IOC to take over global telecast

In 2012, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will assume the responsibility of producing the television coverage of both the Summer and Winter Games.

IOC marketing director Michael Payne made the disclosure during a brief press conference hosted by National Broadcasting Network (NBN) chair Mia Concio and general manager Joey Isabelo in Makati last week. Payne, an IOC fixture since the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Games, was here for a brief visit to confer with three local bidders for the exclusive Philippine TV rights to the Athens Olympics.

Payne begged off from identifying the bidders but it is widely known that NBN, Solar Sports and a group led by Carlos (Bobong) Velez are vying for the rights. He said a decision on the winning bid will be announced soon but also begged off from setting a firm deadline.

Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) sports director John Barton, who accompanied Payne in his seven-nation, five-day tour of Asia, said he will return to Manila to announce the decision.

It is traditional for host countries to produce the TV coverage of the Olympics. But because the IOC realizes the importance of the medium, it will begin to undertake the production after the Beijing Games. The 2012 Olympics promise to be spectacular, what with nine major cities bidding for the rights. Among the candidates are New York, London and Paris. No Asian city is in contention because the rotation will move to other continents after Beijing.

In Athens, Payne said the extent of the coverage will be unprecedented. There will be over 4,000 hours of footage fed throughout the world on at least five channels to allow recipient networks to customize their coverage. The ABU, which will facilitate the transmission of the feed, is expected to tailor the footage according to the interests of each member country. For instance, badminton will be the focus in Malaysia and basketball, in the Philippines. Barton said about 3,000 of the 4,000 hours available will be channeled through the ABU.

Payne said in the 1980 Moscow Games, doomsday soothsayers predicted the death of the Olympic movement because of politics ravaging sports. In 1996, the US aired only 170 hours of action on a single channel despite widespread Stateside interest in the Games with Atlanta as host. But the funeral never came.

Payne said today, the Olympics are bigger than ever. The growing interest in the US is an indication of its global appeal. From covering only 170 hours in Atlanta, the US is beaming over 1,000 hours on five channels using two languages in Athens and will broadcast 3,000 hours in five languages in Beijing.

Payne stressed that the IOC appreciates the importance of media because only a fortunate fraction of the world population is able to witness the Olympics live and in the flesh. He said radio, TV, print and the internet are valuable tools in spreading the gospel of Olympism all over the world.

Payne said the IOC’s direction is to make available as much footage to as many countries as possible. In Athens, the coverage will include key preliminary action, semifinal and final competitions, all medal ceremonies and highlights. While the IOC isn’t in the business to make money but to promote

sports, operating in the red isn’t a healthy long-term proposition. The IOC, after all, must cover its costs to stay alive. That’s why the marketing function is vital. That’s also why Payne took the trouble of making the Asian swing to iron out kinks of the coverage in the region.

Concio said NBN is going all-out for the rights to Athens. "We want to preserve our partnership and relationship with the IOC," she declared at the press conference in Payne’s presence.

But the problem is NBN has an existing accountability to the IOC. Neither Payne nor Concio would divulge the amount of the debt but it is rumored to be at least $1.2 Million.

If the IOC turns its back on NBN, the Lausanne-based body runs the risk of not being able to collect on the outstanding amount. But if it awards the Athens rights to NBN, can it be sure that the network will be able to pay the reported $1.8 Million fee aside from settling its obligation?

The word is the IOC has given NBN up to the end of April to liquidate the debt. That means the IOC will not decide on the winning bid until then to leave the door open for NBN to own up. But in an election year, the government has many other priorities to fund. Will it oblige NBN by providing $1.2 Million to settle the debt and another $1.8 Million for the Athens rights? That’s a total of $3 Million or about P170 Million to cough up.

If NBN settles its debt in full, will the IOC agree to be paid in installments for the Athens rights? Will there be interest charged for each installment and for how long is the extension? Will the IOC dare to negotiate a deal with a government network again—-is there a choice?

IOC representative to the Philippines Frank Elizalde said he’s not holding his breath waiting for NBN to pay up. He cited a history of foot-dragging on the payment of previous rights dating back to the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

If the IOC awards the rights to a bidder other than NBN, will it be guaranteed adequate free-to-air time? NBN’s advantage is it has loads of air time. But it’s safe to assume the other bidders wouldn’t even step up to the plate if they didn’t lock in enough air time to produce a viable coverage.

To spread its risk, perhaps the IOC could consider consolidating the resources of the bidders. NBN could provide the air time. Solar Sports could do the marketing and Velez’ group, the production. In a country that’s so fragmented, a joint effort would be a positive sign of progress. Instead of Filipinos fighting against Filipinos, maybe they can all get together in the spirit of unity. That’s, of course, assuming such a formula is workable and the IOC wouldn’t mind dealing with three different groups instead of just one.

One thing’s for sure, the Athens Olympics will be covered on TV in the Philippines. That’s Payne’s promise.