Discovery Communications won the exclusive rights to broadcast the Olympics from 2018 to 2024 for most of Europe, the media company announced on Monday. Discovery paid €1.3 billion, or about $1.45 billion, for the rights to four Olympic Games. The rights cover free and pay television as well as the internet and mobile. (NYT)
The move comes as a surprise to many that expected the BBC to retain the rights. The BBC had previously been the home of the Olympics, which were a crown jewel for the British broadcaster. The BBC had already won the U.K. rights to the 2018 and 2020 games. For those years, Discovery will serve the rest of Europe. (Mashable)
In the U.K. and France, the deal covers only the 2022 and 2024 Games, as broadcast rights in these territories have already been awarded to public broadcasters for the 2018 and 2020 Olympics. In the U.K., the BBC has the rights to those Games, while in France it is France Televisions. The agreement covers the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018 and the Summer Games in 2020 in Tokyo, as well as the Games in 2022 and 2024, for which the host cities have yet to be picked. (THR)