The fledgling Olympic Channel may be coming to linear TV quicker than expected, as IOC President Thomas Bach said channel execs are in talks about possible traditional distribution in addition to its long-planned OTT offering. "We will start with a digital channel, and this will be free for everybody who wants to follow,” Bach said on Universal Sports Network's “Beyond the Medals -- the Business of Sport” episode yesterday. “Then we will see. In fact, we are already talking with some of the rights holders on how we can expand, maybe, this worldwide digital channel to a linear platform on a national or a regional way.” Bach believes an Olympic Channel, part of a reforms package approved by the IOC last December, can provide a permanent home for Olympic sports and keep fans engaged and sponsors activating in between competitions. But until yesterday almost all indications had been that linear TV was a low priority, with execs seeing a digital site as a far more cost-effective, targeted means of reaching fans. IOC Dir of TV & Marketing Services Timo Lumme in June said linear options would be explored “down the line” if possibilities emerged. In recent weeks, the channel has added several key execs and begun talks with international sports federations to develop content. Also recently, the IOC downplayed its original timeline of launching the Olympic Channel in April, four months before the Rio Games start. An IOC spokesperson last week said, "The Olympic Channel will be launched whenever it is ready in 2016.”
