Sport Austria President Hans Niessl insists after a conversation with ORF General Director Roland Weißmann on Tuesday on the continuation of the special interest channel ORF Sport +. “In order to have planning security for our associations and clubs, the transmitter must remain in operation at least until 2026. Anything else would be downright negligent for the diversity of our sports culture,” said Niessl, according to the broadcast.
The ORF management recently announced the planned discontinuation of ORF Sport + as a linear TV station due to the general pressure to save. Large parts of sports reporting could migrate to digital platforms. However, the financial and legal framework for this is still lacking.
No decision on ORF Sport + yet
The federal sports organization emphasized that, like the ORF, it sees great future potential in digitization. “Nevertheless, it is important for sport that ORF Sport + remains as a platform, at least until the digitization expansion is complete, which can still take years,” explained Niessl.
In the meeting with the Director General, Sport Austria also pointed out that the government had used large financial resources to maintain sport during the pandemic in recent years. However, the cessation of ORF Sport + would weaken the sport in the long term and counteract the efforts of the federal government. Sport Austria wants to discuss the next steps with Vice Chancellor and Minister of Sport Werner Kogler (Greens).
