BBC's Olympic coverage under threat as bidding war heats up

Yesterday, the BBC bid for the Winter Games in 2014 and Summer Games in 2016, made jointly with several other European public service broadcasters, was turned down by the IOC, leaving the path clear for other bidders.

The BBC has aired coverage of the Olympics for the last 50 years, but a pan-European bid for the Winter Games in 2014 and the Summer Games in 2016 was rejected.

The IOC said each country would have to negotiate rights individually, mirroring recent moves already made by football governing bodies Fifa and Uefa over the World Cup and European Championship.

Under IOC rules, full live coverage of the Olympics must appear on a free-to-air channel that is available to 95% of the population.

The emergence of Freeview and its proliferation across the country means that many more channels could air the Olympics in 2014 and thereafter.

However, it could be possible for a pay broadcaster such as Sky to compete for rights and then transmit the games for free.

In Italy, Sky Italia owns the rights to the games from 2010, but has to make them available without charge. If Sky won the rights in the UK, under IOC rules it would have to do the same with its subscription sports channels for the duration.

The London Olympics in 1948 were the first games shown on the BBC, raising the possibility that the 2012 games in London might be the last Olympics shown by the corporation if the IOC awards rights to a rival bidder.

ITV and Channel 4 last covered the Olympics in 1988, when they shared the rights with the BBC.

Neither channels covered some of the smaller events because they were unlikely to attract large audiences and significant demand from advertisers.