Intro:

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach signed a 1.45-billion US dollars deal in Lausanne on Monday which saw US-based media giant Discovery Communications secure the European broadcast rights for four editions of the Olympic Games from 2018.

Script:

SOUNDBITE: (English) Thomas Bach, IOC president:

"We're very happy, to announce today that Discovery, Eurosport and the IOC will co-operate for four editions of the Olympic Games, starting with the Olympic Winter Games 2018 until the Olympic Games 2024."

SOUNDBITE: (English) David Zaslav, President and CEO of Discovery Communications:

"It's a true partnership with the IOC. It's a partnership in terms of the cultural spirit. Discovery is about satisfying curiosity, quality content, telling great stories and inspiring people. That's the very heart of what the Olympic movement is about. So it's a great fit and we look to the next decade to partner with the IOC to bring the Olympics, not just to free to air and broadcast, but to pay TV, to phones, to every device. There's over 700 million people here in Europe, all that grew up loving the Olympics and loving the Olympic Games as well as all the Olympic sports."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Thomas Bach, IOC president:

"We want, on the one hand, the great success, the greatest possible audience for the Olympic Games. On the other hand we also would like to address this audience beyond and in between the different editions of the Olympic Games and this idea has been fully grasped by Discovery and Eurosport, so this is why we're excited not only about the TV rights agreement, but also very much excited about this future co-operation in the Olympic channel because this will promote Olympic sports and the Olympic values 365 days a year."