Bell Media Comments on Awarding of Canadian Media Rights for Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games

LONDON, ENGLAND, Aug. 1, 2012 /CNW/ - Bell Media commented today on the awarding of the Canadian media rights for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

"Congratulations to CBC/Radio-Canada on their successful bid," said Kevin Crull, President, Bell Media. "Broadcasting the Olympic Games has truly been an honour for our entire team. Our focus has always been about growing the Olympic movement and providing the broadest possible exposure on multiple platforms for our remarkable Canadian athletes. We are so proud of the dedication, talent, and commitment our team has demonstrated, as evidenced by record ratings and engagement of Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast for Vancouver 2010 and London 2012.

"We look forward to CBC/Radio-Canada building upon the high standards and expectations that we have established in Vancouver and London. We wish them the very best and offer them our complete support in presenting the next two Games."

As announced yesterday, Bell Canada has proudly extended its support for Canadian Olympic athletes beyond London 2012 for an additional four years.

In September 2011, it was announced that Bell Media and CBC/Radio-Canada had formed a partnership to bid for the Canadian media rights for Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016. Bell Media and CBC/Radio-Canada submitted two joint bids that were subsequently not accepted by the IOC. As a result, the two parties announced their decision in June to formally dissolve their bid partnership, and Bell Media confirmed it was not in a position to submit any further bids.

About Bell Media
Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio and digital. With passion and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, Bell Media entertains, informs and inspires Canadians. Bell Media owns 28 conventional stations, including CTV, Canada's #1 television network and lead broadcaster of the London 2012 Olympic Games, and owns and operates 29 specialty channels, including TSN, Canada's #1 specialty channel and RDS, Canada's #1 French-language specialty channel. Bell Media also owns 33 radio stations, dozens of websites including the Sympatico.ca portal, and Dome Productions. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit www.bellmedia.ca.

SOURCE: News - Media

Scott Henderson, Vice-President, Communications, Bell Media
416.384.5305 or [email protected]