Aracaju
Finished this Sunday (5) with the best medal result in the history of Brazilian sport, the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, did not have the repercussions to match this feat due to the lack of broadcast on open TV. With no interest from TV channels in purchasing the rights to the event, the events were restricted to broadcasts on Cazé TV and the Brazilian Olympic Channel.
Director of Communication, Culture and Olympic Values at COB (Brazilian Olympic Committee), Paulo Roberto Conde states that the lack of open television, especially Globo, harmed the impact. “For us, it would be good to be on open and closed TV. It’s a question we don’t want to remain silent and we hope it will be answered in the 2027 edition. Not being present on the big cannon of open TV is a problem”, he analyzes.
He highlighted that the impact has been great since the Rio Pan, in 2007, when Globo stopped broadcasting the competition. “When you lose the biggest broadcaster in the country it’s a huge problem,” he adds. The 2011, 2015 and 2019 editions were shown on Record, which would repeat the dose in 2023. But Edir Macedo’s TV broke the US$10 million contract (R$49.7 million at current prices) that it paid.
Conde confirmed that there were conversations with Globo, but the broadcaster ended negotiations due to financial reasons. The executive also revealed a conversation with Band as an option, with the participation of Paulo Teixeira, president of COB, in the attempts.
“Last year, I myself was in meetings with the president of Panam Sports, owner of the property. I went to Globo and went to Band in person. The president of COB was at Globo too. Unfortunately, there was no progress. And at the end of the first semester, Panam said they would do it on streaming, and asked if we would like to do it”, he reveals.
“The mission was not to leave the Pan 2023 uncovered. The owner of the Pan found out what we did in the broadcasts of national events on the Brazilian Olympic Channel and asked if we would like to do it, and when there was no agreement, we did it”, he added.
The results of the broadcast by Canal Olímpico do Brasil and Cazé TV were considered satisfactory. Events such as the women’s volleyball final between Brazil and the Dominican Republic, combined with both channels, reached 300 thousand simultaneous viewers. “It’s not the biggest hit on open TV, but it’s a good number, especially considering that our subscriber base is 225 thousand”, he adds.
For 2024, the year of the Olympic Games, the COB is talking to Globo to promote coverage of the event, which is guaranteed on open TV. “We already have conversations with Globo to work together, we are in the discussion phase”, he states. A large team will be sent to provide logistical support for journalists and athletes at the Olympics.
“From the Olympic Channel, we will have Casa Brasil in Paris, which will have 5 thousand square meters, which will be located inside a park. Inside it, we will have a studio and a daily program. We want to receive medalists, great athletes from the past, influencers. We will also have a house in a city in greater Paris with support for athletes, production of hard news content, which is just 600 meters from the Olympic village”, concludes Conde.
