China Media Group tops up Olympics rights deal until 2032

China Media Group (CMG), the Chinese state media company that controls CCTV, has extended its deal to broadcast the Olympic Games until 2032.

The exclusive deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) covers the Chinese mainland and Macau, and secures CMG rights across all platforms, including free-to-air (FTA) television, subscription television, internet and mobile.

The agreement covers four editions of the Games, which are the Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Summer Olympics, as well as the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina in 2026 and the subsequent edition in 2030, which does not yet have a host. The contract also includes coverage of all Youth Olympic Games held over the same period.

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CMG already has rights to broadcast its home Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics under a deal agreed in 2014, which at the time was reported to be worth US$550 million.

The latest agreement ensures that the Olympics will continue to be screened by state broadcaster CCTV, which first aired the Games back in the 1980s through an agreement with the Asia Broadcast Union. It first acquired rights directly from the IOC for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics.

CMG president Shen Haixiong, who pointed out that the company sent a team of nearly 800 people to Japan to cover Tokyo 2020, said that this year will see the launch of CMG’s CCTV Olympic Channel, which is being touted as the world’s first 4K+HD 24/7 television station.

Haixiong added: “The renewal of the Olympic Games broadcast rights in China will not only extend the partnership between the two sides, but also create a solid basis for widespread, continuous promotion of the Olympic movement in China.” Sports Pro Media