Competition to broadcast the '14 Sochi and '16 Rio de Janeiro Games in Canada is “about to become an event of its own,” with Yahoo “considering a bid to steal the Games from the country’s television powerhouses and push the coverage onto the Internet,” according to Steve Ladurantaye of the GLOBE & MAIL. Broadcast rights to the ‘14 and ‘16 Games “are up for grabs” after the IOC “rejected two ‘lowball’ bids” by a CBC and BCE partnership. Yahoo is “now weighing using the Canadian broadcast rights as an opportunity to enhance its reputation as a content producer and revitalize its fortunes after losing ground to rivals such as Google.” CBC and BCE have been “unwilling to ante up enough money to secure a deal with the IOC, because they don’t yet know whether” NHL players will participate in the Sochi Games. The CBC-BCE group is “expected to come back with another offer in the summer, after the NHL and its union decide whether its players will participate.” Sources said that the CBC-BCE partnership has been bidding in the C$70M range “for rights to both events, or about half of what was paid for rights to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.” Sources said that Yahoo “hasn’t put together a formal bid package,” and is “only starting to consider its options” (GLOBE & MAIL, 3/5).
