Olympics Staying on NBC Through 2032
Annoyed by NBC's hit-or-miss Olympics coverage? Well, looks like we'll be stuck with it for the next 18 years.
NBCUniversal announced that it has extended its partnership with the International Olympic Committee through 2032, a deal that will keep the Olympic Games exclusively on NBC networks. Reportedly, NBC paid the hefty sum of $7.75 billion to keep the exclusive broadcast rights, a deal which will not only extend the Olympics to all media platforms (TV, internet and mobile) between 2021 and 2032, but will also include a $100 million signing bonus for "promotion of Olympism and the Olympic values" between 2015 and 2020.
“The extension of our partnership with the IOC is unprecedented in scope and is the longest US Olympic sports rights agreement in history,” CEO Steve Burke said in a statement. “Our many platforms, including broadcast, cable, digital and mobile, will now have this enormously popular and profitable programming as a centerpiece for almost two more decades.”
This is good news for NBC, but less so for those who have been less-than-satisfied with the network's coverage of the games. Personally, I watch BBC's coverage of the games, partially out of a deep, abiding love of British people, and also because...well, they're just better at more holistic, all-hands-on-deck coverage. But where do you fall? Are you satisfied with NBC's coverage? Or do you choose to watch the Olympics elsewhere? Sound off in the comments!
Credit: NBC