When you tune into the BBC coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, it might surprise you to see that there’s barely any of it.
Remember during London 2012 when you could watch every minute of every sport somewhere on the national broadcaster?
Well those days are numbered.
Because ahead of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2015 Warner Brothers Discovery bought the rights to European television’s coverage of the Olympics.
Their deal goes through until the 2032 summer Olympic Games in Brisbane, Australia, and it has subsequently had consequences for the BBC coverage.
What is the deal?
The $1.3bn Warner Brothers Discovery deal entitles the broadcaster – through Eurosport and Discovery+ – to show every minute of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The BBC still has rights, thanks to the government’s crown jewels scheme; which protects certain events for free-to-air coverage, but their allowance is diminished.
The BBC will have a network stream, which will flick between BBC 1 and BBC 2, and a secondary stream – likely the Red Button but also iPlayer.
The broadcaster will therefore show the key events as they happen, or retrospectively, but not everything will be shown live.
So where can I watch the Olympic Games?
The BBC will have 250 hours of coverage but Discovery+ will have every minute of action.
A subscription can be found online.