Claim:
DirecTV canceled all Olympic broadcast contracts indefinitely, stating it would only show future Games if the International Olympic Committee "makes certain guarantees."
Rating:
Labeled Satire ( About this rating? )
On Aug. 2, 2024, the Facebook account America's Last Line of Defense posted a meme claiming that television provider DirecTV had canceled all Olympic broadcasting contracts indefinitely. The caption of the post read:
DirecTV CEO Joe Barron says the company will never show another Olympic games - summer or winter - unless the International Olympic Committee makes certain guarantees.
The text in the meme read: "DirecTV Cancels All Olymic Broadcast Contracts Indefinitely: 'Until They Can Assure Us it Will Never Happen Again.'"
NBCUniversal currently holds the U.S. media rights , including broadcasting rights, for all Olympic Games through 2032. It was unclear what type of broadcast contracts the ALLOD post was referencing.
The post also did not specify exactly what guarantees DirecTV was allegedly seeking from the IOC, although the meme featured a screen capture of a section of the controversial opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, which some people online claimed mocked Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" painting.
(Facebook account America's Last Line of Defense)
Some readers seemed to interpret the claim as a factual recounting of real-life events. One wrote: "Thank you Direct TV! Finally a company with common sense!"
Other readers, however, found the claim suspicious, with one commenter writing: "I have DIRECTV and have been watching the Olympics every night. This is BS."
The skeptics were right to doubt the claim. There was no evidence that DirecTV had ever made a statement that included the exact quote from the meme. A Google search for the terms "DirecTV," "Olympic," and "canceled" likewise returned no evidence of any statement from the company about canceling any type of Olympics broadcast contract.
Additionally, DirecTV's CEO is not named Joe Barron, as the post claims. Instead, DirecTV's CEO is Bill Morrow, according to the company's official website .
In an email to Snopes, DirecTV's head of communications, Jon Greer, said, "the Facebook post is patently false."
Rather, the rumor about DirecTV canceling broadcast contracts for the Olympic Games originated from ALLOD — a network of social media accounts and websites that describe their output as satirical in nature. Its Facebook page's Info section stated: "Nothing on this page is real." The meme shared in the post also included a "Satire" badge in the bottom left corner.
ALLOD and its associated accounts have a history of making up stories for shares and comments.
Snopes has addressed similar satirical claims stemming from ALLOD in the past, including the assertion that the 2024 Paris Olympics had the lowest ratings in modern history and a claim that Team USA lost $60 million in endorsements after leaving Caitlin Clark off the women's national basketball team.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.
Sources:
Eifert, Sean. "Team USA Lost $60 Million in Endorsements After Caitlin Clark Left Off Olympics Roster?" Snopes, 18 June 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/caitlin-clark-team-usa-olympics/ .
Grohmann, Karolos. "IOC in No Rush to Seal New U.S. Broadcast Deal for Games after 2032." Reuters, 16 Feb. 2022, https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/ioc-no-rush-seal-new-us-broadcast-deal-games-after-2032-2022-02-16/ .
Izzo, Jack. "Olympic Opening Ceremony Featured Da Vinci's 'Last Supper'?" Snopes, 30 July 2024, https://www.snopes.com//news/2024/07/30/olympics-last-supper/ .
"Leadership." DirecTV.Com, https://www.directv.com/insider/corporate/team/ .
Lee, Jessica. "Why Snopes Covers Satire and Parody." Snopes, 26 July 2024, https://www.snopes.com//notes/snopes-satire-parody/ .
"NBCUNIVERSAL'S ACQUISITION OF MEDIA RIGHTS THROUGH 2032." NBC Sports, 1 Feb. 2022, https://www.nbcsports.com/pressbox/olympics/press-releases/nbcuniversals-acquisition-of-media-rights-through-2032-3 .
Wazer, Caroline. "2024 Paris Olympics Are 'Lowest-Rated' Games in Modern History?" Snopes, 1 Aug. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/paris-olympics-lowest-rated-games/ .
Updates:
Aug. 9, 2024: This story was updated to include a statement from DirecTV.
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