Seven Network Olympic broadcasts

The broadcasts of Summer and Winter Olympic Games produced by Seven Sport is televised on the Seven Network in Australia.

Seven Network Olympic broadcasts
GenreOlympics telecasts
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons9
Production
Production locationsVarious Olympic venues (event telecasts and studio segments)
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running timeVaries
Release
Original networkSeven Network
Original release
  • 26 July 1992 (1992-07-26) - 24 August 2008 (2008-08-24)
  • 6 August 2016 (2016-08-06) - 20 February 2022 (2022-02-20)

Seven first broadcast the Olympics in 1956, jointly with the Nine Network and the ABC. It has since broadcast Olympic games intermittently, either jointly with other broadcasters or solely.

History

Early history

The Seven Network was a joint broadcaster for the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, which was the first Olympics telecast in Australia, which it shared with the ABC and Nine television stations in Melbourne and Sydney.[1]

The same trio of broadcasters telecast the 1976 Summer Olympics, before Seven gained exclusivity for the 1980 Summer Olympics. It lost the rights for the next two Games before regaining rights from 1992. With rising costs associated with purchasing broadcasting rights, Seven shared the telecast with SBS for the 2004 and 2008 Games.[2]

Recent years

Seven held Australian free-to-air, pay television, online, and mobile telephony broadcast rights to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, on-selling some events to SBS. The live telecast of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad was shared by both the Seven Network and SBS Television. Seven broadcast the opening and closing ceremonies and mainstream sports, including swimming, athletics, rowing, cycling, and gymnastics. In contrast, SBS TV provided complementary coverage focused on long-form events such as football, road cycling, volleyball, and table tennis.[3]

Seven lost its Olympics rights for the 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics to a joint bid by the Nine Network and Foxtel.[4] Rights to just the 2014 Winter Olympics were acquired by Network Ten.[5][6][7]

On 5 August 2014, it was announced that Seven had acquired rights to the Olympics in Australia across all platforms for an undisclosed amount, in a deal lasting from 2016 through 2020, and also including the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics. IOC president Thomas Bach praised the deal, stating that the Committee "enjoys long term partnerships and this agreement is something of a homecoming between us and Seven." Seven West Media CEO Tim Worner explained that unlike previous stints as rightsholder, it would not necessarily have to sub-license the Games to a secondary broadcaster (as it had historically done with the ABC), stating that "[with] around 150 hours of content on any given day, there will be many more opportunities than ever before". However, Worner did not rule out the possibility of doing so.[8]

For the 2016 Summer Olympics, coverage was offered across Seven, 7Two and 7mate. In order to allow Games to be broadcast in high definition in all capital cities, 7HD was temporarily changed to a simulcast of Seven's primary channel in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth for the duration of the Games. The Games were also streamed through a freemium mobile app; full access to Games content (including coverage of all events on live and on-demand basis) required purchase of a "premium" service costing $19.99. This content was also available free to Telstra mobile subscribers. Free content was limited to 900 hours of live content simulcast from the three Seven Network channels, and 300 hours of live digital-only content.[9][10][11][12] Highlights of events were broadcast in the afternoon, while primetime program In Rio Today broadcast key moments, interviews and background information each night. Regularly scheduled programs Sunrise, Seven News at 6pm and The Chase Australia aired throughout, while other programming were taken off air for the duration of the Games on Seven.[13]

Seven offered 2018 Winter Olympics coverage across Seven, 7Two and 7mate as well as its "OlympicsOn7" app, which similarly to its 2016 Olympics service, offered a mix of free or paid coverage. 245 hours of broadcast Olympic content are expected. Seven will continue broadcasting scheduled programs Sunrise, The Chase Australia, Seven News at 6pm, Home & Away and My Kitchen Rules, with Olympic coverage airing at other times on its main channel. Hamish McLachlan, Edwina Bartholomew, Mel McLaughlin and Jason Richardson will be primary anchors based in PyeongChang. Three Olympic-themed The Front Bar specials will air during coverage.[14]

Seven lost the rights to the 2024 Summer Olympics, the 2026 Winter Olympics, the 2028 Summer Olympics, the 2030 Winter Olympics and the 2032 Summer Olympics to rivals Nine Network.[15][16]

Awards and honors

During its time as the broadcaster of the Olympic Games, it has won the Olympic Golden Rings for the Best Television coverage for the best television programme during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.[17]

During the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Seven and NBC Universal were the major recipients of the Golden Rings; with Seven taking the Golden Rings for the best Olympic Programme, the Silver Rings for the best Olympic feature (NBC Universal received the Golden Rings), and the Bronze Rings for the Best Sports Coverage (behind SRG Switzerland and YLE Finland).[18]

Criticism

Seven's coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics was widely criticized by many viewers, who were angry at the networks contractual obligation to show AFL football over the Olympics. Viewers also complained that many team sports were delayed, with the absence of Roy and HG further angering viewers.[19]

Seven's use of a paid service for full access to 2016 Summer Olympics content was criticized for contradicting and being a loophole around anti-siphoning laws (which require that specific sporting events, such as the Olympics, must have their rights primarily held by a terrestrial broadcaster), which account for premium television platforms such as Foxtel but not for over-the-top internet services. The arrangement was criticized by Tony Shepherd, chairman of the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA), for serving as evidence that the existing anti-siphoning rules were outdated. Although considering the model to be "legal and understandable", Shepherd stated that Seven's "paywall" was "precisely the outcome the anti-siphoning scheme is meant to guard against."[9][12]

Ratings

Due in large part to their coverage of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, the Seven Network won the ratings year for the first time in almost 20 years, just missing out on a clean sweep across the country - something that was rectified in 2007. The opening ceremony was one of the highest-ever rating television programmes in the country, with 6.5 million viewers.[20]

Broadcast rights history
Year Host Shared telecast Multichannels used Cost of rights Ref
1956 Summer Melbourne ABC
Nine		 Multichannels not available — [1]
1976 Summer Montreal ABC
Nine		 — [2]
1980 Summer Moscow No — [2]
1992 Summer Barcelona No — [2]
1996 Summer Atlanta No — [2]
2000 Summer Sydney No — [2]
2002 Winter Salt Lake City No [21]
2004 Summer Athens SBS — [2]
2006 Winter Turin No $71 million [22]
2008 Summer Beijing SBS 7HD (simulcast) — [2]
2016 Summer Rio de Janeiro No 7Two
7mate		 $150-$170 million [23][24]
2018 Winter Pyeongchang No 7Two
7mate
2020 Summer Tokyo No 7Two
7mate
7plus (streaming)
2022 Winter Beijing No 7two
7mate
7plus (streaming)

See also

References
  1. "Popular Australian television". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  2. "Nine and Foxtel score Olympic win". Television AU. 13 October 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  3. "Seven & SBS to Broadcast Beijing Olympics". SportBusiness. 4 April 2007. Retrieved 28 June 2007.
  4. "Nine, Foxtel to broadcast Olympics". Herald Sun. 13 October 2007. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 13 October 2007.
  5. "Olympic fury over rules for TV sport". The Australian. 7 April 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  6. "Seven withdraws from bidding for Olympics as price tag proves too great for TV networks". Fox Sports. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  7. MacKay, Duncan (12 May 2013). "Ten Network signs $20 million deal to broadcast Sochi 2014 in Australia, claim reports". Inside the Games. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  8. "Seven Network nets Olympic Games hat-trick with broadcast rights to 2020". Sydney Morning Herald. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  9. "Anti-siphoning laws are duping viewers, says ASTRA boss". The Australian. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  10. "Telstra wins case against the Australian Olympic Committee on its 'I go to Rio' campaign". News.com.au. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  11. Knox, David (30 July 2016). "Seven to switch Olympics to HD". TV Tonight. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  12. "The Seven Network will charge Australians to watch the Olympics". Business Insider. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  13. Knox, David (26 July 2016). "Rio Olympics 2016: guide". TV Tonight. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  14. Knox, David (4 February 2018). "2018 Winter Olympics: guide". TV Tonight. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  15. Knox, David (23 December 2022). "Report: Nine wins Olympic rights until Brisbane 2032". TV Tonight. tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  16. Samios, Zoe (23 December 2022). "Nine takes Olympics TV rights from Seven as cricket mulls its future". Sydney Morning Herald. smh.com.au. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  17. "IOC News - Olympic Updates, Articles and Press Releases". 27 September 2021.
  18. "IOC News - Olympic Updates, Articles and Press Releases". 27 September 2021.
  19. Lulham, Amanda (12 August 2008). "Channel 7 stumbles on Beijing Olympic Games coverage". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
  20. "Seven Net scores with Olympics". Hollywood Reporter. 19 September 2000. Retrieved 27 June 2007.
  21. "The Salt Lake 2002 experience" (PDF). Olympics. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  22. "Seven Network slams Nine's Olympic coup". news.com.au. 15 October 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  23. Idato, Michael (5 August 2014). "Seven Network nets Olympic Games hat-trick with broadcast rights to 2020". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  24. Lehmann, John (8 July 2014). "Seven Network reclaims rights to broadcast Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
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