On the podium of TV broadcast rights, the Olympic Games secure the silver medal, just behind the FIFA World Cup. Out of the €1.2 billion allocated to the organizing committee by the IOC in 2024, €750 million comes from TV rights. Ghassan Attié (H.07), Head of Strategy and Investment at beIN Media Group, describes the process and significance of these negotiations.

How are broadcasting rights for big sporting events like the Olympics allocated?

Ghassan Attié : The Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issues a call for bids from broadcasters. Generally, the rights are acquired by one or two broadcasters per territory, and ultimately, an event like the Olympic Games will be broadcast in almost every country on the planet and watched by billions of viewers. The price at which the rights are sold depends on several factors: the competitive tension among broadcasters in a given territory, but also the size of the population, its economic level, and its interest in the competition.

 

Is the allocation of these rights always to the highest bidders?

G.A. : Price is a major criteria but not the only one. The rights holder negotiates to maximize revenue, but must also consider the visibility and editorial quality that the broadcaster can bring to the competition. These are competitive procedures, often with very significant amounts involved. It’s important to understand why.

First of all, there is almost no other way to broadcast sports content than to acquire it, unlike films or series that can be produced in-house. And to acquire sports content, there is often only one source of supply: the rights holders, in this case the IOC for the Olympics. Moreover, these major events are exceptional and, for broadcasters, guarantee attractiveness with important audiences. This is one of the reasons why these rights are expensive and coveted. Finally, at a time when streaming and catch-up TV are widely developing, sports remain one of the last ways to gather a live audience. It’s a central issue for broadcasters.

 

What will be broadcasted by beIN during the 2024 Olympic Games?

G.A. : We responded to a call for bids from the International Olympic Committee in 2015 and won the broadcast rights for all Olympic competitions from 2018 to 2024 for the entire MENA region (Middle East – North Africa), which includes 24 countries in the Near East, Middle East, and North Africa. In this region, beIN offers sports channels but also cinema, series, entertainment, and we will broadcast the competition through 15 channels, in English and Arabic.

On a global scale, the beIN group is one of the main acquirers of sports rights, but the amounts we commit to are confidential. What I can say is that for each investment of this type, we make projections: the amount we will allow ourselves to spend is always linked to the revenue we can generate, in connection with acquiring new subscribers and retaining existing ones. For our channels, the Olympics are also a guarantee of visibility. Additionally, during the summer, the annual championships are on pause. The Summer Olympics are a way to continue broadcasting quality sports content.

 

Interview by Marie Tourres

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