The Olympic Games will return to CBC in two years for the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia and again in 2016 for the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, the International Olympic Committee announced Wednesday.
The decision puts the massive sports spectacle back in the hands of the public broadcaster, which last aired the Summer Games in 2008 from Beijing.
Before that, CBC had aired 19 Olympics over almost 60 years in Canada.
CBC executive Kirstine Stewart said a long-established Olympic track record helped it nab the rights after two joint proposals with Bell Media were rejected by the IOC.
Those pitches were said to have fallen apart over money, but Stewart vowed CBC's solo bid would not further cut into the public broadcaster's hefty budget woes.
"We actually made sure that this was, based on our prior experience, a cost-neutral proposal," said Stewart, predicting broad coverage on CBC, SRC and multiple digital platforms.
"This isn't a deal that's built to cost the CBC money and, in fact, what we're hoping for is a bit of a profit out of it."
Media rights to the 91原创 Winter Games in 2010 and current London Summer Games were awarded to a consortium of broadcasters helmed by Bell Media, which runs CTV and TSN, and Rogers Media, which runs Citytv and Sportsnet.
The Sochi announcement comes a little over a month after CBC and Bell Media announced they would no longer pursue the Games together.
The news sparked questions over the future of veteran sports anchor Brian Williams, who had long led CBC's broadcasts before heading to CTV to deliver their prime-time coverage of the 91原创 and London Games.
Williams quelled any suggestions he'd follow the Games to CBC. "I am very happy here at Bell Media. This is my future and this is where I'm staying."
