News Releases

February 7, 2005

Statement Regarding the IOC's Awarding of the Broadcast Rights for the 2010 and 2012 Olympic Games

CBC/Radio-Canada is disappointed with the IOC's decision today not to award broadcast rights to CBC/Radio-Canada for the 2010 and 2012 Olympic Games.

Over the years, and as recently as this summer, we have been lauded for our excellent and complete Olympic coverage. Having just been awarded the Golden Rings prize for our broadcast in Athens, we know that the quality of our broadcasts is among the best in the world, and our experience in Olympic broadcasting is unsurpassed. We are proud of our record.

For the 2010 and 2012 Olympics, we, in conjunction with an array of private sector partners, offered the IOC our proven quality, experience and reliability in delivering the Games to Canadians, and we also offered what we believe was a very competitive bid. We are confident that CBC/Radio-Canada would have been awarded the Olympic broadcast rights, had competence and quality of coverage been the main factors in the IOC's decision.

However, as a Crown Corporation, CBC/Radio-Canada has an obligation to taxpayers to be fiscally responsible, and this requirement firmly shaped the financial part of our bid. In preparing our bid to the IOC, we knew, and we know still, that competing to win the rights to broadcast the Olympic Games at any cost is simply not a reasonable proposition for us. We could not mortgage the programming budgets of other sectors of our schedule to overpay for the Olympics.

While the IOC's decision is very disappointing to all of us, it is in no way a reflection of the quality of our coverage. We still own the broadcast rights for the Torino Games in 2006 and the Beijing Games in 2008. As with all Games in the past, Canadians will receive the same outstanding, award-winning Olympic coverage from Canada's national public broadcaster.

About CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions.

CBC/Radio-Canada reaches Canadians through eight national radio and television networks, its full-service web sites, local/regional stations and affiliates, as well as the digital television channel Country Canada, and the continuous music network Galaxie.

In addition, CBC/Radio-Canada has forged partnerships with other broadcasters and is a partner in the satellite radio service SIRIUS Canada as well as in the specialty television services ARTV and The Documentary Channel. Through this array of activities, CBC/Radio-Canada brings diverse regional and cultural perspectives into the daily lives of Canadians in English, French and eight aboriginal languages.

For additional information, please contact:

Pascale Montminy
Director, Public Relations and Operations
Corporate Communications
(613) 288-6243
pascale.montminy(at)cbc.ca