The Olympic Channel and Claro Sports have announced a new partnership featuring both linear and digital programming across 17 territories in Latin America ©Claro Sports

The Olympic Channel and Claro Sports have announced a new partnership featuring both linear and digital programming across 17 territories in Latin America.

The agreement includes broadcast programming hours under the Olympic Channel brand on the Claro Sports channel and the over the top (OTT) platform Claro video.

There will also be a digital portal dedicated to the Olympic Channel at Marca Claro.

Programming will include year-round coverage of Olympic sports and athletes, including Olympic Channel original programming, content related to the Olympic Games on Claro Sports and new content that highlights locally relevant stories created by both parties.

Featured content in the programming blocks will include Olympic Channel original programming containing the journeys of Olympic heroes in Legends Live On, the most famous records from the Games in The Olympics on the Record, celebrities narrating their favourite stories in My Olympic Moment and the fitness-inspired tech series Anatomy Of.

"We are thrilled to collaborate with Claro Sports to deliver the Olympic Channel experience to their viewers," Mark Parkman, general manager of the Olympic Channel, said.

"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 Olympic Channel is a multi-platform global media destination ©Getty Images
The Olympic Channel is a multi-platform global media destination ©Getty Images

Arturo Elias Ayub, chief executive of Claro Sports, added: "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 agreement marks a key distribution partnership for the Olympic Channel across Latin America and runs through to 2024, complementing Claro Sports' media rights agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games.

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

The new strategic distribution partnership complements the Olympic Channel global digital OTT platform, which launched following the Closing Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Through collaborations with the IOC's rights-holding broadcast partners and National Olympic Committees, the Olympic Channel claims to be developing localised versions leading to more personalised experiences for Olympic fans around the world.

Last month, it was announced that the Olympic Channel had become available on connected television devices for Android TV and Apple TV.

The network has also been launched on the streaming service Roku this month and further announcements on additional devices are scheduled to be made "in due course".