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BERLIN (Reuters) - NBC Universal edged out rivals FOX and ESPN to win the U.S. broadcasting rights for four Olympic Games from 2014 until 2020 for $4.38 billion, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Tuesday.
"It was very strategically important to have a long relationship and have four more Games but not just two. It was a big part of our strategy," Brian Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast told a conference call.
NBC Universal, which is controlled by Comcast Corp and has broadcast every summer Olympics since 1988 and every winter edition since 2002, also has the rights until the 2012 summer Games in London.
It acquired the rights for all platforms, including TV, mobile and broadband.
"The numbers did enter into it but I will tell you we were blown away by the presentation, the passion that this (NBC) team has for the Games. It was very impressive," the IOC's chief negotiator Richard Carrion said on the call.
"What was very clear was the full four-games bid that is what put us over the line," he said.
IOC chief Jacques Rogge said NBC's Olympic pedigree was vital in the decision.
"We received three excellent bids and would like to thank each broadcaster for their presentations," he said.
"In the end we were most impressed with NBCU, which not only has a track record for broadcasting the Games that speaks for itself, but also has a clear and innovative vision of where it wants to take the broadcast of the Games between now and 2020."
The U.S. TV rights deal is the biggest single source of income for the IOC and this is the first auction since 2003.
(Writing by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken Ferris; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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"It was very strategically important to have a long relationship and have four more Games but not just two. It was a big part of our strategy," Brian Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast told a conference call.
NBC Universal, which is controlled by Comcast Corp and has broadcast every summer Olympics since 1988 and every winter edition since 2002, also has the rights until the 2012 summer Games in London.
It acquired the rights for all platforms, including TV, mobile and broadband.
"The numbers did enter into it but I will tell you we were blown away by the presentation, the passion that this (NBC) team has for the Games. It was very impressive," the IOC's chief negotiator Richard Carrion said on the call.
"What was very clear was the full four-games bid that is what put us over the line," he said.
IOC chief Jacques Rogge said NBC's Olympic pedigree was vital in the decision.
"We received three excellent bids and would like to thank each broadcaster for their presentations," he said.
"In the end we were most impressed with NBCU, which not only has a track record for broadcasting the Games that speaks for itself, but also has a clear and innovative vision of where it wants to take the broadcast of the Games between now and 2020."
The U.S. TV rights deal is the biggest single source of income for the IOC and this is the first auction since 2003.
(Writing by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken Ferris; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
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