The IOC has awarded Canadian broadcast rights for the 2010 and 2012 Games to a consortium of Bell Globemedia, which owns CTV, and Rogers Media at a cost of US$153M. The 2010 Winter Games, to be held in Vancouver, will cost $90M, marking a 221% increase from the $28M fee for the ’06 Turin Games. The 2012 Summer Games will cost $63M, a 40% increase from $45M for the ’08 Beijing Games. Bell Globemedia/Rogers Media’s offer ensures over-the-air TV and radio coverage with CTV (English), TQS (French), Rogers Radio and Omni 1 & 2. The deal also includes cable TV/satellite with TSN, Rogers Sportsnet, RDS, OLN, and RIS mobile platforms with Bell Mobility and Rogers Wireless (IOC).
FULL INVOLVEMENT: In Toronto, James Christie reports the IOC “was impressed with Bell Globemedia’s pledge of wide involvement in the [Olympics], from Bell Canada’s [US$159M] communications sponsorship of the Vancouver organizing committee and [US$20M] to the Own the Podium athlete program, to the consortium’s capacity for radio, Internet and multicultural broadcasting.” IOC President Jacques Rogge: “It was a combination of the enhancement of the Olympic brand in Canada, the promotion of the Games and the support of athletes. Together, it all wins” (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 2/8). But VANOC Senior VP/Revenue, Marketing & Communications Dave Cobb denied that Bell Canada’s sponsorship “had anything to do with Bell Globemedia winning.” Kevin Wamsley, Dir of the Int’l Centre for Olympic Studies at the Univ. of Western Ontario, countered, “If you have the sponsorship rights and you have a lot of connected media rights, then you position yourself very well in the Olympic market with respect to the amount of airtime you can get for your product” (VANCOUVER PROVINCE, 2/8).
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Fecan Hopes To Cash In On
Internet And Mobile Video Rights |
MORE ON THE WINNING BID: Bell Globemedia President & CEO Ivan Fecan: “The inclusion of Internet and mobile video rights in this package also was kind of interesting for us. It’s hard to quantify, but you know [it’s] not going to be zero. We know it’s going to be something and it might be a lot” (William Houston, GLOBE & MAIL, 2/8). Also in Toronto, Rick Westhead reports the consortium “has formed a separate company called Olympico to handle advertising sales” for the Olympics. Several media execs expect CTV Senior VP/Sales Joe Carter to head up the group (TORONTO STAR, 2/8).
RINGLESS: CBC President & CEO Robert Rabinovitch said of the net’s losing bid: “Competing to win the rights to broadcast the Olympic Games at any cost is simply not a reasonable proposition for us. CBC/Radio-Canada has an obligation to taxpayers to be fiscally responsible” (TORONTO SUN, 2/8). CBC Sports Exec Dir Nancy Lee said that the organization “did not bid much more than” $100M for the 2010 and 2012 Games, about a 40% increase over rights to Turin and Beijing. Lee: “It was just based on what we believed the marketplace will bear for this.” But sources said that CBC’s partners, including The Score, Telus Corp. and CanWest Global, “would have brought the bid up to about” $130M (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 2/8). A CBC employee: “It’s a down day. A lot of people are worried about their jobs.” But in Toronto, Byers & Starkman report Lee “rejected the conjecture that her department is on the ropes after losing the bid.” Lee added, “We’ve got four years, two more (Olympics) to go. I truly believe those kinds of comments are premature at this point” (TORONTO STAR, 2/8). CBC Olympics co-host Ron MacLean said that he is “not concerned about his job,” but added, “I am worried for our group” (TORONTO STAR, 2/8).
