$20 million price tag for Winter Olympics as interest cools
Channel Ten has secured the broadcast rights for next year’s Sochi Winter Olympics, after Network Seven withdrew, and the Rio summer games rights remain unsold.
Olympics packages proving to be a vexed prospect
It is understood Channel Ten paid $20 million for the rights.
Network Seven had hoped to secure a joint bid for both Sochi and Rio, but negotiations are understood to have stalled. The IOC is believed to have attached a price tag in excess of $80 million for the broadcasting rights to the Rio Games.
Nine Entertainment Co and Foxtel previously paid $120 million for the broadcasting privileges for the dual 2010 Vancouver Winter Games and 2012 London Olympics package.
The IOC are now understood to favour selling a triple package of the Rio Summer Olympics, the 2018 South Korea Winter Games in South Korea and 2020 Summer Olympics in a new offering to Australian broadcasters.