TORONTO – CBC/Radio-Canada has been awarded the Canadian broadcast rights for the the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and the 2024 Olympic Games, making it the official broadcaster for the next five Olympic Games including Rio 2016, Pyeongchang 2018, and Tokyo 2020.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. As lead broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada said it will be working once again with its primary Olympic broadcast partner Bell Media along with Rogers Media.
CBC/Radio-Canada will also be a broadcast partner, from 2016 until at least 2023, for the International Olympic Committee’s new global digital Olympic Channel. The public broadcaster will provide Canadian sports content to support the channel’s focus on the Olympic Movement between Games, reads Wedesday's announcement.
“CBC/Radio-Canada’s best-in-class coverage, including expansive digital offerings, helped change the way Canadians engage with the Olympics,” said president and CEO Hubert Lacroix, in a statement. “This is clear recognition of the exceptional coverage CBC/Radio-Canada provided for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games – the most watched Olympics in history.”
Lacroix added that the broadcast partnership model that was put forward “is respectful of the stature of the Games, fiscally responsible, and perfectly aligned with CBC/Radio-Canada’s current strategic plan”, plus demonstrates how “the public broadcaster can play a role in bringing together the larger broadcast community in the interest of the Canadian audience”.
