Olympic Channel TV has Canadian launch on CBC Gem

CBC Gem, the OTT platform of Canadian public service broadcaster CBC, has signed a carriage with the International Olympic Committee to carry the body’s Olympic Channel TV.

CBC Gem will carry the channel online and through Smart TV apps. The Olympic Channel TV will broadcast 24 hours a day, with content including highlights from past games, magazine programmes and documentaries from the Olympics’ history.

The IOC has sought to expand and complement its coverage across between its quadrennial events through carriage deals for the Olympic Channel TV.

The channel is currently available in 175 territories and carried on platforms such as Amazon Fire TV, the e-commerce giant’s TV streaming service, and major commercial and public broadcasters such as Japan’s public broadcaster NHK and Brazilian media group Globo’s various platforms.

CBC holds the rights to the Olympic Games in Canada until 2024 with deals covering both the summer and winter games.

The launch precedes next year’s Olympic Games in Japan, which has been postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.