By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-03-14 12:05:23 | Updated at 2025-03-15 01:15:10
13 hours ago
The future of Olympic coverage in the United States may leave President Donald Trump less than impressed.
NBC landed a deal to be the champion of Olympic broadcasting in the United States through at least 2036 earlier this week.
The IOC announced Thursday that it signed its long-time US broadcast partner to a $3 billion renewed deal for the 2034 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2036 Summer Games.
'This agreement with Comcast is groundbreaking because it goes far beyond the traditional media rights agreement which we have had for many years with our valued partner,' IOC president Thomas Bach said in the release.
'Thanks to their innovative approach, serving on all platforms from linear to streaming and digital, we can now take our partnership to new heights for the benefit of athletes, Olympic stakeholders, organizing committees and fans.'
NBC signed its most recent Olympic rights deal in 2014 covering each Summer Games and Winter Games through 2032. That was valued at $7.75 billion and includes the next Summer Games in 2028 in Los Angeles.
NBC landed a deal to be the champion of Olympic broadcasting in the US through at least 2036
NBC's The Today Show broadcasted from Paris during last year's Summer Games
President Donald Trump ripped into the network earlier this week in an Oval Office rant
The network's extension as the home of the Olympic games came just one day after Trump tore into NBC in an Oval Office rant.
The President slammed NBC as 'one of the worst networks on television' while meeting with Irish Taoisaeach Micheál Martin.
While addressing the media, Trump tore into a reporter from NBC when asked about 'inconsistency' in his economic agenda, particularly his tariffs.
'There is no inconsistency,' the president hit back. 'Only with NBC, which is one of the worst networks on television, by the way.'
However, Trump's ire backfired on him when he was subsequently reminded of his own longstanding association with the network.
'It was your home for a long time,' the reporter quickly retorted.
NBC was the home of 'The Apprentice' for 13 years. Trump starred as the host of the business talent show and also worked as an executive producer through its first 14 seasons.
NBC was widely seen to have a good and profitable 2024 Paris Olympics, with roving correspondent Snoop Dogg proving to be a huge hit with audiences at home and fans in the city.
NBC's coverage of last summer's Olympics was a hit, including Snoop Dogg's reporting
The broadcaster said its coverage from Paris reached 67 million total viewers on average daily across all platforms.
That NBC deal done 11 years ago was a major decision early in Bach´s IOC presidency that secured the financial future of the Olympic body.
The new US rights deal has been sealed just one week before Bach's successor is to be elected at an IOC meeting in Greece, on March 20.
'The media landscape is evolving rapidly and, by partnering with one of the world´s leading media and technology companies, we will ensure that fans in the United States are able to experience the Olympic Games like never before,' Bach said in the statement.
NBC has broadcast every Summer Olympics since 1988 and every Winter Games since 2002 in Salt Lake City - all the games since the 2000 Sydney Olympics. A previous renewal in 2011 secured each games from 2014 through 2020 for $4.38 billion.
The 2036 host has yet to be decided with interest shown by Olympic officials in countries including India, Qatar, Turkey, Hungary and Indonesia.
'It is our honor to continue to bring the full power of our company´s expertise in creating and distributing content that connects with Americans,' Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said, 'as well as to begin to provide even more innovative technological support and solutions to the IOC and its stakeholders in areas that benefit athletes and the many people dedicated to organizing the Olympic Games around the world.'
