TORONTO – Bell Media and CBC/Radio Canada have ended their Olympic bid partnership after two failed bids for the exclusive Canadian media rights for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
During their partnership, the organizations submitted two bids for the Canadian broadcast rights that were turned down flat by the IOC. The duo said in a joint statement on Monday afternoon that they will formally dissolve their bid partnership as a result.
"We presented not one, but two fiscally responsible bids that are reflective of the Canadian marketplace," said Phil King, president of CTV programming and sports, in the statement. "Unfortunately, we were not able to reach agreement on terms with the IOC."
"We were optimistic that an agreement could have been reached but it has to work for all parties… regrettably, that didn't happen," added Jeffrey Orridge, executive director of CBC Sports Properties on behalf of CBC/Radio-Canada. "In light of this decision, CBC will step back and take some time to consider our options."
Sources tell Cartt.ca that Bell/CBC offered in the range of $80 million each time, both of which were turned down flat by the IOC who declined to counter offer. That’s considerably less than the reported $156 million bid that the Bell/Rogers consortium bid for the 2010-12 Olympic package, but that included hometown games in Vancouver and this summer's London games.
Plus, the National Hockey League has not yet said one way or another whether its players will be made available for the next winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, which obviously impacts the value of any rights bid.
Monday's move paves the way for individual bids or a new Olympic consortium between, er, um… (might Shaw opt for a closer look, as its broadcasting chief Paul Robertson recently said it might? Rogers has already said no). Or, could the next games be simply simulcast by an American broadcaster (NBC) or even an over-the-top provider?
– Lesley Hunter with files from Greg O’Brien
