Two more combatants may jump into the Olympics TV rights fray.
The Associated Press reports CBS Corporation and Time Warner have engaged in preliminary discussions about “joining forces to bid on rights to televise the Olympics in 2014 and 2016.” Under any agreement, CBS, TNT and TBS would air parts of Olympic coverage.
This would not be an unprecedented partnership for the media giants. CBS and TNT partnered for the 1992, 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics. Additionally, CBS Corporation and Time Warner jointly formed The CW in 2006.
Currently, FOX, NBC and Disney are expected to bid for the rights to the 2014 and 2016 Olympics. CBS has expressed substantially less interest in Olympics rights than its competitors. The network declined to bid five years ago for the rights to the 2010 and 2012 Games, and CBS Sports President Sean MacManus said in August, “We didn’t bid last time, and I don’t think a lot has changed.”
Recently, the IOC announced that it would postpone the bidding process for the 2014 and 2016 Games until after a site for the 2016 Olympics was announced.
Link to AP article found via The Sports Business Daily.
