Multi-Sport

Italian public-service broadcaster Rai is understood to be close to a sublicensing deal with Discovery Communications to acquire rights to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games.

TVR is in the process of completing its deal for rights to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games in Romania.

Last month’s Olympic Games sublicensing deal in Germany with ARD and ZDF has plugged a large gap in Discovery Communications’ revenue projections.

ARD and ZDF are close to a sublicensing deal with Discovery Communications for Olympic Games rights in Germany about nine months after negotiations between the parties broke down.    

Polish public-service broadcaster TVP has paid an increase of over 40 per cent to acquire rights to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games from media group Discovery Communications.

Discovery Communications’ decision to end negotiations with Germany’s public-service broadcasters over the free-to-air rights for the Olympic Games will be a very expensive one.

German public-service broadcasters ARD and ZDF are unlikely to change their position over free-to-air rights to the 2018 and 2020 Olympic Games, despite being subjected to questions in parliament this month over their hard-line negotiating tactics.

The Infront Sports & Media agency has been working with advertising giant WPP to source sponsors for its free-to-air 2016 Olympics Games feed in sub-Saharan Africa, TV Sports Markets understands.

YLE will pay a 10-per-cent increase for media rights in Finland to the Olympic Games of 2018 and 2020, despite being unable to secure coverage of some of the most valuable events.

Sky New Zealand’s renewal of Olympic Games rights last month is the latest in a string of long-term deals agreed by the International Olympic Committee.

A difficult time zone explains the much-reduced fee the BBC will pay for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, being hosted on Australia’s Gold Coast.

Discovery Communications this week recouped more than 10 per cent of its €1.3bn ($1.4bn) investment in Olympic Games rights across Europe by striking a sublicensing deal with the BBC.