The BBC is to be the exclusive free-to-air Olympic broadcaster in the UK for the next five Games, following a long-term agreement with Discovery Communications.
The deal builds on a 30-year partnership between the BBC and Discovery and means that the Corporation will sublicense exclusive free-to-air audio-visual rights to the 2022 and 2024 Olympic Games from Discovery.
The BBC will also license non-exclusive radio rights to the 2022 and 2024 Games.
In return, Discovery will sublicense exclusive pay-TV rights in the UK to the 2018 and 2020 Games.
This announcement ensures that the BBC will continue to be the home of the Olympic Games until at least 2024 and comes off the back of an agreement announced by Discovery Communications and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last June granting exclusive rights for 50 European countries and territories for the 2018 through 2024 Olympic Games.
Director General Tony Hall said, the Corporation "prides itself on bringing the biggest sporting moments to the public. For many, the BBC has been their stadium for Olympic coverage. It is an event that unites the nation like no other.”
The London 2012 Olympics were watched by more than 50 million people in the UK, with 111 million requests for video throughout the Games. Over two million people downloaded the Olympic Games app, and seven million people accessed the BBC website every day.
The deal, Tony Hall added, “underlines our commitment to making world class sport available to all,” while Discovery’s David Zaslav said the deal was “a win for UK sports fans.”
