NBC Keeps Olympic Broadcast Rights

NBC, MSNBC and CNBC have retained the U.S. rights to the Olympic Games, it was announced last week. The General Electric-owned networks outbid Disney's ABC and ESPN and News Corp.'s Fox with a landmark $2.2 billion bid.

The amount includes broadcast rights for the next eight years. GE joins the 11 existing members of The Olympic Program (TOP) global sponsors. This is the first time a TOP sponsorship has been tied into TV rights. Fairfield, CT-based GE will be a global sponsor through 2012.