversially selected American-owned company Jack Morton Worldwide to produce the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

"This announcement will deliver more than 1,200 jobs and also hundreds of training opportunities for students here in Queensland," Hinchliffe said.

“The Commonwealth Games is the largest sporting event to be staged in Australia this decade - it will broadcast our state to the world, inject more than AUD$2 billion (£1 billion/$1.5 billion/€1.3 billion) into Queensland’s economy and support up to 30,000 jobs.

“This announcement is a major boost for Queensland’s creative industries and will support talented broadcasters and technicians across the state."

The company, formerly known as Global TV Australia before being purchased in 2014 by Pittsburgh-based NEP Group, Inc., has produced several leading television shows in Australia in the past few years.

These have included several major sporting broadcasts, such as the National Rugby League, Australian Football League and cricket, and programmes like My Kitchen Rules and The Voice.

It will also be the fourth consecutive Commonwealth Games for the company after delivering the broadcast for the Glasgow 2014, Delhi 2010 and the Melbourne 2006.

"Today's announcement of NEP as our host broadcaster gives us absolute confidence that the best possible coverage of GC2018 will be delivered and, in doing so, showcase the Gold Coast as a world destination event city and images of Queensland around the globe," Gold Coast 2018 chief executive Mark Peters said.

As part of the contract NEP Australia will provide training for 200 local college and university students in the lead-up to the Games and give them real-life exposure to a major international event.

“This investment in our state’s students will be a tremendous legacy from the Games and will help to build the next generation of broadcast talent in our state," said Hinchliffe. 

NEP will be supported by Australian rights holder the Seven Network and UK production company Sunset+Vine.

They will produce high-definition television pictures for the 11-day event.

The company plans to open an office in Bundall on the Gold Coast to support their operation.

It will also manage the design, installation and operation of the International Broadcast Centre for the Games.

“NEP Australia will lay over 100 kiloemtres of cable, and deploy 350 cameras, to produce over 1,100 hours of live television, radio and digital coverage during the Games for the world’s rights-holding broadcasters, which will be transmitted via 25 outside broadcast vehicles and control rooms,” Hinchliffe said.

Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive David Grevemberg welcomed the appointment.

“NEP will provide the lens through which the world will view the Games, the Gold Coast, Queensland and Australia,” he said.

“The role of the host broadcaster is pivotal to the success of the media operations of any Commonwealth Games, but never more so than in 2018 when a cumulative audience of over 1.5 billion people will watch the Gold Coast action in more ways and more places than ever before.”