The Asian Games takes place every four years and is the world’s second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games. With a television audience of billions of people, the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou was watched in 850 million homes in host nation China alone, with 2,500 hours of broadcast transmission.

The international sports media company’s agreement with the OCA will also encompass the 2012 Haiyang Asian Beach Games, the 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Art Games, the 2013 Asian Youth Games, the 2013 Asian Unity Games and the 2014 Phuket Asian Beach Games. MP & Silva will be working closely with the OCA’s official marketing agent Dentsu for the distribution of the rights.

“MP & Silva has developed very strong links with Asian and Middle Eastern broadcasters and sports governing bodies over the years, and having the chance to be part of the Asian Games’ media strategy and distribution is incredibly rewarding to us,” said Andrea Radrizzani, Group CEO of MP & Silva. “In our capacity as partner we will also act as media advisor in order to guarantee the highest level of production guidelines and innovation – including digital strategy and on social media portals. Our objective is to contribute to the success of the Olympic Asian sports movement and improve its reach to other regions of the world.”

OCA general director, Husain Al-Musallam, added: “Through this partnership, we are really engaging fans on a global scale, giving them the opportunity to follow all our competitions and to embrace the excitement surrounding the Asian Games. I am thrilled to start this journey with a strong and loyal partner such as MP & Silva and we are determined to develop a long and lasting relationship.”