How to watch the Olympics has been confirmed for the next 10 years, with the combination of a limited BBC offering and paid-for full coverage set to continue.
The rights for how to watch Paris 2024 had already been decided under a previous deal, which follows the model in place for Tokyo. What today’s (Monday, 16 January) announcement means for fans watching from Britain, is that a similar model will now extend for Olympic Games coverage up to and including Brisbane 2032.
It means the BBC will show a lot of free coverage, but to watch every event from every sport live and in full, viewers will likely need to pay.
The deal kicks in from 2026 and is a partnership between the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), of which the BBC is a member, and Warner Bros Discovery.
At Paris and beyond, the BBC will continue to provide two simultaneous live streams, a daily highlights programme, digital clips, and radio coverage of Olympic Games. Discovery, whose platforms include Eurosport and discovery+, continues to hold the pay-TV rights to coverage of “every moment” of the Games.
“This partnership ensures that audiences in the UK will continue to have free-to-air access to the Olympic Games for the next decade,” said BBC Sport director Barbara Slater.
Andrew Georgiou, president and managing director for Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “As the ‘Home of the Olympics in Europe’ for the last three Olympic Games, we are pleased to be extending our relationship with the [International Olympic Committee] IOC through 2032.
“Ahead of what promises to be a magnificent Olympic Games Paris 2024, we are delighted that Warner Bros. Discovery will remain the only place where fans can get every moment of the following four Olympics.
“We are grateful to be partnering with the EBU and its members on the next stage of our Olympic journey, extending our commitment made together with the IOC in 2015 to reach more people through broad-reaching and accessible coverage.
“Viewers throughout Europe will continue to have extensive choice and the ability to access the Games across multiple platforms, setting an outstanding foundation to build on the record audience and engagement delivered for Europe for the past three Games.”
IOC president Thomas Bach said the agreement with EBU and Warner Bros. Discover “demonstrates the ongoing appeal of the Olympic Games across Europe”.
“As the IOC redistributes 90% of the revenues it generates, this long-term agreement also provides critical financial stability to the wider sporting movement and ultimately supports the athletes themselves,” he added.
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