Olympic Games to remain free to air on BBC up to 2032

Every Olympic Games up to and including the 2032 summer Games will continue to be shown free to air across the BBC.

“The Olympic Games is a truly special event – thrilling and inspiring in equal measure,” said BBC director general Tim Davie.

“I’m delighted it will be on free to air for the UK public.”

The 2024 summer Olympics will be hosted in Paris, France. In 2028 they will be staged in Los Angeles in the United States and the 2032 Games will be in Brisbane, Australia.

The 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, with the 2030 hosts still to be decided.

Tokyo 2020 saw a record-breaking 104 million requests to watch the action online throughout the duration of the Games, while 36.4 million watched on BBC TV.

The BBC has secured the same package of rights across all of its broadcast platforms, meaning it will be able to run two simultaneous live streams, as well broadcasting a daily highlights programme and digital clips of the top action. Radio 5 Live will continue to cover all of the big moments.

Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport, said: “This partnership ensures that audiences in the UK will continue to have free-to-air access to the Olympic Games for the next decade.

“The BBC’s ability to bring the nation together is second to none and this new deal provides sports fans a comprehensive, compelling live and on-demand offer.”

The BBC has partnered with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Warner Bros Discovery for the coverage.

Noel Curran, the director general of the EBU, a European alliance of public service media organisations, added: “Sport should be for everyone, and we need public service media to bring all audiences together to enjoy the big national moments, inspire the next generation of athletes and grow fanbases for new and emerging sports.”