IOC Inks Sub-Saharan African Deals for Beijing Games

LAUSANNE, July 8: The African Union of Broadcasting (AUB)
and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) have reached a deal with
the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the broadcast rights to this
summer’s games in Beijing for 37 territories in sub- Saharan Africa.

The agreement—which excludes South
Africa—includes exclusive over-the-air television and radio broadcast
rights and non-exclusive satellite, mobile and Internet rights. It covers
English, French and Portuguese languages, with a minimum commitment of six
hours per day on free TV, with two highlights packages per day, and four hours
per day on radio.

AUB’s CEO said the deal would bring 126 hours of Olympics
coverage to a potential audience of 129 million people.

—By Mansha Daswani