As US television networks put the finishing touches on Olympic TV rights bids due next month, there’s growing friction between NBC Universal’s longtime Olympics chief, Dick Ebersol, and network brass, sources tell The Post.
“This is a big test of what Dick’s role is,” said one source, talking about how free a rein new NBC Universal CEO Steve Burke will give to Ebersol, who has headed every US Olympics programming effort since 2000 and every Summer Games TV effort since the 1988 Games in Seoul.
The comments were echoed by a handful of executives in the close-knit sports world. “Can [Ebersol] convince [Comcast] to spend the money or not?” they asked.
The 63-year-old TV legend is trying to convince Burke that an outsized bid for the 2014 and 2016 Olympic games is worth it — even if it means some red ink is spilled during each of the 17 days of programming.
NBC Universal outbid competitors for the TV rights last time around, but Jeff Immelt, the CEO of General Electric, then the majority owner of the network, later admitted the Games had been a money loser. That’s something Comcast, NBC’s new cost-conscious owners, are keen to avoid.
Another issue up for debate is when the events are broadcast. The International Olympic Committee’s Richard Carrion told the press this month: “We think value continues to go toward events that are live and events that have the drawing power that this event does.”
Ebersol has been a proponent of packaging sports and airing them as live in primetime to maximize ad revenue rather than broadcasting the moment they air, something rival ESPN is planning to do.
“Dick is pushing back on Comcast’s vision versus his own traditional experience. He saved everything for primetime and that met with opposition from some viewers.”
Executives from each of the competing TV companies are expected to detail plans for broadcasting the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia, and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Companies can also bid on a package of four Games. The winner will be selected in the second half of June.
If NBC Universal isn’t victorious, some believe Ebersol will opt to retire.
NBC declined to comment.