CCTV - Olympics broadcast regulations

The International Olympic Committee established restrictions against China Central Televsion International, China's English-language network, from broadcasting coverage of the Beijing Olympics on CCTV International -- which is also available on cable television in the United States. The restriction extends to broadcasts of Opening and Closing Ceremonies as well as live coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Further, CCTV International can only offer limited coverage of news, entertainment, and information from the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, which also includes online information and media at cctv.com, in strict adherence to the IOC's copyright restrictions. It is not entirely clear why the IOC has imposed these limitations against the Chinese network based in the seat of the Olympic Games' host country. However, the IOC has granted some allowances to CCTV for domestic media coverage in the Chinese Mainland.

Image: Computer generated image of the CCTV building. OMA/Ole Scheeren and Rem Koolhaas.