Also, just because our government say The Olympics is protected, and has to be FTA on one of the PSB's, who's to say Discovery will accept that, they have the rights, and could argue it's restricting their business, and could test it in a court if they so wished.
If something is listed as on the A-List of protected events, you require OFCOM consent to broadcast it and any broadcaster that decides to ignore that risks having their broadcasting licence/s revoked and then where would that leave DiscoveryUK?
Its law!
Yes, Discovery could lobby for change to the law but the fact is, thats never going to happen and so, there will have to be a deal where the rights are shared to fulfil the law where A-Listed events must be on FTA TV that reaches 96% of the population!
(Last time i looked it was 96%, not sure of thats correct now, would look but can't be arsed)
As I have already said the IOC require that 200 hours of coverage are made available FTA. Discovery are well aware of the UK scenario as regards the "Crown Jewels" and have indicated they would be happy to look at sub licensing FTA rights to the BBC - obviously for the right price.
In the UK the BBC would likely be allowed to show what they wanted in those 200 hours. In effect I would imagine the BBC might offer the sort of packaged coverage that BBC One and BBC Three offered in 2012 and Discovery/Eurosport would offer a fuller transmission of live events along the lines of the 24 live streams offered last time (even if not as many as 24 streams - which were rarely all needed simultaneously and less so in the second week) with highlights when live events not on. The Eurosport coverage will likely be on the existing pay basis.
But as Ignite says we are in danger of jumping the gun about something 7 years away.
The ironic thing in all this is it's the EU broadcasters that help the IOC run and staff OBS.
This is a very good point. Each sport's production team is led by one of the rights holding broadcasters, within the guise of OBS. For example, I believe at London 2012, the BBC led production of boxing and sailing, and the Swedish broadcaster SVT led the athletics production, if I remember correctly. Eurosport will have to put an extremely big operation on if they're going to replace all the broadcasters who previously held rights. It's not just about providing commentary and presentation.
I can't see the licence fee lasting beyond this decade. I can see a smaller, commercial BBC, with some funding to protect PSB commitments, emerging by 2020.
If the BBC explored its options and opened up to just a part-subscription model as well as funded by the TVL, they might have a shot at getting the Pay TV coverage part, If Olympics coverage does split into a FTA/Pay ratio in the future like I expect.
But hey, the BBC are so asleep and out of touch it's unbelievable, still trying to cling onto that elitist notion of everyone's broadcaster mentally.
The BBC is no more of Britain's broadcaster than NBC is to the US! Just wished the BBC would get that.
If the BBC explored its options and opened up to just a part-subscription model as well as funded by the TVL, they might have a shot at getting the Pay TV coverage part, If Olympics coverage does split into a FTA/Pay ratio in the future like I expect.
But hey, the BBC are so asleep and out of touch it's unbelievable, still trying to cling onto that elitist notion of everyone's broadcaster mentally.
The BBC is no more of Britain's broadcaster than NBC is to the US! Just wished the BBC would get that.
The BBC belongs to us Brits. It is our premier public service broadcaster. Subs of any sort is a contradiction to it's public service remit and as such is not acceptable on any level. Increase the licence fee by £5 a year and the nation wins.
This is a very good point. Each sport's production team is led by one of the rights holding broadcasters, within the guise of OBS. For example, I believe at London 2012, the BBC led production of boxing and sailing, and the Swedish broadcaster SVT led the athletics production, if I remember correctly. Eurosport will have to put an extremely big operation on if they're going to replace all the broadcasters who previously held rights. It's not just about providing commentary and presentation.
Eurosport don't have to do any production - OBS will still get people in from national broadcasters, regardless of whether those broadcasters are showing the games. They don't just take people from EBU rights holders.
ITV was responsible for the football in 2012 for example; The basketball was done by a broadcaster from the Caribbean; And various different Spanish broadcasters did fencing, volleyball, handball and greco-roman wrestling.
If something is listed as on the A-List of protected events, you require OFCOM consent to broadcast it and any broadcaster that decides to ignore that risks having their broadcasting licence/s revoked and then where would that leave DiscoveryUK?
Its law!
Yes, Discovery could lobby for change to the law but the fact is, thats never going to happen and so, there will have to be a deal where the rights are shared to fulfil the law where A-Listed events must be on FTA TV that reaches 96% of the population!
(Last time i looked it was 96%, not sure of thats correct now, would look but can't be arsed)
That does actually sound much better, but it would be an intriguing prospect if Discovery had kicked up a fuss and lost any legal right to broadcast in the UK anyway, I suppose in that scenario the IOC would have been forced to redo the UK rights separately!
Discovery will split it all up and sell it to various broadcasters, so some will be on Sky, BBC and ITV
I guess selling some FTA rights to ITV wouldn't be a bad thing as long as they did show stuff on their main channel rather than a pay channel, or at least ITV 2 as that is at least available to everyone, even if it is only SD if you don't pay Sky or Virgin.
BBC should still get the lions share of the hours FTA though, as they can always use red button streams as in previous years and there won't be any adverts!
ITV could get some semi-pay rights and use ITV 4 too.
Also who gets Paralympics rights? Previously Channel 4 always gets those.
If the BBC explored its options and opened up to just a part-subscription model as well as funded by the TVL, they might have a shot at getting the Pay TV coverage part, If Olympics coverage does split into a FTA/Pay ratio in the future like I expect.
But hey, the BBC are so asleep and out of touch it's unbelievable, still trying to cling onto that elitist notion of everyone's broadcaster mentally.
The BBC is no more of Britain's broadcaster than NBC is to the US! Just wished the BBC would get that.
Not exactly. The BBC is not allowed to do this, subscription means it is not a public service.
Would be great if this thread could be used to discuss the Olympic tender award and not just regress into a 'pro vs anti' BBC discussion - there are at least ten other threads to have that debate in.
If the BBC explored its options and opened up to just a part-subscription model as well as funded by the TVL, they might have a shot at getting the Pay TV coverage part, If Olympics coverage does split into a FTA/Pay ratio in the future like I expect.
But hey, the BBC are so asleep and out of touch it's unbelievable, still trying to cling onto that elitist notion of everyone's broadcaster mentally.
.
As things stand, the Charter under which the operate prevents them from doing that, even if they wanted to.
So in 2024 when the Games are in Paris.
Europe will get 200 hrs of broadcasts FTA.
1. Sorry moaners, but EastEnders I'd it is still on will be on BBC 2.
2. Though FTA I think it is fair to say live coverage will be sparse in those broadcast hours. If you look at Athletics in the starting at 10am, but it may not finish until past 10pm. Although with the hour time difference I see the following.
Day One opening. 5 hours. Friday.
Day 4 Monday.
BBC Breakfast (with Games News so avoiding the allocated hours).
9am to 1pm Games Broadcast
1pm News
1.45 Games
18.00 News
19.00 Games
22.00 News
Thats it.
However could we see a post games show from a Paris venue, with chat, and short clips as you have on the news. Would those clips count to the 200 hours?
3. More important would Discovery control,what is live? The 100m live on Eurosport, while BBC team are in Stadium showing highlights of British medal success in Hockey?
4. In the above BBC schedule I allowed weekdays 11.5 hours. Or 115 hours. Plus 5 hours opening is 120 hours. Leaving 80 hours for the six weekend days, or about 13 hours a day. (Not forgetting any news on those days) So in theory middle weekend when Athletics/swimming cross maybe some hours on BBC 2.
5. Some people moan that BBC One focussed too much on British competitors, think that will be more so in 2024.
6. I suggest Paris, think itbwill be Europe, could be Rome or Hamburg.
This all reminds me of Michael Grade's infamous ''Snatch of the Day'' in 1978 when he thought he'd bought up exclusive football rights for ITV but it was all eventually overturned by the government because the BBC had not been given the opportunity to bid and it ended in tears for ITV.
I guess selling some FTA rights to ITV wouldn't be a bad thing as long as they did show stuff on their main channel rather than a pay channel, or at least ITV 2 as that is at least available to everyone, even if it is only SD if you don't pay Sky or Virgin.
BBC should still get the lions share of the hours FTA though, as they can always use red button streams as in previous years and there won't be any adverts!
ITV could get some semi-pay rights and use ITV 4 too.
Also who gets Paralympics rights? Previously Channel 4 always gets those.
Paralympic is run by the international Paralympic Committee (IPC), not the IOC. At present the deal is that if you bid as a city to host the IOC Games, you are expected to host the IOC event.
Regards if 2024 has a games hosted by a European city, could we see more hours from the Paralympics on FTA TV?
Also thinking the rights for Europe for four events, less than £1.3bn seems cheap. Especially if Europe hosts a Summer Games. Think this year we find out the host for the 2022 Winter Games. Selling the rights now, I wonder if it means Europe will not get a Summer games but a Winter one. Thinking of inflation, would think a European Summer edition could have earned more.
Paralympic is run by the international Paralympic Committee (IPC), not the IOC. At present the deal is that if you bid as a city to host the IOC Games, you are expected to host the IOC event.
Ah so Paralympics TV rights are always separate to the Olympics as they are issued via a different part of the organization anyway.
That does actually sound much better, but it would be an intriguing prospect if Discovery had kicked up a fuss and lost any legal right to broadcast in the UK anyway, I suppose in that scenario the IOC would have been forced to redo the UK rights separately!
An interesting call .....
Just as if there could not be an agreement even with the secretary of states intervention...
But it is a commercial decision if the ioc to let the rights as they have done ....
And their fiduciary duty lies with their owners not the British or any countries viewing public.
then it may put their minds at rest. All the indications from Discovery executives are that bidding for pan-European rights was their best option, but they don't intend to be the exclusive broadcaster across the Continent.
This is the key part of the thinking as set out in the Telegraph piece:-
"That could mean coverage traditionally shown on terrestrial television being supplemented by additional content on Eurosport platforms.
“It’s not in our interests to jeopardise the history of the Olympics in the UK and the way that it’s televised,” Hutton (Eurosport Chief Exec) added.
“We want to give more hours of coverage and make it more available to more people.”
I don't see any convoluted deals involving multiple UK FTA options. I think they'll be looking for one partner and that will hopefully, and almost certainly, be the BBC. In the UK it will be a combination of BBC and Eurosport coverage, but with the BBC broadcasting pretty much what it wants (at least on BBC One/Two) and Eurosport providing added value with its offering. Eurosport will almost certainly cover the Winter Olympics more thoroughly than the BBC would in any event so, as a fan of winter sports, I see that as a good thing.
RTE has lost the rights to the Olympic Games from 2018 onwards after Discovery Communications, owner of Eurosport, secured a staggering €1.3bn pan-European deal.
The deal by the US company to secure the rights is bad news for national broadcasters all over Europe with 53 countries affected. Britain and France, however, won't be affected until 2020 as they have already secured the rights to the 2018 Winter Olympics and 2020 Olympics.
RTE told Independent.ie that it will do all they can to make sure they will broadcast future Olympic Games.
"While RTÉ is disappointed at this announcement, it is too early to say definitively that RTÉ won’t broadcast the Olympics in 2020 and 2024. It should be noted that rights to Rio 2016 were bought by RTÉ through a third party agency when the EBU failed in its bid for those games and that Discovery Channel have said today that they will ‘sub-license a portion of the rights in many markets across Europe’" read a statement sent to Independent.ie.
Comments
I'm just about certain that that article is wrong.
200 hours is the amount of FTA which the IOC generally insists on when selling rights.
The listing of the Olympics as a Category A Listed Event in the UK makes no mention of any number of hours.
This is a complex issue - see post 48 a few pages back.
If something is listed as on the A-List of protected events, you require OFCOM consent to broadcast it and any broadcaster that decides to ignore that risks having their broadcasting licence/s revoked and then where would that leave DiscoveryUK?
Its law!
Yes, Discovery could lobby for change to the law but the fact is, thats never going to happen and so, there will have to be a deal where the rights are shared to fulfil the law where A-Listed events must be on FTA TV that reaches 96% of the population!
(Last time i looked it was 96%, not sure of thats correct now, would look but can't be arsed)
Good. I had a feeling it sounded dodgy
In the UK the BBC would likely be allowed to show what they wanted in those 200 hours. In effect I would imagine the BBC might offer the sort of packaged coverage that BBC One and BBC Three offered in 2012 and Discovery/Eurosport would offer a fuller transmission of live events along the lines of the 24 live streams offered last time (even if not as many as 24 streams - which were rarely all needed simultaneously and less so in the second week) with highlights when live events not on. The Eurosport coverage will likely be on the existing pay basis.
But as Ignite says we are in danger of jumping the gun about something 7 years away.
200 hours for a Summer Olympics and 100 for Winter is an IOC stipulation not government. Been standard in recent deals
You'd think any EU countries that don't have crown jewel sports will be passing laws to get them soon.
This is a very good point. Each sport's production team is led by one of the rights holding broadcasters, within the guise of OBS. For example, I believe at London 2012, the BBC led production of boxing and sailing, and the Swedish broadcaster SVT led the athletics production, if I remember correctly. Eurosport will have to put an extremely big operation on if they're going to replace all the broadcasters who previously held rights. It's not just about providing commentary and presentation.
If the BBC explored its options and opened up to just a part-subscription model as well as funded by the TVL, they might have a shot at getting the Pay TV coverage part, If Olympics coverage does split into a FTA/Pay ratio in the future like I expect.
But hey, the BBC are so asleep and out of touch it's unbelievable, still trying to cling onto that elitist notion of everyone's broadcaster mentally.
The BBC is no more of Britain's broadcaster than NBC is to the US! Just wished the BBC would get that.
The BBC belongs to us Brits. It is our premier public service broadcaster. Subs of any sort is a contradiction to it's public service remit and as such is not acceptable on any level. Increase the licence fee by £5 a year and the nation wins.
They only have to sell FTA TV rights. They can still keep online and mobile rights for themselves, and these will be quite lucrative.
Eurosport don't have to do any production - OBS will still get people in from national broadcasters, regardless of whether those broadcasters are showing the games. They don't just take people from EBU rights holders.
ITV was responsible for the football in 2012 for example; The basketball was done by a broadcaster from the Caribbean; And various different Spanish broadcasters did fencing, volleyball, handball and greco-roman wrestling.
That does actually sound much better, but it would be an intriguing prospect if Discovery had kicked up a fuss and lost any legal right to broadcast in the UK anyway, I suppose in that scenario the IOC would have been forced to redo the UK rights separately!
I guess selling some FTA rights to ITV wouldn't be a bad thing as long as they did show stuff on their main channel rather than a pay channel, or at least ITV 2 as that is at least available to everyone, even if it is only SD if you don't pay Sky or Virgin.
BBC should still get the lions share of the hours FTA though, as they can always use red button streams as in previous years and there won't be any adverts!
ITV could get some semi-pay rights and use ITV 4 too.
Also who gets Paralympics rights? Previously Channel 4 always gets those.
Not exactly. The BBC is not allowed to do this, subscription means it is not a public service.
They certainly aren't "asleep".
As things stand, the Charter under which the operate prevents them from doing that, even if they wanted to.
Europe will get 200 hrs of broadcasts FTA.
1. Sorry moaners, but EastEnders I'd it is still on will be on BBC 2.
2. Though FTA I think it is fair to say live coverage will be sparse in those broadcast hours. If you look at Athletics in the starting at 10am, but it may not finish until past 10pm. Although with the hour time difference I see the following.
Day One opening. 5 hours. Friday.
Day 4 Monday.
BBC Breakfast (with Games News so avoiding the allocated hours).
9am to 1pm Games Broadcast
1pm News
1.45 Games
18.00 News
19.00 Games
22.00 News
Thats it.
However could we see a post games show from a Paris venue, with chat, and short clips as you have on the news. Would those clips count to the 200 hours?
3. More important would Discovery control,what is live? The 100m live on Eurosport, while BBC team are in Stadium showing highlights of British medal success in Hockey?
4. In the above BBC schedule I allowed weekdays 11.5 hours. Or 115 hours. Plus 5 hours opening is 120 hours. Leaving 80 hours for the six weekend days, or about 13 hours a day. (Not forgetting any news on those days) So in theory middle weekend when Athletics/swimming cross maybe some hours on BBC 2.
5. Some people moan that BBC One focussed too much on British competitors, think that will be more so in 2024.
6. I suggest Paris, think itbwill be Europe, could be Rome or Hamburg.
Paralympic is run by the international Paralympic Committee (IPC), not the IOC. At present the deal is that if you bid as a city to host the IOC Games, you are expected to host the IOC event.
Also thinking the rights for Europe for four events, less than £1.3bn seems cheap. Especially if Europe hosts a Summer Games. Think this year we find out the host for the 2022 Winter Games. Selling the rights now, I wonder if it means Europe will not get a Summer games but a Winter one. Thinking of inflation, would think a European Summer edition could have earned more.
Ah so Paralympics TV rights are always separate to the Olympics as they are issued via a different part of the organization anyway.
An interesting call .....
Just as if there could not be an agreement even with the secretary of states intervention...
But it is a commercial decision if the ioc to let the rights as they have done ....
And their fiduciary duty lies with their owners not the British or any countries viewing public.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/11706262/BBC-lose-TV-broadcasting-rights-for-Olympics-Games-to-Eurosport.html
then it may put their minds at rest. All the indications from Discovery executives are that bidding for pan-European rights was their best option, but they don't intend to be the exclusive broadcaster across the Continent.
This is the key part of the thinking as set out in the Telegraph piece:-
"That could mean coverage traditionally shown on terrestrial television being supplemented by additional content on Eurosport platforms.
“It’s not in our interests to jeopardise the history of the Olympics in the UK and the way that it’s televised,” Hutton (Eurosport Chief Exec) added.
“We want to give more hours of coverage and make it more available to more people.”
I don't see any convoluted deals involving multiple UK FTA options. I think they'll be looking for one partner and that will hopefully, and almost certainly, be the BBC. In the UK it will be a combination of BBC and Eurosport coverage, but with the BBC broadcasting pretty much what it wants (at least on BBC One/Two) and Eurosport providing added value with its offering. Eurosport will almost certainly cover the Winter Olympics more thoroughly than the BBC would in any event so, as a fan of winter sports, I see that as a good thing.
The deal by the US company to secure the rights is bad news for national broadcasters all over Europe with 53 countries affected. Britain and France, however, won't be affected until 2020 as they have already secured the rights to the 2018 Winter Olympics and 2020 Olympics.
RTE told Independent.ie that it will do all they can to make sure they will broadcast future Olympic Games.
"While RTÉ is disappointed at this announcement, it is too early to say definitively that RTÉ won’t broadcast the Olympics in 2020 and 2024. It should be noted that rights to Rio 2016 were bought by RTÉ through a third party agency when the EBU failed in its bid for those games and that Discovery Channel have said today that they will ‘sub-license a portion of the rights in many markets across Europe’" read a statement sent to Independent.ie.
Source: http://m.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/rte-loses-rights-to-the-olympic-games-31337890.html