The International Olympic Committee, United States Olympic Committee and US media company NBCUniversal have today (Thursday) unveiled a comprehensive Olympic Channel content and distribution partnership in the United States.
Under the deal, in the second half of 2017 a new US television network under the ‘Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA’ brand will launch offering year-round Olympic-sport programming from around the world, with an emphasis on American athletes and teams.
The new partnership complements the Olympic Channel, which launched as a worldwide digital platform following the closing ceremony of the Rio 2016 summer Olympic Games. The three parties said additional details about the launch of the new linear cable channel will be provided at a later date.
Along with the channel, the partnership will also provide additional coverage of Olympic sports programmes that will appear exclusively on other NBCU platforms – including NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Digital outlets. The first such coverage begins on Saturday with the Team USA Winter Champions Series.
NBCU is the IOC’s rights partner in the US. In May 2014, NBCU extended its media rights deal for the Olympic Games through to 2032. NBCU acquired rights across all media platforms, including free-to-air television, subscription television, internet and mobile. The agreement, from 2021 to 2032, was valued at $7.65bn (€7.14bn), plus an additional $100m signing bonus which the IOC said would be used for the “promotion of Olympism and the Olympic values” between 2015 and 2020.
Commenting on the new partnership, Mark Parkman, general manager of the Olympic Channel, said: “The evolution of the Olympic Channel in the United States is a significant milestone as we expand our distribution options across the globe in conjunction with our broadcast and National Olympic Committee partners. Placing a spotlight on Olympic sports outside the Games themselves will ultimately bring them more deserved attention and help them grow.”