BBC snatches Olympic rights from Murdoch

The BBC and 40 Continental broadcasters yesterday clinched exclusive European rights to broadcast the five Olympic Games between 2000 and 2008 for $1.44bn, nosing out a $2bn financial bid from Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.

Yesterday's announcement by the International Olympic Committee was greeted with exhilaration at the BBC, which has campaigned to halt the flood of major sporting events from free to subscription television.

The IOC was "no doubt placed under pressure by more lucrative alternative offers", Jonathan Martin, BBC Television's head of sport, said. "But [it] stuck to the view that the Olympics should continue to be seen by the largest possible number of viewers worldwide."

The deal will give the European Broadcasting Union, a consortium of public service broadcasters, exclusive rights to the Summer Games in Sydney in 2000 and the Winter Games in Salt Lake City in 2002. The EBU will also broadcast the Summer Games in 2004 and 2008 and the Winter Games in 2006. Rights to highlights will be negotiated separately.

News Corporation, which unveiled its offer earlier this year, said in a statement that the company "respects the right of any sports body to select the broadcaster of its choice".

The winning bid was 25 per cent higher than the EBU's opening shot, following revelations of Mr Murdoch's bid. A News Corporation insider said: "This shows that public broadcasters can come up with more money when they are pushed."

The BBC, along with other media companies, has complained that Mr Murdoch's near-monopoly on sport rights in the UK made it impossible for mainstream broadcasters to compete. BSkyB, the satellite broadcaster owned 40 per cent by News Corporation, has exclusive contracts to Premiership football, golf's Ryder Cup and other major sporting events.

Pressure has been building on politicians to amend the Broadcasting Bill to protect certain "listed" events from being broadcast exclusively on pay television.

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