Media Rights

IMG can maximize media revenue generated through the Olympic Games.

IMG's global expertise and leadership in sports programming helps organizations maximize media revenue generated through the Olympic Games. Television rights can account for more than half of Olympic revenue, and IMG helps clients realize impressive returns by effectively navigating the complex media landscape. IMG's expertise includes:

  • Contract negotiations
  • Broadcast rights consulting
  • Experience with the world’s major broadcast networks
  • Creating, producing, and distributing original Olympic programming across media platforms

As the largest independent producer, packager and distributor of sports programming in the world, IMG has helped negotiate television rights and distribute programming for Olympic Organizing Committees for 20 years, including Calgary (1988), Seoul (1988), Albertville (1992), Lillehammer (1994), Atlanta (1996), and Nagano (1998). In recent years we:

  • Secured Canadian television rights for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and the London 2012 Olympic Games
  • Represented the USOC in its contractual discussion with NBC as part of the 2009-2012 U.S. television rights negotiations

Today we advise the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on its 2012 television rights negotiations in Africa, Middle East and Latin America, as well as its negotiations for 2014 and 2016 European rights.

In addition to media rights, IMG produces, distributes and archives Olympic programming and footage on behalf of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Our work includes:

  • The Olympic Television Archive Bureau (OTAB) - a library of the most iconic and memorable images in Olympics history, featuring over 24,000 hours of event footage from more than 48 Olympic Games. IMG acts as the worldwide licensing arm for the OTAB to protect the archives' intellectual copyrights and heritage, and facilitate worldwide distribution of Olympic footage.
  • The Olympic Series - utilizing the IOC's official collection of Olympic programming, The Olympic Series features over 100 hours within 12 volumes and captures the most enduring, captivating and dramatic memories of the modern Olympic Games.

The IMG advantage:

  • Expert contract negotiations
  • Solid reputation, relationships and experience working with the world’s major broadcast networks
  • Insight into the latest media trends, including broadcast rights, distribution and fees

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IMG worked with the IOC to negotiate its Canadian TV rights for the 2010 Games in Vancouver and 2012 Games in London, a 174% increase over the previous Canadian Olympic rights package.