Referring to the olympic games, most people have the inherent recognition that they are “building together, working together with money” — that they can claim the olympic games only if they have enough top-level buildings and enough money. Even many feel that media transmission is nothing more than a “successful back-up” exercise。
But this is precisely a misunderstanding of the core of the olympic games。
Especially after the ioc selection reform, the olympic gamesCore logicAlready, there has been a shift: capital and financial resources are only the basic threshold, and the ability of the media to transmit is the key to success. For any single applicant country, the core advantage is never the number of new houses, the amount of money invested, but the maturity of the global media transmission system and the strength behind it — a strength that most countries cannot replicate — and which is one of the core indicators of the ioc’s highest priority, and the central bridge between the olympic games and the global audience。
Today, from the perspective of the global sports media, break the core logic behind the olympic games, break the “basicistism” and understand why media rebroadcasting can be the key to success, and how the world’s top media system can protect the games。
I. Administration: the ioc's choice of host country is long past “basicist”
In the past, the olympic games did rely heavily on capital and financial resources — after all, the holding of an olympic games would require a great deal of supporting facilities, such as galleries, transportation and accommodation, without sufficient capital and funding to complete the event. However, with the reform of the selection process of the ioc (optimizing the application rules since 2026), the core evaluation criteria for applications have changed fundamentally。
The core request of the ioc has moved from “a perfect match” to “an influential and achievable one”Global communicationsThe olympic games will be held in the united states of america. All of this cannot be achieved without a strong media relay capacity — without a professional media relay, without a perfect venue, without a great event and without a global audience — and without the core values of the olympic games (dissemination of the spirit of sport, promotion of international communication)。
The data are most convincing: of the most recent ioc evaluation targets, “media transmission capacity” is as high as 30 per cent, well above “house capital” (20 per cent) and “financial support” (15 per cent). This means that even if a country has the highest level of facilities and adequate funding, it will be difficult to impress the ioc without a strong media rebroadcasting capacity; on the contrary, if the media have a strong rebroadcasting capacity, even a slightly shorter base will be availableCompetitivenessI don't know。
The most typical example is the 2024 olympic games in paris – france, which is not the world’s top capital building, or even some of which is renovated rather than built, has succeeded in gaining access to power through its mature media transmission system (i. E., linking french television with well-known global media outlets such as the european stadium) and global communication capabilities. For the most part, countries that have failed to do so have been unable to meet the core needs of ioc for global dissemination of the event, owing to the lack of a well-established system of cooperation in global media transmission。
The logic behind this is simple: for ioc, the value of the olympic games lies not in “hosting” but in “dissemination”; and media transmission is the central vehicle for communication. Without a strong media rebroadcast capacity, the games would be “closed” and would not achieve global impact, contrary to the core demands of ioc。
Core logic: media rebroadcasting capacity to determine the “global values” of the olympic games
At the heart of the olympic games' ability to be the most influential sports event in the world lies its “global communication” character — its viewers in more than 200 countries and regions around the globe, through the media, viewing events and feeling the olympic spirit, which is the core value of the games. The ability of the media to transmit directly determines the extent to which this “global value” has been achieved and is a central focus of the ioc applicants for the examination。
In particular, the ioc's ability to conduct media transmission in the applicant countries, with three core dimensions examined, is also key to success, which is the core strength of the global media power。
1. Race signal production capacity: capable of producing professional, high-resolution global public signals
The global transmission of the olympic games will require a coalition of leading global media outlets to provide professional public signals of the games - this is the basis for transmission from all rebroadcasting institutions around the globe (including bbc, nbc, european sports station, etc.), and the quality of signals directly determines the viewing experience of the global audience. Signal production capabilities, which require strong technical support, professional teams and extensive experience, are not available in all countries。
At present, the global media outlets with the capability to produce top-level signals are concentrated in parts of europe and the united states and asia, which, with their long-standing technological accumulation and experience, have become important support for the olympic games. For example, the european stadium has multiple 4k/8k super-high-level repeaters, which simultaneously handles dozens of sources of signals and has been responsible for the production of signals for the olympic games and the olympic games, while the united states nbc global group has a mature system of signal collection and production, producing olympic signals that reach billions of viewers around the world and are highly recognized by the ioc。
The requirements of the ioc can be best met if the applicant countries are able to connect such top media outlets or have the same level of signal production capacity. In the case of the beijing winter olympics in 2022, the applicant joined up with the leading global media technical team to complete the 8k international public signal production, becoming the first global event to achieve the 8k of the olympic games, and to set the tone for the successor country — a professional signal production capability that is one of the core root causes of the success。
2. Global communication capacity: achieving universal coverage and global reach
The global dissemination of the olympic games requires not only professional signals, but also strong channels of communication that can bring the event to every corner of the globe, while achieving universal coverage in the applicant countries — and this is a very important point for the ioc, after all, if the olympic games are to be made more influential by popular participation。
The central advantage of a strong global media nation lies in having a “multilingual, full-source, broad-based” communication matrix. For example, the british bbc has an all-channel communication platform, such as television, radio and new media, which operates in more than 100 countries and territories around the world, while achieving more than 99 per cent user coverage in the british mainland; and the united states nbc has achieved universal access to olympic events through multiple channels, such as cable television and streaming media platforms, which reached 150 million viewers in 2024 alone。
By contrast, the failure of some countries is centred on the lack of global communication capacity — either to achieve universal coverage at home or to communicate the signals of events to major global regions, and to meet ioc's global communications demands. A country with a mature global communications matrix that allows both home-grown viewers to view the competition and the spirit of the olympics to spread across the globe is its unique advantage。
3. Copyright operation and dissemination of innovation capabilities: the ability to achieve deep dissemination of the olympic spirit
The ioc requires not only that the applicant countries be able to complete the rebroadcasting of the event, but also that they be able to operate through the media in order to spread the olympic spirit in depth and enhance the impact of the olympic games ' brand. This will require a global media consortium of the applicant countries, with a mature capacity to operate copyrights and disseminate innovation, to enable the olympic spirit to reach more people through diversified content。
The experience of leading global media outlets in this area has long been at the forefront of the world. For example, the bbc has launched multilingual interpretation, live vr multi-perspective coverage, olympic documentaries and so forth, taking into account the needs of viewers of different regions and age groups, while the nbc has made the olympic spirit more communicational through short video, sports arts, sports interviews, etc., its launch of olympic-related short videos, with a cumulative total of over 10 billion broadcasts on social platforms, successfully attracting the attention of young groups。
At the same time, these media outlets have a well-established copyright operating system, involving more global platforms in olympic dissemination through copyright distribution, and increasing the impact of competitions, while regulating the use of copyrights, combating piracy and safeguarding the legitimacy and professionalism of their dissemination. This mature capacity to operate and disseminate innovations in copyrights can best meet the needs of the ioc and is an important support for the interest of the applicant countries。
Iii. The core base of the application: the power of the global campaign to rebroadcast the media is a core bargaining chip that cannot be replicated
If capital and financial resources are the “basic base” of the olympic games, then connecting the world’s top media outlets with a well-established system of transmission is the “core chip” of the application – a strength that most countries cannot replicate and that is distinct from the core advantage of other applicants。
Many will wonder why some countries are always in the lead in the olympic games. The answer is simple: they have long established a chain-wide media rebroadcasting system of “technology + channel + operation + experience” that brings together the leading global media forces to create irreplaceable competitiveness that most countries cannot afford。
First, technological advantages: connecting top global media technical teams with core technologies such as 8k ultra-high-level transmission, vr multi-perspective and ai smart clippings can provide the global audience with an extraordinary visual experience; second, channel advantages: having a global communications matrix in all languages and platforms to achieve universal coverage and global reach to meet the viewing needs of different groups; and third, empirical advantages: multi-intermediate transmission of top-level events such as the olympic games, the winter olympics and others have accumulated a wealth of operational experience that can respond to sudden events; and fourth, operational advantages: mature capacity for copyright operation and dissemination innovation that can achieve the deep dissemination of the olympic spirit and enhance the global impact of events。
In contrast, some of the applicant countries either lack the capacity to engage with the world's top media outlets, do not have the technology and channels to broadcast themselves, or do not have the vast experience of operating - – some developing countries, for example, supported by financial and infrastructure resources, are unable to connect the global media to global dissemination of the event; some small and medium-sized countries lack specialized rebroadcasting techniques and experience to meet the core requirements of ioc。
More importantly, a mature global media relay system is highly compatible with the core demands of the ioc — the ioc hopes that the olympic games will achieve global dissemination and universalization of the olympic spirit, and that the countries that have brought together the global media force will be perfect for meeting this need. This “two-way match” gives applicant countries irreplaceable core competitiveness in the selection process。
Iv. Conclusion: stop underestimating the value of media transmission, which is the key to success
The olympic games have never been a simple contest for “building together, putting together money”, but for combining strength. Among them, the ability of the media to rebroadcast is the core and critical dimension. After the ioc selection reform, this importance has been amplified indefinitely and has become a key basis for decisions on success or failure。
For any of the applicant countries, the capital and adequate financial support of the top-level complex is simply a “knock-knocking of doors” and it is the true “core competitiveness” that brings together the top global media outlets with a mature system of transmission. This strength not only meets the core needs of the ioc, but also maximizes the global value of the games and spreads the olympic spirit to every corner of the globe。
In the future, no country needs to overemphasize the advantages of infrastructure and financial resources, which are already “basic operations”; it is more important to highlight its own global media rebroadcasting power — a non-replicable power that is the key to success and a central vehicle for demonstrating its own culture and conveying the spirit of sport to the world。
After all, the value of the olympic games lies in communication, and media transmission is the only way to achieve it; and a mature global media transmission system is the strongest and irreplaceable bottom line for any applicant country。
