BBC loses rights to 2022 Olympics after Eurosport spends £924m

Britain may miss out on the BBC's famed wall-to-wall coverage of the Olympic Games from 2022, after Eurosport acquired the broadcast rights in a £924m deal with the International Olympic Committee.

For London 2012, the BBC dedicated 2,500 hours of airtime, while it had 650 hours of coverage of the Sochi winter Olympics.

The Eurosport deal, on the other hand, only commits it to 200 hours of summer coverage and 100 hours in winter on free-to-air television. It expects to sub-license rights back to terrestrial broadcasters - but not necessarily the BBC.

Current law in this country is meant to ensure that the Olympics is always broadcast on free-to-air TV, but it doesn't cover digital or mobile coverage.

The BBC said it would seek talks with Eurosport's parent company Discovery about licensing the free-to-air rights.

It said in a statement: "The Olympic Games remains a priority for the BBC and we have already secured the TV, radio and online rights to the next three Olympic Games - 2016, 2018 and 2020. More than 90 per cent of the UK population watched the BBC's coverage of London 2012 and it remains one of the most popular free-to-air sporting events for UK viewers.

"It is not unprecedented for sports rights to be sold on a pan-territory basis and the BBC has acquired other sports rights via sub-licensing deals with either agencies or broadcasters. We will be seeking further discussions with Discovery about the UK free-to-air rights to the 2022 and 2024 Olympic Games in due course."