Olympic Shake-up: Why Did The BBC’s Coverage Shrink?

This post may contain affiliate links*

Remember when we could tune into the BBC for every Olympic moment? Things have changed, so apparently the BBC has some explaining to do – and they know it.

With the Paris 2024 Olympic Games just around the corner, many viewers are discovering that their usual go-to for comprehensive Olympic coverage isn’t quite where it used to be.

Therefore, the BBC has put out a FAQ to tell British viewers why they won’t be able to watch every sport and event for free.

You can still catch the opening ceremony on BBC One and iPlayer at 17:45 on Friday, July 26, but as for the rest, you’ll only get limited free coverage this time around.

So what’s changed? Why is the Beeb asking us to temper our expectations? And more importantly, how can you still get your fill of Olympic action this summer?

Here’s the full explanation. 

The Olympic Change

In a FAQ published this week, the BBC laid out some hard truths for British sports fans: many Olympic events won’t be available on BBC channels this year, similar to the situation during the Tokyo Olympics.

Paris Olympics 2024 - deposit - yalcinsonat1
Photo: Deposit Photos

This marks a major shift from years ago, when the BBC offered extensive coverage of nearly every Olympic sport. Gone are the days of London 2012 when viewers could access free online and Red Button feeds of every sport.

The change began with the 2018 Winter Olympics, but as we approach the Summer Games in Paris, the impact is becoming apparent again to the general public.

The BBC’s Explanation

The BBC finds itself in a tricky situation, balancing new broadcasting deals and what it can offer with your TV licence fee.

In 2015, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) bought the European TV rights for the Olympic Games for a reported 1.3 billion euros. This deal allows WBD to show as much of the action as it wants across its channels and streaming service, Discovery+.

Thanks to UK laws ensuring major events are widely available, the BBC struck a deal with WBD. But this means the BBC’s coverage is more limited than in previous years.

The broadcaster will have a network TV channel and a second broadcast stream throughout the Games, allowing them to show the two most exciting or important events happening at any moment live at the same time.

The BBC assures viewers that this setup means there will almost never be a big medal moment, race, or tearful interview they can’t bring to the audience.

BBC Olympics experts
The BBC’s Olympics Team

However, they admit that if you’re really into a specific sport that isn’t the main story of the day, they may not be able to broadcast it live.

What This Means for Viewers

For the average viewer, this change means a shift in how they’ll consume Olympic content. The BBC will still provide over 250 hours of live coverage, focusing on the biggest events and British athletes’ performances.

They’ll have one main channel and a second curated live stream on BBC iPlayer called Olympics Extra.

However, if you’re a fan of less mainstream sports or want to follow a particular country’s athletes consistently, you might need to look beyond the BBC for full coverage. 

The broadcaster will still update viewers on all the stories of the day and provide highlights of less-featured sports.

But for wall-to-wall coverage of sports like Greco-Roman Wrestling or Artistic Swimming, viewers will need to turn to Discovery+ or Eurosport’s linear channels.

Radio listeners will still get extensive coverage, with BBC Radio 5 Live running a special Olympic schedule throughout the event.

The BBC Sport website and app will also be a hub of Olympic activity, providing live text coverage, news stories, reports, and video highlights.

The Budget Reality

The BBC is frank about why they didn’t simply pay more to retain full rights: it’s a matter of budget constraints and responsible spending of licence fee money.

TV licence documents

As they put it, “Quite simply because we take decisions over our spending very seriously as it is licence fee payers’ money that we are using. As much as we’d like to, we can’t buy everything we want.”

The cost of sports rights has skyrocketed in recent years, with deep-pocketed streaming services and media conglomerates often outbidding traditional broadcasters like the BBC.

For the BBC, prioritizing which events and sports to cover within their budget means focusing on the most popular events and those featuring British athletes (and, let’s face it – not every TV Licence holder is interested in the Olympics or sports in general).

While this approach may disappoint some fans of niche sports, it allows the broadcaster to provide high-quality coverage of the events most viewers are interested in, without increasing the licence fee even further.

The current arrangement between the BBC and Warner Bros. Discovery will last until the 2032 Summer Games in Brisbane.

This means that for at least the next five Olympic Games (Summer and Winter), British viewers will need to adapt to this new landscape of split coverage between free-to-air and subscription services.

What’s Available on Discovery+ and Eurosport

For those wanting more comprehensive coverage, Discovery+ and Eurosport are stepping up to the plate.

Discovery+ Olympics Team
Discovery+ Olympics Team

They’re offering 3,800 live hours covering all 329 medal events across the 32 Olympic sports. This extensive coverage aims to cater to die-hard Olympic fans who want to follow every aspect of the Games.

Discovery+ will also provide several features to enhance the viewing experience.

These include multi-feed audio, which will allow users to select from up to 20 languages, and in-play discovery capability, allowing viewers to move seamlessly from live event to event.

They’ll also offer gold medal alerts to inform users of imminent unmissable moments.

WBD House olympics
Photo: Getty Images for Eurosport

Eurosport has assembled a team of over 100 decorated Olympians to provide expert analysis and commentary. The UK-specific team includes familiar faces like diver Tom Daley and cyclist Laura Kenny.

For those who prefer traditional TV viewing (over streaming), Eurosport’s linear channels will be broadcasting extensive Olympic coverage.

This will be available to Sky, Virgin Media, and EE TV subscribers with the appropriate sports packages (EE has announced it will open all Olympics channels at no extra cost, and Discovery+ is available at no extra cost for many Sky subscribers).

Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 will broadcast action every day from 7 a.m. to 10.30 p.m., with highlights and replays available throughout the night.

The good news for viewers considering the streaming option is that Discovery+ is currently offering a discounted rate.

Until August 12, new and returning subscribers can access the Standard tier (which includes Eurosport and the Olympics coverage) for £3.99/month, down from the usual £6.99 monthly fee.

For pay-TV subscribers with compatible TVs, Eurosport’s linear channels will offer 4K coverage – something not available on the streaming service, which will only support HDR broadcasts.

For more updates on TV and streaming, Subscribe to our free newsletter.

(Featured Image: Deposit Photos / FotoPrivet)

3 thoughts on “Olympic Shake-up: Why Did The BBC’s Coverage Shrink?”

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

man watchin streaming tv on tablet

Get Cord Buster's Free UK TV Streaming Cheatsheet

FREE

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Get TV And Tech News

Get Bonus Streaming TV Guide