Rumours are swirling that Nine has pulled Karl Stefanovic from his morning show gig and shipped him off to Switzerland to help seal the Olympics rights deal for the broadcaster.
It’s no secret that the Olympics helped Seven win the ratings last year, and it was a ratings smash. The Opening Ceremony snagged over 2 million viewers, and the interest was maintained; it pulled in big numbers the whole duration of its run.
Naturally, Nine would like a slice of that Olympic pie and are prepared to pull out all the stops. Currently, The Olympics’ rights are open for negotiation again, and a broadcast deal with the rights to the following three Olympics is up for grabs.
The next Games are only two short years away, in picturesque Paris starting in July 2024.
So, where does Stefanovic come in? Well, he hasn’t been on The Today Show and interestingly, Nine couldn’t confirm to B&T where he was, just that he was away on assignment.
However, allegedly he could be with Nine’s top executives helping land rights for the network. Perhaps Seven is about to put Kochie on a plane!
A spokesperson for Nine did tell B&T, “We are always looking at content opportunities locally and globally, but we won’t be commenting on any specific discussions.”
There’s no doubt Stefanovic has his charm, but here at B&T, we think the network that’s prepared to write the biggest check will ultimately be the winner.
