The BBC will be the exclusive free to air Olympic broadcaster in the UK for the next five Games
Discovery have committed to strike innovative partnerships across the continent to ensure that the Olympic Games remains accessible to as wide an audience as possible
The BBC and Discovery
Communications today announce a long-term Olympic Games agreement in the UK, building
on a 30-year partnership between the two global media organizations. The
innovative deal means that the BBC will sub-license (from Discovery) exclusive
free-to-air audio-visual and non-exclusive radio rights to the 2022 and 2024
Olympic Games. In turn, Discovery will sub-license (from the BBC)
exclusive pay-TV rights in the UK to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games.
The Olympic Games are
highly valued and hugely popular with audiences. The London 2012 Olympic Games
was watched on the BBC by more than 50 million people in the UK, 7 million
people in the UK accessed the BBC website every day, with 111 million requests
for video throughout the Games and over 2 million people downloaded the app. It
was truly the first digital Olympic Games and the BBC raised the bar in its
coverage.
Today’s announcement
ensures that the BBC will continue to be the free to air home of the best
action from the Olympic Games until 2024, bringing the moments that unite
the nation on TV and radio. Additionally, the BBC's package of rights is
supplemented by digital rights to the content it broadcasts on TV.
This agreement marks the
first Olympic Games sub-licensing deal by Discovery and reinforces Eurosport as
the home of the Olympic Games across Europe, ensuring that every event is
available to fans across all screens. The news follows an agreement announced
by Discovery Communications and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last
June, which includes exclusive multimedia rights for 50 countries and
territories in Europe for the 2018 through the 2024 Olympic Games. The rights
for the UK were included for only 2022 and 2024, as these rights had already
been secured by the BBC in the UK.
Tony Hall, Director
General of the BBC, says, "The BBC prides itself on bringing the biggest
sporting moments to the public. For many, the BBC has been their stadium
for Olympic coverage. It is an event that unites the nation like no
other. I'm delighted that through our new partnership with Discovery, the BBC
will continue to carry the torch for great sporting coverage right through to
the 2024 Games.
"While the BBC has
had to take some tough financial decisions, this partnership underlines our
commitment to making world class sport available to all."
David Zaslav, President
and CEO of Discovery Communications, says: “Discovery is a passionate and
committed partner of the Olympic Movement. Today’s agreement is a win for UK
sports fans and marks an exciting new chapter in Discovery and the BBC’s
partnership on major sporting events. For 30 years, our two organizations have
chartered new frontiers with co-production partnerships in factual and natural
history programming. Now we join together once again to bring the most
compelling stories of human ambition, sacrifice and achievement to people
across the UK.”
Timo Lumme, Managing
Director of IOC Television and Marketing Services, said, “We are delighted our
partners Discovery / Eurosport and the BBC are collaborating on this long term agreement
which is great news for viewers in the UK. By sharing the rights, viewers will
benefit from the BBC’s rich Olympic heritage and Discovery’s innovative
approach to storytelling. Together, they will make the Olympic Games as
accessible and engaging as possible.”
Barbara Slater, Director
of BBC Sport says, “We are very pleased that the BBC will continue to bring
free-to-air Olympic Games coverage to audiences through to 2024, extending our
relationship with the event which began in 1928 and reinforcing the BBC’s long
term commitment to major sporting events. The Olympic Games is one of the
nation’s most treasured sporting events and this is an extensive package of
rights that ensures we can offer ‘the best of the Games’, across TV, radio,
online and digital, maximizing the reach and impact of the BBC.
This ground-breaking partnership also shows how the BBC can collaborate
and work with others to continue to bring the very best in sport to licence fee
payers.”
JB Perrette, President
of Discovery Networks International, says: “Since the announcement of our
partnership with the IOC, it has been Discovery’s goal to engage and entertain
local audiences in Europe with the ultimate Olympic Games experience across all
screens. To realize this ambition, we will leverage our portfolio of pay-TV,
free-to-air and digital services, and collaborate with the very best partners
who share this vision – the BBC partnership embodies this perfectly.”
Dominic Coles, COO,
Discovery Networks Northern Europe, says: “We are proud and excited to be
announcing this ground-breaking sports partnership with the BBC today.
Not only will the BBC be able to continue to play its historic role of
uniting the UK in celebrating the sporting achievements of its Olympic heroes,
but also Discovery, through Eurosport, will bring additional expert and
comprehensive coverage to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games. Greater exposure for
UK Olympians only can be good news for the development of sport and the
promotion of Olympic values in this country. Watch this space.”
-ENDS-
Timeline of Partnerships Between the BBC and Discovery
Communications
June Discovery Channel launches in
the U.S. featuring numerous productions from the BBC.
September BBC
and Discovery Communications announce $600M global content and network
partnership.
October Animal
Planet, Discovery’s third network, launches in the U.S. in cooperation with the
BBC.
June Animal Planet and People+Arts
launch in Latin America, as a joint venture with BBC Worldwide. Other markets
follow in coming years.
December BBC
and Discovery form joint venture to launch BBC America in the U.S., with
Discovery selling advertising for the new channel.
April The three-hour special, WALKING
WITH DINOSAURS, produced by BBC, airs on Discovery Channel setting the all-time
U.S. cable ratings record and remains the most-viewed telecast in the channel’s
history to date.
January BLUE PLANET: SEAS OF LIFE, produced
by BBC, premieres on Discovery Channel.
March BBC and Discovery Communications
announce "The Deal of the Decade," a landmark ten-year extension to
the global partnership originally commenced in July 1996.
January Long-term partnership agreement
between Discovery Communications and BBC to distribute the BBC World News
channel in the U.S.
March BBC
and Discovery Channel co-produce award-winning 11-part series, PLANET EARTH, which
becomes the most-watched U.S. cable event of all time.
March BBC and Discovery Channel
co-produce LIFE, a follow up to PLANET EARTH.
November BBC and Discovery Communications extend
strategic programming relationship by two years to 2014. BBC Worldwide sells to
Discovery its 50 percent interest in the global TV channels joint venture
Animal Planet and Liv.
February Discovery Communications and BBC sign long-term Olympic Games agreement.
For
head shots, b-roll and images for Discovery Communications please click here
Media Contacts
BBC:
Vicky
Owens
Vicky.owens@bbc.co.uk
+44
7714 957 227
Discovery
Communications:
Michelle
Russo
Michelle_Russo@discovery.com
+44 208 811 3592
Sarah Farley
Sarah_Farley@discovery.com
+44
7717 787 424
Eurosport:
Fiona
McLachlan
Fiona_McLachlan@discovery.com
+33
6 50 35 96 57