The Sport Thread

That didn't cover the event most people will have bought the year long pass for.

On the live sport thing and your cricket example we usually get the Fox feed for Australian cricket (not a world feed, just one of the domestic feeds, similar to most US sport) Sky (or currently BT who cover Australian cricket, but relevant for the likes of IPL on Sky) if taking the host feed and there are sponsored plugs, not much Sky or BT can do really. It is incidental inclusion and Ofcom has a lighter view as it's not Sky/BT controlling the pictures. It flips/flops but sometimes BT don't show the lunch breaks etc, opting for pre-record pieces with a voiceover to fill gaps. During play though we've seen things such as Michael Vaughan at an Oz test game on BT (using the Fox feed) in a chair on a zipline type chair eating KFC plugging during play. It's like American sports often don't have a 'world feed'. Even at something as big as the Masters golf last week the feed with graphics is still plastered with ESPN or CBS logos and occasionally a CBS promo, which if it was a UK event, the UK broadcaster would opt out of it's own host feed for the world to locally provide British audiences info/studio/trailers etc. We even see interviews with non-branded mics etc like at Wimbledon. America / Australia it still has their logos plastered.

Sky for years on the regular golf coverage have to always go back to the studio or a wide shot of scenery with a voiceover to fill gaps with recaps, shot centre etc due to extra breaks. There is often a 30 minute cross over between golf channel and CBS/NBC at weekends who pick up later coverage and for years there was barely a shot so Sky had all studio chat, same for the extra US breaks. It has changed a bit now during that 30 min window and the extra breaks are often filled with a few shots with Sky talk over.

On the point of old footage, obviously people should know it's old, but probably strictly speaking should be removed if someone complained.

Same with the football, I understand it completely, but you do not need to ram it down our throats between every sentence xD

People come to watch sports to escape from real world news, it doesn't need to be brought in every 5 seconds imo

Apparently for 202One Olympics, NBC will not only rely on the usual teams in Tokyo; NBC Sports in Stamford; Telemundo in Miami; and 30 Rock. They will be utilizing space and talent from Sky Sports. A Las Vegas provider will be providing the feeds for the multitude of screens and services.

Sky don't hold Olympic rights in any of their countries, do they?
I guess it still makes sense to use facilities which would otherwise be a bit quiet over the summer.

Going back to foreign pres on UK channels: BT often show US or Aussie network feeds intact, and rely on the playout director to opt out of anything they shouldn't be showing. (College Gameday the other week was being presented from the Masters, and it kept cutting to golf highlights, which must have caused someone at Red Bee a bit of a headache).

The exceptions to the rule have been Aussie cricket, which has had a variety of in- and out-of-vision presentation over the years of the contract (but usually with the host's commentary), and the AFL, which for the tail end of this season had a show presented by an Aussie journalist from his flat in London. Again they opted back into the domestic feed for the match.

Sky don't have any Olympic rights. The entire European rights are with Discovery (who own Eurosport) until 2024, with the exception that 2020 rights had been sold in France and the UK - and the UK rights holder (the BBC) has done a deal with Discovery across the years. Any other rights are sub-let from Discovery - e.g. to adhere to local listed events rules.

I thought the Olympics legally have to be on free-to-air in the UK?

Sky Sports News have had a presence at the least the last two Olympics, FWIW.

Per the post you quoted - Discovery have a deal with the BBC across the years of their exclusive contract and for the 2020 Olympics that were originally BBC only. As I recall, the BBC can show live coverage on up to two free to air channels, but won't have the extensive interactive / red button coverage they previously had.

Outside the fence though (literally). With very limited exceptions, only rights holders can film inside the venues / Olympic Park (although Tokyo has Olympic ‘zones’ rather than a park.)



It’s one ‘linear’ channel and one ‘red button’ type stream. Any clips / highlights that go up on the website / app have to be shown on one of those outlets first. (They’ll also have that coverage streamed of course.)

I imagine with how close how Comcast/NBCU are with the IOC and how much they pay they could get rights for inside the park working as a program of NBCUniversal - maybe some sort of show for peacock featuring international reports that happens to be simulcast on SSN. Doubt they’d be able to get through the hourly time limit but if it focuses on athletes and scores should be good.

That would cause complete outrage from the other rights holders, particularly Discovery.

Sky don't need rights to work at the Olympic venues as they do not have the rights to broadcast stuff filmed there. If sky employees are seconded to NBC, filming at the venues won't be a problem because they'll be working for NBC. Just because NBC holds rights to broadcast the games in the US it doesn't extend that to their partners and subsidiaries around the world.