NBC was awarded the broadcast rights to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the 2018 and 2020 Games at cities yet to be named.
The win was a statement by Comcast CEO Brian Roberts that the parent company to NBC Universal and NBC Sports has its back on the Olympic bid and was willing to write a check for a reported $4.38 billion to seal the deal.
Many felt that NBC was dead in the water when former NBC Sports boss Dick Ebersol resigned last month. A number of experts thought that without him at the table Comcast would not step up and spend the money to outbid ESPN and Fox.
They underestimated Roberts’ passion for keeping the Games and Comcast’s willingness to open their wallets.
ESPN and Fox gave very strong presentations to the International Olympic Committee, and both networks stressed their interest in being long-term partners. They came with detailed plans about everything from how they would produce the Games to how they would use their vast resources to help market the Games.
The ESPN team pulled out the Disney card and used it to entice the IOC with the idea of putting together two of the world’s most identifiable brands. But in the end, it didn’t win the bid.
NBC had a huge advantage over the other networks because of its history — having every Olympics since 1988. But it was also about the cash and who would sign the biggest check.
No one was going to beat NBC as long as they were willing to pay the price.
Now will NBC step into the 21st Century and air the Games live with a nightly highlights show that would be packaged for the casual fan?
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!
