Under the terms of the deal arranged by IEC - the IAAF's exclusive media rights agency for Europe and Africa - a package of media rights will be acquired by the company Sports Extra Time (SET) including terrestrial, free to air and pay TV satellite rights as well as internet and mobile rights for the IAAF World Athletics Series to 2013 in the territory.

The deal covers all of terrestrial sub-Saharan Africa with the exclusion of South Africa and Ghana, where IEC has already concluded agreements.

SET, a Swiss-based company, has under contract a network of terrestrial broadcasters and has provided to IEC and the IAAF considerable terrestrial broadcast guarantees across sub-Saharan Africa.

SET already has a contract with the Confédération Africaine d'Athlétisme (CAA), the IAAF's continental association for the territory of Africa, and achieved for this year's CAA African Championships the best distribution of the media rights in the history of the championships.

"This is very good news for the IAAF," commented its President, Lamine Diack, "as not only is athletics' terrestrial coverage in sub-Saharan Africa now ensured but, thanks to the previous agreements of IEC, through pay broadcasters Supersport across all the territory, and Zuku TV in a number of Eastern African territories, it will get unprecedented pay satellite coverage.

"IEC's innovative approach has produced a combination of deals that will provide athletics with better coverage than under the agreements that the IAAF had for the territory before 2010."

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