BBC Olympics coverage hit with complaints as viewers slam ‘disgraceful’ change
The BBC has been forced to make huge changes to its Olympics coverage in Paris this year.
The BBC has been hit with a wave of complaints on day one of its Paris Olympics coverage as the Games’ sporting events officially got underway.
After the divisive opening ceremony on Friday, the actual sport began in earnest on Saturday with the likes of Adam Peaty in the swimming heats, Max Whitlock on the pommel horse and cyclist Anna Henderson and divers Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen all making a splash early on.
But viewers were fuming as they discovered that the BBC is missing huge chunks of coverage this year - thanks to a deal done by the International Olympics Committee.
The Paris Olympics 2024 is not being shown in full on the BBC. Despite a UK law which says the games must remain on free-to-air television, the IOC has found a loophole by selling most of the coverage to Warner Bros Discovery, leaving some on the BBC.
The BBC will have 500 hours of live coverage, while the Discovery Plus app will have 3,800 hours.
It means Olympics fans will need to sign up to Discovery Plus for another £3.99 a month to watch all of the Games, uninterrupted.
Viewers were fuming when they made the… discovery for themselves, with some calling for the law to be changed to keep it all on the BBC.
@cre70233 said: “BBC has lost what little credibility it had left with their coverage. So little available to watch. Only two events at a time, and even then the rugby is shown after the results, I hear. No tennis available, which is all I wanted to see.”
@samevans64407 said: “Would love to but can't as most of its behind a paywall! The Olympics, like everything else puts money first, the games aren't about ordinary people they're a massive money machine The BBC was allowed to broadcast the awful opening but is limited on its sport output, disgraceful”
@the_peach03 said: “I think it should be a legal requirement that the BBC (or at least the other public service broadcasters) should hold 100% coverage of the Olympics because Discovery+ is ******”
@nickjamespoad said: “So... the BBC now only being allowed to show 2 live Olympic events is insane right? “Something that should be addressed in law, to overrule the Olympic Committee, in the UK. Discovery+ has the full rights until 2032. A channel with half a dozen UK subscribers.”
