No live broadcast on Youtube for S'pore
An online report circulated widely on social media over the last two days on Sports24hour.com said that Singapore is one of 64 countries which can catch the Olympics live on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) YouTube channel.
But Olympics broadcast rights holder Dentsu have dashed the hopes of Singaporeans hoping to watch the sporting action as it happens, saying that the report is inaccurate.
A Dentsu spokesman told The Straits Times yesterday: "There will be no live streaming on YouTube.
"Therefore we are encouraging Mediacorp to take up the option to add live television coverage."
He added that any website which streams content illegally would be directed by the IOC and Dentsu to shut down the stream.
Last month, The New Paper reported that Singapore will not be able to watch the Olympics live.
It was reported that local broadcasters made a bid of around US$2 million ($2.67m) to the IOC for the TV rights for Rio 2016, only to be told to go through Dentsu, who last year won Olympic broadcast rights for 22 Asian countries from 2018 to 2024.
It is understood that the broadcasters baulked at the estimated US$6m price tag Dentsu offered for free-to-air "live" TV rights, fearing that it will set a precedent for even bigger price jumps for future Summer Olympics.
Instead, free-to-air broadcaster Mediacorp has secured a deal worth about US$2m for delayed telecasts, daily highlights and feed from the Olympic news channel for between 10 and 12 hours daily.
Mediacorp is the only broadcaster in Singapore to offer any form of television coverage of the Games. - SAZALI ABDUL AZIZ
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