Canada's CTV Says CBC Infringed On Olympic Rights During Interview From Athlete's Village

The CBC, a non-rights holder for Olympic Games coverage, held an interview via Skype with Canadian Olympic Team Chef d' Mission Mark Tewksbury at the Athlete's Village, but the decision "led to a complaint from CTV about CBC infringing on the rights paid for by the CTV/Rogers consortium" to cover the Games, according to Bruce Dowbiggin of the GLOBE & MAIL. While it "seems innocuous to outsiders where the interview subject is located, under IOC rules Tewksbury has to be offsite to talk to non rights holders -- even by Skype." CBC, which has "long held Olympic rights and knows the protocol, described it as a mistake typical of the beginning of a Games" (GLOBE & MAIL, 7/27). Meanwhile, the GLOBE & MAIL's Steve Ladurantaye notes for BCE Inc., the Games "are a critical test of the company’s two-year, multibillion-dollar makeover and its 'watch anywhere' strategy." The company is "using London as its stepping-out party for this plan, with which it hopes to steal thousands of customers from its rivals." It will offer "about 1,100 hours of the games to wireless subscribers." By the time the Olympic flame "is extinguished, its executives will have a much better idea of how many Canadians actually want to watch television on their phones, and whether BCE’s wireless network is up to the task" (GLOBE & MAIL, 7/27).

ONLY GAME IN TOWN: In London, Giles Smith writes for British television networks, there is "only one view in town at the moment, and competition for that view seems to have been keen." Most news operations "appear to have leased at least 30 feet of Stratford-facing window frontage" for the duration of the Olympics. Even Sky Sports News, "which has no official role to play as a broadcaster of the Games, has secured a glazed cubby hole." Early impressions "are that BBC Sport is hogging the square-on view, from an apartment with a rosewood floor" (LONDON TIMES, 7/27). Meanwhile, the GUARDIAN's John Plunkett notes Great Britain's women's soccer team's 1-0 win over New Zealand "in the first event of the 2012 Games peaked with 2.5 million viewers on BBC1 on Wednesday afternoon." The BBC's coverage between 3:30pm and 6:00pm local time "averaged 1.6 million viewers, a 17.5% share of all viewing in the timeslot" (GUARDIAN, 7/27).