NBCUniversal Wins U.S. Bid Through 2020 Olympics

Candice Kasischke
Intern, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: candice.kasischke@usav.org

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 9, 2011)– NBCUniversal won the U.S. bid and rights to broadcast Olympics Games through 2020, as announced on June 7 in Lausanne, Switzerland. U.S. Men’s and Women’s Olympic Volleyball Teams and U.S. Olympic beach pairs have been prominently featured on NBC coverage in recent Olympic Games.

NBCUniveral has been the broadcasting partner for the Olympic Games for over 20 years and won the bid for coverage of the next nine years of the Games. NBCUniversal out-bid FOX and ESPN with its financial commitment of $4.38 billion, which allowed for its continued rights of covering the next three Olympic Summer Games along with the next two Olympic Winter Games. After the 2012 Olympics in London, Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympic Summer Games. The 2014 Olympic Winter Games will be held in Sochi, Russia. The 2018 Olympic Winter Games and the 2020 Olympic Summer Games sites have yet to be awarded.

Doug Beal, USA Volleyball’s chief executive officer, commented that the continuance of NBCUniversal broadcasting through 2020 is a positive outcome and significant for not only USA Volleyball, but for all National Governing Bodies.

“We are very excited that NBCUniversal will continue to be the host broadcaster through the 2020 Olympic Games,” Beal said. “They have done a remarkable job of presenting the stories that have tracked such a wide audience for the Olympic Games, not only for volleyball and beach volleyball, but across the broad spectrum of sports and National Governing Bodies. The size of the bid and the commitment that NBCUniversal is continuing to make to the Olympic Games speaks volumes of the importance of this property to their overall broadcasting schedule. All of us at USA Volleyball offer our warmest congratulations to NBCUniversal and look forward to continuing our wonderful partnership with their network.”

In response to the granted rights given to NBCUniversal, U.S. Olympic Committee Chairman Larry Probst recognized the announcement as a positive outcome and thanked NBC for its continued support.

"The combination of NBC’s vision for broadcasting and its significant commitment of resources to the Olympic Movement made them the winner,” Probst said in a press conference.“I'd like to congratulate the entire team at NBCUniversal for their winning bid and thank them for their continued support and partnership. We look forward to working closely with NBCUniversal and Comcast in the years to come."

U.S. Olympic Committee Chief Executive Officer Scott Blackmun noted that NBCUniversal has proven excellence through its previous programming for the Olympic Games.

"Telling the stories of the Olympic Games is a great honor, but it's also a huge responsibility,” Blackmun said. “Showcasing the world's greatest athletes on sport's biggest stage, and reinforcing the universal Olympic values of respect, friendship and excellence, requires large measures of both resources and skills. Anyone who's seen NBCUniversal's Olympic programming knows they have the skills, and today they've renewed their commitment."

In the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the U.S. Men’s Olympic Team captured the gold medal and the U.S. Women’s Olympic Team won silver. The U.S. Women’s Beach Team of Misty May-Treanor (Santa Monica, Calif.) and Kerri Walsh (Saratoga, Calif.) captured back-to-back gold medals in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, making them the only beach team to win two Olympic gold medals. The U.S. Men’s Beach Team of Phil Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and Todd Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.) captured gold in the 2008 Olympic Games.

Tags: Doug Beal, Kerri Walsh, Misty May-Treanor, Olympic, Olympic Games, Philip Dalhausser, Todd Rogers