Seven Scores Australian Rights for Beijing Winter Games

Seven West Media has secured the Australian broadcast rights for the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing in 2022.

In a deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Seven has acquired broadcast rights on all media platforms for Beijing 2022. Seven will also continue to be the IOC’s broadcast partner in Australia for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo, which have been moved to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have a partnership that dates back to the Olympic Games Melbourne 1956, and Australian sports fans will be able to count on Seven’s sports broadcast expertise and passion for at least another edition of the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2022,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “In addition, as the IOC redistributes over 90 percent of its revenues, the financial support of our long-term commercial partners benefits the athletes, including the Australian Olympic team for Beijing 2022, and the entire Olympic Movement. This solidarity is more important now than ever.”

James Warburton, Seven West Media’s managing director and CEO, added,“”The Olympic Games are part of our DNA at Seven, so we can’t wait to work with our partners at the IOC to deliver another incredible experience for Australian audiences.”

Kurt Burnette, Seven West Media’s chief revenue officer and director of the Olympics, noted, “Today’s announcement solidifies Seven as the destination for the biggest events. In the space of seven months, we will be the exclusive broadcaster of Tokyo 2020 and now Beijing 2022. Both events are set to deliver unparalleled audiences, amplified by Beijing 2022 being the third consecutive Olympic Games we’ve broadcast in a favorable time zone for Australian audiences, just two hours’ difference from Australia’s east coast. PyeongChang 2018 broke records on broadcast and digital, and we know Beijing 2022 will set new records again.”

Lewis Martin, managing director for Seven Melbourne and network head of sport, commented, “In July next year, we’ll bring Australian audiences the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 with a level of coverage never before available for free in Australia for an Olympic Games. Multiple broadcast channels, dozens of digital streams on 7plus, all available on any device a viewer might choose— it’s going to be an exceptional experience. Just seven months later, we’ll build on that coverage with Beijing 2022, giving Australian audiences a new level of coverage for an Olympic Winter Games. We can’t wait.”