Tokyo 2020: why these Olympic Games are different when it comes to media rights, and what it means for viewers and for sport in the UK and Ireland

Less than a week into the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, one of the big talking points has been the changes in the way TV rights are structured, and what this has meant for viewers trying to access different Olympic sports and events from across the UK and Ireland.

The way in which broadcasting and digital media rights are sold for Olympic Games coverage is not entirely straight-forward. This article seeks to give some context and break down why this year's Games are different, as well as look at what this might mean for the future of sports media rights in the UK and Ireland.

The IOC

The starting point is that it is the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which controls how broadcasting and digital media rights for the Olympic Games are sold globally, as opposed to anyone else. Back in 2016, it sold its European rights for Tokyo 2020 to US company Discovery in a deal reported to be worth ï¿¡920m.

One of the requirements of the IOC x Discovery deal was that a certain amount of free-to-air coverage was to be guaranteed. Discovery meets this requirement itself in a number of European countries but in the UK, it sub-licenses the domestic rights to the BBC. In Ireland (excluding Northern Ireland) it does the same to host broadcaster RTé. These domestic deals cover digital rights too.

So why have viewers in the UK been so frustrated?

UK viewers were perhaps spoilt during the 2012 and 2016 Games in London and Rio, given the sheer number of BBC live streams available across the full suite of 33 summer Olympic sports. It's fair to say the same cannot be said of the Tokyo 2020 viewing experience. Under the BBC's deal with Discovery, only two live sports can be shown at any one time (one on main channel service and one via online/red button). To put this into context, the BBC is said to be showing only 350 hours of live coverage for Tokyo compared to 5000 at previous Games.

This scaled-back coverage has taken many of us by surprise, not least because it goes completely against the viewing habits and behaviours that we have become accustomed to as modern-day sports fans. Consumers of sports content in the digital era are used to having multiple live streams at their fingertips rather than being prepared to wait hours for highlights or 'catch up' content.

In addition, many Olympic sports are incredibly reliant on the exposure and profile that mainstream live coverage on a platform like the BBC or RTé brings every four years, as a means of engaging a younger generation, increasing participation levels and attracting commercial partners. This has led numerous sporting bodies to voice their concerns.

Just one example of the criticism this past week was the reaction to BBC Sport tweeting the result of Team GB's Bradly Sinden’s taekwondo semi-final before it was shown on BBC One, much to the frustration of those following on TV. The same happened for Team GB's Chelsie Giles' judo win.

For viewers in the UK (including Northern Ireland) wanting to watch their chosen sport live, the only alternative for many events is to go behind a paywall and subscribe to Discovery's streaming service by paying ï¿¡6.99 for one month, or alternatively access Eurosport channels. Some may argue this is a nominal amount which is more than worth it to get access to sport's greatest global spectacle on live TV, and that the Eurosport red button experience isn't too far removed from what many viewers are used to on BBC. However, for many fans of Olympic sports for whom the free-to-air and mainstream experience has become normalised in recent years, the shift away from familiarity has been somewhat of a culture shock.

Isn't the Olympic Games a 'crown jewel' and a protected event in the UK?

The Olympic Games is one a number of 'crown jewel' sporting events under UK legislation which means it must be aired 'in full' on free-to-air by by virtue of being a 'Group A' event. This is unlikely to change anytime soon but what it doesn't do is prevent so much live content being hidden behind a paywall, such is the case at present.

What about viewers in Ireland and fans of Team Ireland?

To say the landscape in Ireland is nuanced would perhaps be an understatement (which is unfortunately par for the course when Irish geography, politics and sport collide). In essence, Northern Ireland (i.e. six counties of Ireland) falls within the scope of the BBC's rights deal with Discovery, rather than RTé's deal which is limited to the 26 counties making up the Republic of Ireland for the purposes of broadcasting agreements. This differs to the way certain other major sporting rights are typically sold in Ireland, principally because of the approach the IOC takes to exploiting its rights for the Olympic Games.

What this means in practice is that viewers in Northern Ireland are unable to access RTé's coverage via a Sky or indeed other subscription due to geo-blocking restrictions. The nuance which has frustrated many is that a family of a Team Ireland athlete can sit and watch their chosen event live on RTé when in Dublin or Cork, but up the road in Belfast an equivalent family has no option but to turn to Discovery or Eurosport. Stephen Findlater's thread gives some great context and insight from a hockey perspective.

What about the future?

Looking ahead to the 2024 summer Games in Paris and beyond, things could get even more complicated, and not necessarily for the better. Whilst the BBC will have the rights to live coverage on free-to-air for 2024, viewers can expect no more live content than the limited number of hours reportedly being broadcast this summer. In addition, future rights deals for Europe could see other big players and challengers in the broadcasting space look to enter and disrupt the market and put further pressure on free-to-air coverage.

The ongoing media rights debate in sport

In some ways all of this is part of a wider debate which has been circling within sport for some time, and one which extends far beyond just the Olympic Games: that being the ongoing battle between free-to-air and paywall and indeed whether both can exist in tandem and complement each other.

The eyeballs and exposure that free-to-air live coverage offers so many 'lower tier' sports (of which many are Olympic sports whose profile spikes every four years) is invaluable. The interest levels throughout the UK and Ireland this past week in sports like hockey, gymnastics and taekwondo (to name but a few) are classic examples.

On the other hand, however, there is no escaping the fact that paid-for-streaming services are, and will continue, to be on the rise. Why? Because they guarantee much-needed revenue for sports rights holders. To put this into context, the value of the IOC's Discovery deal (ï¿¡920m) is said to be almost as much as the entire annual budget of BBC One - the most watched channel in the UK.

The IOC, as well as being the guardian of the Olympic Games and the leader of the Olympic Movement, is ultimately an international sports rights holder. And it is one which has suffered significant financial damage off the back of the Tokyo 2020 postponement last year. It is inevitable, therefore, that future decisions around Olympic Games media rights, as well as rights for other major global sporting events, will ultimately be driven by commercial factors, whether we as fans, and sports, like it or not.

Jonny Madill is a Partner in the Sports Group at UK and Ireland sports, media and entertainment law firm Sheridans. He advises players, athletes, clubs, governing bodies, federations, broadcasters, sponsors, agencies and media companies. You can follow him on Twitter at?@jonnymadill07?and?@sheridanssport?and contact him at?jonny.madill@sheridans.co.uk. You can listen to the Sheridans Sport BackPage podcast?here.