When we last checked on NBC and the Olympics, the general consensus was that the Peacock would keep the Games.
Now, however, it sounds like that might not be the case. In a Thursday conference call, Steve Burke, the new CEO of NBC Universal, mentioned that the network would have to be smart about its spending, pointing out that the Vancouver Games cost NBC around $220 million.
“We’re here to be disciplined,” he said. “Our job is to increase value.”
The debate centers around how much money the Games will lose. A consulting firm believes London 2012 – which NBC owns the rights to – will cost around $100 million but the 201416 Games in Rio will break even.
According to Burke, the reason Comcast bought NBC Universal “was to restore, rebuild, regrow and invest, not to radically change or undo, but to try and build up.” Jettisoning the Olympics – long a staple of the Peacock’s sports offerings – would seem to be more of the former, right?