Paris Olympics: Warner Bros Discovery’s Andrew Georgiou On Why Discovery+ & Max Are “Equal, If Not Better” Value Than Europe’s Top PSBs

Discovery+ and Max provide “equally” good, “if not better,” value for Olympic Games coverage than Europe’s public broadcasters, Warner Bros Discovery’s President of Sports in EMEA has said.

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During a call with journalists this morning, Andrew Georgiou built the case for consumers paying for the Paris Olympics to access every minute of the coverage. The Games are due to officially begin tomorrow with a dazzling opening ceremony along the Seine.

WBD, then Discovery, acquired the rights to the Games in 2015. Since then, it has sub-licensed themigi to Europe’s public service broadcasters, as the International Olympic Committee requires a certain level of coverage to be made free-to-air.

Specifically referencing the situation in the UK, where public broadcaster the BBC will have one live linear feed and one live streamed feed, Georgiou said it was not “in any way unreasonable to ask” for consumers to pay £3.99 [$5.15] for a month’s subscription to access “everything.”

WBD is offering the coverage through Discovery+ in the UK, as Max is not yet in the country. In most parts of Europe, the Games will be available through Max, which has been rolling out on the continent. Most of Europe’s PSBs are funded through license fees or forms of taxation.

“The proposition that we’ve offered consumers in the UK is brilliant value,”said Georgiou. “If you want everything, it will cost you £3.99 for a month’s subscription that will get you everything. That is a very good value proposition and one we are very happy to stand behind. Up against the BBC, the value proposition is equally [good], if not better.

“From our point of view, the digital experience on Discovery+ is the best way in the UK to watch the Olympics.”

WBD has been promising “wall-to-wall” coverage of the Olympics. Eurosport will show the games across 47 markets in 19 languages. In total, WBD’s platforms will offer 3,800 hours, with every moment of the events streamed — including all 329 medal ceremonies, and the opening and closing ceremonies offered in HDR.

On the streaming side, all 32 Olympic sports will have their own dedicated page where specific events can be added through Max, or Discovery+ in a select few territories. Fifteen sports will also get timeline marker features so users can navigate to key moments quickly, while a curated blend of live-events, highlights and additional coverage will be offered on simulcasts of Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 through the apps.

A multinational presenting team will be reporting primarily from a WBD House rooftop studio on top of a hotel near the Eiffel Tower, in addition to local market studios. There will be a total of 400 commentators across WBD’s coverage.

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Despite making the case for WBD’s coverage, Georgiou was keen to stress a collegiate relationship with Europe’s public service networks and the practical sense in windowing Games content, saying: “Our view is there is a really important role for PSBs in almost all markets.

“We really do believe that making content free to a certain degree helps the ecosystem for the sport and for us. We have got a really strong history of working really well with PSBs across all of our markets. It’s not always easy to find the balance, but we do think it’s important and see no reason why that would change.”

Quizzed about how the joint deal WBD and the European Broadcasting Union struck with the IOC for rights to the Olympics through to 2032, Georgiou said: “By and large, in almost every European market where we continue our partnerships, the rights share remains unchanged.

“It took a lot of work the first time round and we’ve taken that as a model and rolled it forwards. There are some nuances, but by and large whatever you see happening this year for Paris 2024 will be what the split of rights is going forwards.”

Controversy

The Olympics kick off tomorrow with a huge opening ceremony along the Seine featuring 7,000 athletes and 94 boats. Some sport, such as the men’s football, is already underway, with controversy eclipsing a match between world champions Argentina and Morocco yesterday.

Fans rushed the pitch and players were struck with objects after Argentina equalized in the 16th minute of injury time, leading the referee to take both teams off the pitch. Two hours later, the game concluded in front of an empty stadium, with Argentina’s equalizing goal actually ruled out due to offside. Morocco, therefore, won the game 2-1.

Argentina coach Javier Mascherano called the situation “a circus.”

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