2010-2012 Games TV deals at record $3.8 billion

The International Olympic Committee has secured a record $3.8 billion from broadcasting rights deals for the 2010-2012 Games package and expects to top that for 2014-2016, IOC chief Jacques Rogge said on Wednesday.

The figure represents a $1.2 billion increase from the 2006-2008 two-Games package.

The broadcasting rights are the IOC's biggest source of revenue and Rogge told an IOC session in the Danish capital efforts are being made to maximise audiences on new platforms including the Internet and mobile phones.

"Our television rights revenue is $3.8 billion for the period 2010-2012," Rogge said of the deals already signed for the 2010 Vancouver winter Games and 2012 London summer Olympics.

He said deals worth $920 million were already agreed for the Sochi 2014 winter Games and the Rio de Janeiro 2016 summer Olympics. The single biggest broadcasting contract worth several billion alone, with a US broadcaster, had yet to be negotiated.

The 2010-2012 deal with NBC brought in about $2.2 billion.

IOC officials said this week a deal with a US broadcaster should come in the coming months or year, depending on the improvement of the economic climate.

The IOC has also yet to conclude 2014-2016 Games deals for the major European territories France, Britain and Germany, which are worth several hundred million dollars total.

"By the end of 2008 we were facing the most severe crisis for decades. We maximised our revenues. Our income from marketing and television has increased significantly," Rogge said.

He added that IOC assets have also grown from $422 million at the end of 2008 to $455 million by end of August this year.