The International Olympic Committee Awards Broadcast Rights To The 2016 Summer Olympics In The Caribbean To Canoc Broadcasting Inc. (CBI)

ESPN named official television producer and distributor of RIO 2016 in the West Indies

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has awarded the broadcast rights in the Caribbean for the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2016) to CANOC Broadcasting Inc. (CBI). ESPN will be the official producer and distributor of the event in the region.

CBI is a company formed by the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) to manage the broadcast rights for the Olympic Games and other sporting properties and to create long term sources of funding for Caribbean National Olympic Committees and other sporting bodies.

CBI has acquired broadcast rights on all media platforms in all languages in the following territories: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and the Turks and Caicos along with Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saba, St. Barthelemy, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten and Tortola.

ESPN will produce at least 200 hours of content of Rio 2016. Coverage will air throughout the region on ESPN’s two local television networks and on cruise ships sailing the Caribbean Sea. ESPN will also to look to form, in consultation with CBI, a top quality, locally relevant team of on air talent and hosts.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “Throughout the history of the Olympic Games, athletes from across the Caribbean have produced outstanding, inspirational performances. We are pleased to have reached this agreement to enable extensive broadcast coverage of the Rio 2016 Games in the region.”

Steve Stoute, Chairman, CANOC/CBI said, “We will be working with broadcast partners across the region to ensure the best coverage of the Olympic Games in Rio.”

CBI’s CEO, Larry Romany said, “This agreement heralds a new era for sport in the Caribbean. The economic benefits present considerable funding opportunities for developing youth in the region and increases the viability and international competitiveness of the Caribbean athlete. We are very excited at the prospect of a more integrated approach to the development of sports.”

Scott McGlone, Director of Programming, ESPN said, “This agreement offers a tremendous opportunity to collaborate with CBI in delivering first-class coverage of Rio 2016 to sports fans in the Caribbean. The Olympic Games are at the pinnacle of all sporting events and I am pleased that ESPN can utilize and leverage its resources and expertise covering prior Olympics to showcase an event of this magnitude in the region.”