Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has extended its partnership with the International Olympic Committee by acquiring the exclusive rights in China for the four editions of the Olympic Games spanning 2018 to 2024.
CCTV, a long-time IOC partner, currently holds a contract encompassing this year’s winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2016 summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The company has now picked up rights to the 2018 winter Olympics in PyeongChang and the 2020 summer Games in Tokyo, along with the 2022 and 2024 Olympics. The host cities of the latter two events are yet to be determined, but Beijing is competing against the Kazakh city of Almaty for hosting rights to the 2022 Games.
CCTV has acquired the rights across all broadcast platforms, including free-to-air television, subscription television, internet and mobile phone in all languages. The agreement also includes the right to broadcast all editions of the Youth Olympic Games until 2024.
IOC president Thomas Bach said: “CCTV have demonstrated many times their ability to bring first class coverage of the Olympic Games to hundreds of millions of Chinese people. The revenue the IOC has secured from this agreement will be redistributed to support future organisers of the Olympic Games, as well as supporting sport and athletes in China and around the world.”
Hu Zhanfan, president of CCTV, added: “CCTV has been contributing enormously for the recognition and promotion of the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement in China and we are determined to be, as always, a powerful and exceptional partner of the IOC.”