Olympic Games

Discovery Communications secured three late sublicensing rights deals ahead of last month’s winter Olympic Games, taking it closer to its sublicensing revenue target.

The 2018 Olympic Games was shown live in Singapore after a late deal with pay-television broadcaster Eleven Sports, which showed some coverage free-to-air.

Discovery Communications has so far recouped more than 70 per cent of its internal target from sublicensing Olympic Games media rights across Europe, according to TV Sports Markets research.

Public-service broadcaster UA:PBC has acquired rights in Ukraine to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games at a considerable uplift on the cost of the 2014 and 2016 Games.

The International Olympic Committee’s deal with telco América Móvil for pay-television and digital rights this month heralds an abrupt change in strategy across Latin America.

Italian public-service broadcaster Rai is understood to be close to a sublicensing deal with Discovery Communications to acquire rights to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games.

TVR is in the process of completing its deal for rights to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games in Romania.

Last month’s Olympic Games sublicensing deal in Germany with ARD and ZDF has plugged a large gap in Discovery Communications’ revenue projections.

ARD and ZDF are close to a sublicensing deal with Discovery Communications for Olympic Games rights in Germany about nine months after negotiations between the parties broke down.    

Polish public-service broadcaster TVP has paid an increase of over 40 per cent to acquire rights to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games from media group Discovery Communications.

Discovery Communications’ decision to end negotiations with Germany’s public-service broadcasters over the free-to-air rights for the Olympic Games will be a very expensive one.

German public-service broadcasters ARD and ZDF are unlikely to change their position over free-to-air rights to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games, despite being subjected to questions in parliament this month over their hard-line negotiating tactics.