TORONTO – CBC/Radio-Canada has been awarded the Canadian broadcast rights for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Tuesday.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. As lead broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada pledged to work with broadcast partners Bell Media and Rogers Media to provide Canadians with “full access to all the excitement of the Olympic Games”. The three partnered on coverage of the Sochi Winter Olympics earlier this year.
“This is clear recognition of the exceptional coverage CBC/Radio-Canada provided for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games – the most watched in history”, said president and CEO Hubert Lacroix, in a statement. “The agreement also reflects the IOC’s belief that we will continue to provide relevant, compelling Canadian experiences to Canadians by building on our accomplishments, as well as what we promise to bring with our coverage of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.”
Lacroix added that its proposed broadcast partnership model “is both respectful of the stature of the Games and fiscally responsible”, and said that teaming up with Bell Media and Rogers Media “shows the public broadcaster can play a role in bringing together the larger broadcast community in the interest of the Canadian audience.”
