The World Karate Federation (WKF) and GRUP MEDIAPRO today announced an alliance for the development and production of audiovisual content of the most important Karate events in the world.

With this partnership, GRUP MEDIAPRO through its division Broadcast Media Services (BMS) and the WKF, Karate’s international governing body, join forces to elevate the biggest events of the sport in the period 2024–2025 through enhanced and modernised TV production and the creation of innovative content to highlight the remarkable sporting spirit of Karate.

MEDIAPRO BMS will deliver audiovisual production, content creation, and live coverage of the main events of the WKF throughout the period 2024–2025, namely the eight Karate 1-Premier League events, the World Team Championships, and the World Individual Senior Championships. Following the agreement, GRUP MEDIAPRO, the world’s leading company in the audiovisual sector, has also been entrusted by the European Karate Federation (EKF) to produce the Senior European Championships in 2024 and 2025.  

The alliance comes in the wake of the new period of karate starting in 2024. The WKF, in its commitment to increasing the potential of the biggest events of the sport, has separated the World Team and Individual Championships into two different tournaments to be held in alternate years. Moreover, since the eight Karate 1-Premier League events in 2024 and 2025, together with the continental championships, represent the basis of the qualification process for the World Individual Championships, Karate’s first-class series of events has acquired even more relevance and interest in this new sporting cycle. 

The partnership agreement was signed today at GRUP MEDIAPRO’s offices in Madrid (Spain) by WKF President Antonio Espinós and the MEDIAPRO Group director of Broadcast and Media Services, José Luis Rubio.

 WKF President Antonio Espinós said:

“The agreement with GRUP MEDIAPRO BMS represents a milestone for the WKF, and we are pleased to have a global market-leading company as our main media partners. Given GRUP MEDIAPRO’s extensive experience in the production of sporting events and content integration, we are convinced that our major events will reach never-before-seen heights in terms of excellence and popularity. This partnership will surely help us promote our most important events worldwide even more and will increase Karate’s wider audiences in a broader global market”.

The director of Broadcast and Media Services of GRUP MEDIAPRO, José Luis Rubio, stated that “Our Group is the leading company in the European media and entertainment sector, and we have extensive experience in the production of live sporting events, for that reason, we believe we can bring this experience to the competitions of the World Karate Federation, with which we are delighted to collaborate. GRUP MEDIAPRO BMS produces some of the world's biggest sporting competitions, including football, basketball, and now karate”.

Following the new period of Karate, the WKF has also appointed Simply Sport SL to commercialise the TV distribution rights of the major events of the sport in 2024 and 2025. Simply Sport SL is a long-time collaborator of the WKF and regains the WKF’s distribution rights after a six-year hiatus.

(Director of Broadcast and Media Services of GRUP MEDIAPRO José Luis Rubio and WKF President Antonio Espinós.)

----- XXXX -----

About the GRUP MEDIAPRO:

GRUP MEDIAPRO is a leader in the European audiovisual sector, unique in content integration, production and audiovisual distribution with a presence across the globe through its 52 offices on 4 continents. The group provides the creativity and technical solutions necessary to design, produce and distribute any audiovisual or multichannel project to any corner of the world.

GRUP MEDIAPRO participates in the production of 13 national football league competitions around the world and has amassed a wealth of experience producing major sports competitions including the UEFA Champions League, FIFA Confederations Cup, FIFA World Cup, CONMEBOL, FIBA, Euroleague, Pan American Games, Arab Games, Africa Cup of Nations and Formula 1. Boasting extensive experience in the creation and production of sports channels, the group’s teams of professionals are behind the creation of 15 themed channels such as OneSoccer (Canada), Golf TV (USA), Porto TV (Portugal), Eleven JPL (Belgium) or LALIGA TV and GOL PLAY in Spain.

GRUP MEDIAPRO, through THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO, is also one of the world’s largest content creators, with projects for HBO, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Turner, DirectTV, Movistar, FOX, Viacom and Televisa.

Through the Innovation area, the group leads the Spanish-language eSports sector with Liga de Videojuegos Profesional (LVP), the world's largest Spanish-language eSports organization, and Ubeat, a multiplatform entertainment organization for new audiences. Through VISYON, an immersive creative company pioneering in the development of solutions, the group develops projects linked to artificial intelligence, immersive realities, and OTT.  Mediapro Exhibitions designs and implements interactive museum spaces using the most advanced and innovative technology.

About the World Karate Federation:

The WKF is the international governing body of Karate. With 200 National Federations and headquarters in Madrid (Spain), the WKF manages the sport of Karate for its over 100 million fans around the world, and it organizes Karate events worldwide. To learn more about WKF and its activities, please visit www.wkf.net.

From left to right: Director of Broadcast and Media Services of GRUP MEDIAPRO José Luis Rubio, WKF President Antonio Espinós, and Simply Sport SL Javier Tola.