The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in three years' time is to be broadcast by the BBC, following what's being described as a 'multi-million pound' deal.
The deal, which will be exclusive broadcasting rights in the UK, will cover TV, radio and online.
It's a rights deal that will see the BBC take its content from a host broadcaster, who has yet to be appointed.
Says a BBC statement, it has agreed to assist in the appointment of a host broadcaster.
Adds the statement: “The multi-million pound agreement will give the BBC exclusive audio-visual UK transmission rights along with non-exclusive audio rights across all platforms and all means of reception.
“As well as showing all the sporting action form the Games, BBC Scotland will also show additional programming previewing the Games and its participants in the run-up period, including a number of cultural events planned as part of the overall package involving the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Queen's baton relay.
“BBC Scotland's support for both the Olympic Games in 2012 and the Glasgow showpiece two years later was highlighted recently with the launch of a media apprenticeship scheme run in partnership with John Wheatley College and [the creative industries' skills training body] Skillset Scotland. It will result in ten apprentices working with both the BBC and a number of broadcast companies over a year with the aim of providing sufficient media skills to allow them to provide some of the output.”
Whoever the host broadcaster is will be paid for providing the cameras, cabling and technical infrastructure. The content that is then generated will be then sold as rights deals to as many broadcasters – including in the major Commonwealth countries such as India, Australia and Canada – who are willing to pay.
Both the BBC and the Glasgow 2014 Organising Committee say they are contractually unable to say how much the rights deal is worth, exactly.
A spokesperson for Glasgow 2014 told allmediascotland that the tender to be the host broadcaster was issued two week ago. She added: “We are really pleased with the response so far.”
In October, it appeared to come as a surprise that the BBC was not willing to be the host broadcaster, and possibly even for free, despite having intimated from the outset that it had no desire to be the host broadcaster, as it had been during the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002.
