The Transformation of Television Rights for the Olympic Games: The Shift in Asia and the Public-Private Collaboration in Japan

The rise of neoliberalism and assault on public service broadcasting coupled with the development of new television platforms changed how the world watches sporting events. This includes shifts from public service to commercial media and moves from free-to-air to pay platforms in many markets. This transformation is most evident with coverage of the Olympic Games, where public service broadcasters were once a driving force. That is no longer true, as the first quarter of the 21st century witnessed a move away from public, free-to-air platforms in a quest for increased rights fees to support the Olympic Movement. This analysis documents the shifts at the global level before focusing on Asia, uncovering many of the same patterns. These include the siphoning of the Olympics from free-to-air outlets in many markets as well as the rise in multinational television platforms and use of brokers to monetize the rights to the Olympic Games. There is an outlier, however, as the Japan Consortium, a collaboration of public broadcaster NHK and five members of the Commercial Broadcasters Association, remains in place after over four decades, a distinctive cooperative model shaped by both institutional and cultural factors.