ESPN president George Bodenheimer and Disney CEO Robert Iger headed a nine-person delegation that went into a scheduled two-hour meeting with IOC officials on Tuesday, the second day of a high-stakes bidding process worth billions of dollars.
“I feel confident,” Bodenheimer said minutes before the presentation. “We have our plans. We’ll see.” Fox made its presentation on Monday, while NBC will get its chance later Tuesday.
The networks will submit sealed bids Tuesday afternoon.
International Olympic Commmitee President Jacques Rogge could announce a winner by the end of the day or order a new round of bids.
The IOC wants a deal in place before its general assembly starting July 4 in Durban, South Africa.
At stake are exclusive broadcast rights to at least two Olympics — the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The networks can also bid on a four-games package including the 2018 and 2020 Games, whose sites have not yet been selected.
Fox sports chairman David Hill said Monday his network will bid for the four games.
It’s the first US rights auction since 2003, when NBC secured the 2010 and 2012 Olympics in a deal worth $2.2 billion.
The IOC hopes to surpass that fee this time. If the IOC agrees to a four-games deal, the figure could potentially run between $4-5 billion.
“Yes, we’re expecting an increase,” IOC marketing director Timo Lumme told The Associated Press.
NBC has broadcast every Summer Olympics since 1988 and every Winter Games since 2002, and holds the rights through next year’s London Olympics. Eight years ago, NBC and parent company General Electric outbid the same two competitors, with Fox offering $1.3 billion.
But the dynamics of this contest have shifted, with NBC now under the control of cable giant Comcast and longtime sports and Olympics chief Dick Ebersol no longer at the helm.
Ebersol resigned suddenly last month in what he said was a contract dispute with Comcast. He had been a close partner of the IOC, negotiating several multi-games deals that kept the committee’s coffers bulging and ensured the stability of the games in the Olympics’ most important financial market.
NBC’s delegation in Lausanne includes CEO Steve Burek and Comcast chief executive Brian Roberts.
Comcast executives have made clear they’re not interested in a repeat of the 2010 Vancouver Games, when NBC lost more than $200 million in a rough economy. NBC also stands to take a similar hit from next year’s London Olympics.
Both Fox and ESPN say they would carry all Olympic events live, breaking from NBC’s longtime practice of airing most of the games on delay in prime time. ESPN broadcast all the matches live from last year’s World Cup in South Africa.
“We’ve been very vocal about that,” Bodenheimer said.
“Certainly we believe that live is the way to go.” ESPN also brings the powerful Disney brand to the table, which raises the prospect of a possible tie-in with the games. GE threw in a $200 million global sponsorship as part of NBC’s winning bid for the 2010 and 2012 Olympics.
If the networks opt for a four-games package, they will do so without knowing where the last two will be held. The IOC will select the 2018 host city on July 6 in Durban. The candidates are Annecy, France; Munich; and Pyeongchang, South Korea. The host of the 2020 Olympics will be chosen in 2013, and Rome is the only official contender so far.
