US Olympic TV Rights

[jrock71]

Tommorrow and Tuesday, The IOC will meet with US Broadcasters to negotitate the TV rights for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia and 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil and possibly the rights to the 2018 Winter Olympics and 2020 Summer Olympics. The IOC will meet with executives from ABC/ESPN and Fox on Monday and NBC on Tuesday.

NBC/Universal/Comcast are the incumbent rights holders, broadcasting every Summer Olympic Games since 1988 and Winter Olympics since 2002. Comcast recently acquired 51% Share of NBC and the biggest development in the last couple of weeks is that Dick Ebersol, The long time president of NBC Sports resigned and won't be accompaning his new bosses in Lausanne for the US TV Rights. It is believed that NBC won't be as agressive as they lost money during the Vancouver Games and is expected to lose money for their coverage of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

On the other it is believed that ABC/ESPN and Fox will bid aggresively for the TV Rights. Both network are brining in their bigwigs. ESPN's slogan is "The Worldwide Leader in Sports!" Will that include the Olympics? I guess we will find out in a couple of days.

[CanadianSportsFan]

www.the506.com/smf/index.php?topic=10394.0

There is some good discussion over at The506 on this topic for anyone looking for an American's point of view.

I really think any of the 3 could win. I think Fox has the best chance to screw it up though because I don't think Joe Buck would be a good Primetime host, while Curt Menefee and Chris Rose (or Chris Myers) wouldn't be very good hosts either. They also don't have a big stable of commentators.

As a Canadian, I kind of like NBC. Since we get to watch live coverage on CTV/TSN/Sportsnet all day anyway, I love their primetime show. I'd imagine it will be especially useful in Rio when CTV (or whoever gets rights) will have all live programming in primetime.

I think ESPN would be the best for Americans though. If they put live coverage of all big events on ESPN/ESPN2, then the NBC-type primetime show on ABC, I think that would work great and satisfy both ESPN and ABC affiliates.

[exposforever]

Well, let's bring in the Canadian perspective... Will the CTV/Bell Media consortium get the rights to 2014/2016? Is CBC back in the game? I hear Rogers may be putting together a bid. I thought the CTV consortium did a good job in Vancouver, and I can't imagine CBC will put up the money to mount a very competitive bid.

Would the American outcome have any impact on Canadian bids? Could Bell, through TSN, be helped by having ESPN win the U.S. rights?

[CanadianSportsFan]

The only way I see CBC getting rights is if Rogers or Shaw backs them. Personally, I wouldn't mind a CBC/Shaw bid.

[jrock71]

From what I read it is unclear if CTV/Rogers will continue that consortium for 2014 & 2016. I think CTV and its assets could be strong enough to bid alone w/o Rogers. I could see Rogers or Shaw join forces with the Mothercorp. We will find out in a few weeks how the CBC & Rogers work together as they join forces for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup.

[nationscapital]

Does anyone know the exact date as to when the IOC will determine who wins the rights to the 2014 & 2016 Olympic Games here in Canada?

[CanadianSportsFan]

I'd imagine sometime in the fall. I'd think US and UK rights will have to fall into place first (which raises the question, is ITV or Channel Four bidding against the BBC?).

BTW, NBC won rights through 2020. They say everything will be live somewhere.

[jrock71]

I Read an article a while ago that ITV is going it alone will Channel Four will team with Sky to Bid agaist the Beeb for the Olympic Rights...