TV2 to challenge NRK for biathlon rights

Norwegian basic-tier and pay-television broadcaster TV2 has submitted a bid for International Biathlon Union (IBU) rights, according to the Aftenposten news website.

The report said that TV2 is up against public-service broadcaster NRK, the incumbent rights-holder, for the rights over four years, from 2014-15 to 2017-18.

TV2 sports director Bjørn Taalesen said that he believed biathlon rights were “surprisingly cheap.”

NRK sports director Rune Haug told the Kampanje news website that he was not surprised that TV2 had tabled a bid for the rights as the broadcaster has rights to the 2014 winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

In December, the IBU, the sport’s global governing body, invited companies to express an interest in bidding for the next cycle of rights for its events covering television, internet and mobile platforms.