Discovery Secures Olympic Broadcast Rights
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has signed a €1.3bn (£925.5m) media rights deal with Discovery Communications for all TV and multiplatform broadcast rights in Europe for the Olympic Games through until 2024.
The deal will see Discovery, the parent company of Eurosport, control exclusive rights to the Olympic Games across 50 countries and territories in Europe, effective from 2018 across most of Europe and 2022 in France and the UK.
France Televisions already has a deal with the IOC for the 2018 and 2020 Games, while the BBC has the rights to the same events in the UK.
This is the first time that the broadcasting rights have been sold across the continent, rather than by country.
Discovery will establish an Olympics TV channel, as well as digital media, to broadcast the Games, although a portion of the rights will be sub-leased throughout Europe.
The deal includes a guarantee that extensive free-to-air coverage will be made available in every European territory. In line with the IOC’s requirements, Discovery will ensure that a minimum of 200 hours of summer Olympic Games coverage is broadcast free-to-air, and 100 hours of winter Olympic Games coverage.
The Olympic Games are listed as a category A event by media watchdog Ofcom, with Discovery likely to sub-license rights in certain territories such as the UK in order to fulfil these obligations.
IOC president Thomas Bach said: “This is a significant agreement for Discovery and the IOC, and we are excited to have Eurosport, the pan-European home of Olympic sports, as a partner. This agreement ensures comprehensive coverage of the Olympic Games across Europe, including the guarantee to provide extensive free-to-air television coverage in all territories.
“Discovery and Eurosport have demonstrated a major commitment to the Olympic Games, to Olympic sports and to the future of the Olympic Movement. The revenue generated from this long-term partnership will be redistributed by the IOC across the Olympic Movement to support the development of sport around the world.
“Discovery and Eurosport have also made an exciting commitment to partner with the IOC to develop the new Olympic Channel across Europe.
“Above all, this agreement ensures that sports fans in Europe will be able to enjoy excellent coverage of the Olympic Games and Olympic sports, both during and outside Games time, on their platform of choice.”
David Zaslav, Discovery Communications president and CEO, added: “Today is a historic day as we proudly add the Olympic rings to Discovery Communications’ portfolio of offerings.
“The long-term programming commitment with President Bach and the IOC reaffirms Eurosport’s position as the leader in sports across Europe, and will significantly enhance Eurosport’s presence on all platforms.
“With Eurosport’s proud and long-standing tradition of broadcasting many winter and summer sports showcased during the Olympics, adding the Olympic Games, the greatest live event in the world, is a perfect editorial and strategic fit.
“But most of all, this new partnership is an exciting win for European sports fans as we will deliver record amounts of content across platforms to ensure the Olympic flame burns bright all year long.”
JB Perrette, Discovery Networks International president, commented: “We took control of Eurosport a year ago and embarked on a long-term mission to reinvigorate and strengthen its networks and brand. Today’s announcement is an incredibly exciting step forward on that journey.
“Eurosport’s unmatched technical prowess and ability to deliver the Olympic Games to 50 countries in 20 languages across multiple platforms is an important win for sports fans.
“We are thrilled and humbled to partner with one of the most recognised and powerful global brands, that not only delivers the biggest global event but also shares our company’s DNA of engaging and inspiring people in addition to entertaining them.”
The agreement covers the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018, and the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo in 2020, as well as the Olympic Games in 2022 and 2024, the host cities of which have yet to be elected.
