Aussie viewers left confused over Channel Seven Olympics mix-up
Many Australians were confused as they tried to watch the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on Saturday morning.
The Olympics got off to a flying start with the star-studded performance, which aired live at 3:30am AEST, featuring Celine Dion and Lady Gaga on stage.
Replays of the ceremony were broadcast throughout the morning, with coverage of the first day of the sporting competition beginning at 7pm AEST.
Australians watched as the Olympians competed in the pool, including the finals of the women’s 3-metre synchronised diving and the men’s 100-metre breaststroke.
Yet many were confused when they tuned into Channel Seven on Saturday night and saw a rerun of Whoopi Goldberg’s film Sister Act playing.
In a major TV move, this year’s Olympic Games coverage will be broadcast on Channel Nine after the network acquired the rights to co-broadcast the sporting spectacle with Stan.
One viewer wrote on X (formerly Twitter) about the change: ‘Is it too late for Channel Seven to take over the Olympics? Channel Nine, you’re ruining the games and it’s only been on for five minutes.’
Seven, the long-standing home of the Olympics in Australia, has been unable to stretch its budget to secure the rights to Paris 2024, as the network faces serious financial problems and widespread layoffs.
Australian viewers were left confused as they tuned in on Saturday to watch the highly anticipated Paris 2024 Olympic Games (participants gather around the River Seine)
Instead of broadcasting the Olympics, Channel Seven aired a repeat of Whoopi Goldberg’s film Sister Act (pictured), after Channel Nine secured the rights
Seven first broadcast the Olympic Games in 1956, but briefly lost the rights to the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics, before securing an exclusive deal for the period 2016-2020.
This year, however, Nine is said to have offered more than $300 million for the Olympic broadcasting rights, $100 million more than Seven West Media.
Nine already owns the rights to the Australian Open and is also paying around $100 million for the free-to-air NRL rights.
It was previously reported that Seven lost approximately $50 million during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The reorganisation saw Bruce McAvaney unexpectedly move to ABC to cover the Paris Olympics, after 30 years as one of Seven’s biggest stars.
On Saturday, Australians watched their country’s Olympic athletes compete in the pool, including the men’s 400m freestyle (pictured: Ariarne Titmus of Australia)
After Seven lost the rights to the Olympics, Bruce McAvaney made a surprise move to the ABC to cover the sporting event, after being one of Seven’s biggest stars for 30 years
Bruce, 71, is regarded as the voice of football for his work within the AFL, but is also fondly remembered for his coverage of key Olympic moments, such as Cathy Freeman’s gold medal in Sydney.
He is now once again reporting from the Games, working for the ABC Radio commentary team alongside Australian Olympic stars including former sprinter Melinda Gainsford-Taylor and swimmer Sarah Ryan.
“I’ve always thought the Olympics were the ultimate event for an Australian broadcaster and to be given this opportunity by the ABC means the world to me,” Bruce previously shared.