2014-16 Olympic broadcast rights to top USD 4 bill

Durban: Broadcast revenues for the period covering the 2014 and 2016 Olympic Games will exceed USD 4 billion, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge said on Thursday.

Earlier this month, the IOC sealed a four-Games deal with NBC Universal from 2014 to 2020 worth USD 4.38 billion while also announcing days ago separate deals for France, South Korea and Germany with varying contract lengths. Rogge said the 2014-2016 period, which includes the Sochi winter Olympics and the Rio de Janeiro summer Games, had already generated USD 3.2 billion with several major territories still outstanding. "The (total figure for 2014-2016) should be substantially higher than USD 4 billion," Rogge told the IOC session.In comparison broadcasting rights revenues for the 2010-2012 period had totalled USD 3.9 billion while the 2006-2008 period brought in USD2.6 billion in broadcasting rights revenues. The 2018-2020 period had already secured USD 2.6 billion, boosted by the recent US deal with NBC. "The IOC finances are solid," said Rogge, adding that the IOC had a consolidated surplus of USD 592 million as of May 2011 compared to USD 466 million at the end of 2009. The IOC`s top marketing programme was also improving, having secured USD 957 million for the 2010-2012 Games with 11 sponsors compared to USD 866 million for the 2006-2008 Games period.The marketing figure for the 2014-2016 Games already stood at USD 921 billion with nine sponsors having signed up for that period and one or two more expected to join. The IOC does not release individual contract figures with its top sponsors though companies pay around USD 100 million to sign up for a two-Games package. Bureau Report