Olympic Broadcast Rights Awarded in China

LAUSANNE: Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has scored the rights to the Vancouver 2010 and the London 2012 Olympic Games for all platforms, including free-to-air, subscription TV, the Internet and mobile phones.

CCTV VP Sun Yusheng called the agreement a "milestone in CCTV’s coverage of the Olympic Games as it is the first time that CCTV signs the agreement directly with the IOC as a separate right-holding broadcaster. I believe it is a win-win agreement, which on our part illustrates our commitment and endeavour to enhance the Olympic Games in the coming years."

The IOC said that CCTV was awarded the rights because of its capacity to reach the broadest possible audience, and for its commitment to promoting the games. Jacques Rogge, the president of the IOC, noted: "I am delighted to announce our agreement to continue our partnership with CCTV. The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games were a landmark moment in Olympic history, and both CCTV and CCTV.com did a first-class job of bringing Olympic action into the homes of the Chinese people. We look forward to working closely with CCTV to make this possible for both the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic Games.”

Richard Carrión, the IOC executive board member who led the negotiations, added: “In 2008, CCTV proved once again to be an excellent partner for the Olympic Movement in China, enjoying record audience figures across television and digital broadcast platforms. This is the first time we have worked directly with CCTV to reach an agreement for the television broadcast rights, and I am very appreciative of their commitment to the Olympic Movement. We believe we have set the foundations for an exciting partnership over the next four years.” 

In July 2008, the IOC announced deals with the Asian Broadcasting Union (ABU) and ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) for the broadcast rights within certain other Asian territories for the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic Games. The ABU acquired terrestrial over-the-air TV and radio broadcast rights, while ESS was granted the non-standard TV rights, including cable and satellite platforms. The deal covers select territories across Asia, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, among others.