VANOC's Television News Access Rules for Non-rights Holding Broadcast Organizations

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I wanted to share VANOC's manifesto for non-rights holding broadcast organizations during the 2010 Games. Very thorough and interesting reading for those of you who are into the "fine details" and will be watching the two-week extravaganza on either CTV or NBC.

Straight from VANOC's press release:

TELEVISION NEWS ACCESS RULES APPLICABLE
TO NON-RIGHTS HOLDING BROADCAST ORGANISATIONS
AT THE VANCOUVER 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES

When exclusive television rights to broadcast the Olympic Games are granted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to an organisation for a particular territory (Rights Holding Broadcasters), no other organisation may broadcast within that territory sound or images of any Olympic events, including sporting action, Opening, Closing and victory ceremonies, or other activities (including training, interviews and press conferences) which occur within Olympic venues ("Olympic Material"), beyond that which is permitted under these News Access Rules.

"Olympic venues" shall include all venues which require an Olympic accreditation card or ticket to gain entry, including the Olympic village, the competition sites, the practice venues and the site(s) at which medal/victory ceremonies take place during the time when the medal ceremonies actually take place.

To protect the rights of the Rights Holding Broadcasters, but to also respect the requirements of the Olympic Charter regarding the "fullest coverage by the different media and the widest possible audience in the world for the Olympic Games", the IOC recognises the need for news organisations to have limited access to Olympic Material, for news purposes, in accordance with these News Access Rules.

These News Access Rules apply to television broadcasting by Non-Rights Holding Broadcast Organisations, and are subject to applicable national laws and regulations. In appropriate cases, the IOC may agree with Rights Holding Broadcasters in their particular territories to issue supplemental news access rules for such territories, which may be more or less restrictive.

Olympic Material is subject to full IOC copyright. All use of Olympic Material is strictly subject to the following restrictions:

1. Olympic Material may be used only as a part of regularly scheduled
daily news programmes of which the actual news element constitutes the
main feature "programmes". Programmes shall not be positioned or promoted
as Olympic programmes.

2. 3 x 2 x 3
Non-Rights Holding Broadcast Organisations may use a total of six minutes
of Olympic Material per day subject to the following provisions:
a) Olympic Material may appear in no more than three programmes per day.
b) No more than two minutes of Olympic Material may be used in any one
programme.
c) These programmes must be separated by a period of at least three
hours.
d) No more than one third of any individual event may be used in any one
programme with a maximum broadcast time of 30 seconds for any individual
event.

3. 6 x 1 x 2
In the case of an all-news network, the network may use Olympic Material
during multiple news programmes, as long as
a) the Olympic Material is used in accordance with Clause 2 (3 x 2 x 3).
or
b) in no more than six news programmes per day and does not exceed a
total of one minute in any one programme. These bulletins must be
separated by a period of at least two hours. The other provisions of
clause 2 above continue to apply.

4. Should any fair dealing or similar provisions contained in any
applicable national law permit the use by Non-Rights Holding Broadcast
Organisations of any footage of previous Olympic Games, then such footage
will be included in the total of six minutes per day.

5. Olympic Material may only be used for a period of 48 hours from the
earliest time at which broadcast of such Olympic Material by the Non-
Rights Holding Broadcast Organisations may begin. After such period, Non-
Rights Holding Broadcast Organisations may only transmit archive Olympic
Material with the express prior written agreement of the IOC.

6. Non-Rights Holding Broadcast Organisations may broadcast Olympic
Material in accordance with the other conditions contained in these News
Access Rules, as follows:
a) The later of (i) immediately following the broadcast of an Olympic
event by the local Rights Holding Broadcaster on free to air television
in that territory, or (ii) such longer period of time after such
broadcast that the Rights Holding Broadcaster may wish to impose in
accordance with applicable national law;
b) At the end of the broadcast day (i.e. 24:00 hours local time) if not
broadcast by the local Rights Holding Broadcaster on free to air
television in that territory on the day (local time) during which the
Olympic event concluded;
c) At such time as may be agreed by the Rights Holding Broadcaster for
its particular territory and that particular Olympic event;
d) Non-Rights Holding Broadcast Organisations can only transmit Olympic
Material prior to these times with the specific written agreement with
the local Rights Holder Broadcaster.

7. Non-Rights Holding Broadcast Organisations, provided they are holders
of ENR accreditation, will have access
- without equipment (audio or video), to all Olympic venues.
- with equipment (audio or video) to the Main Press Centre (MPC) and
Whistler Media Centre (WMC).
Holders of ENR accreditations shall not have access to Olympic events
listed as ticketed high-demand sessions.

8. Non-Rights Holding Broadcast Organisations may not originate or
broadcast any programming or feed from the Olympic venues, including the
Olympic Villages, Victory Ceremony sites, MPC and WMC.
Notwithstanding the above, Non-Rights Holding Broadcast Organisations may
broadcast, via the Internet, all or portions of press conferences that
take place in the MPC and WMC, without any territorial restrictions,
provided that there is a delay of at least thirty minutes from the
conclusion of the press conference.
Additional IOC Internet Guidelines regarding the use of Olympic content
by Non-Rights Holding Broadcast Organisations will also apply.

9. The IOC and Olympic Broadcast Services Vancouver (OBSV) will establish
an Olympic Television News Agency (ONA) for the purpose of providing
Olympic Material to Non-Rights Holders for uses in accordance with these
News Access Rules. Olympic Material shall not be provided by the ONA to
Non-Rights Holding Broadcast Organisations or news agencies unless they
provide a prior written guarantee, in form and substance satisfactory to
the IOC, that they will fully comply with all terms and conditions of
these News Access Rules.

10. Non-Rights Holding Broadcast Organisations shall respect the
following provisions:
a) they shall not make available or provide Olympic Material to any third
party.
b) they shall ensure that no advertising, promotion, publicity or other
message appears at the same time (be it superimposed or on a split screen
or otherwise) as Olympic Material and/or at the same time as any other
coverage of the Olympic Games which contains any Olympic imagery or
Olympic marks;
c) they shall ensure that no advertising or other message is placed
before, during or after the broadcast of Olympic Material, in such a
manner as to imply an association or connection between any third party,
or third party's product or service, and Olympic Material or the Olympic
Games; and
d) they must give an on screen credit to the Rights Holding Broadcaster
in their particular territory during each broadcast of Olympic Material.
The credit shall be in the form of leaving on the Rights Holding
Broadcaster watermark, or, should the Olympic Material not be sourced
through the Rights Holding Broadcaster, a super video credit of at least
five seconds to read as follows:
"Courtesy of (Name of Rights Holding Broadcaster)"

11. The accreditations of any organisation or person(s) accredited at the
Olympic Games may be withdrawn without notice, at the discretion of the
IOC, for purposes of ensuring compliance with these News Access Rules.

12. These News Access Rules shall come into effect when an Olympic
accreditation card or ticket is required to obtain access into any of the
Olympic venues. From the time that these News Access Rules come into
effect until 48 hours following the conclusion of the Olympic Games,
their operation shall be effected by the IOC. The IOC reserves the right
to amend these News Access Rules, as it deems appropriate. The IOC
Executive Board shall be the final authority with respect to the
interpretation and implementation of these News Access Rules

13. Any dispute, controversy or claim arising from or in connection with
the execution or interpretation of these News Access Rules or breach
thereof not resolved after exhaustion of the legal remedies established
by the IOC and which cannot be settled amicably, shall be submitted
exclusively to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for final and
binding arbitration in accordance with the Statute and Regulations of the
CAS. The decisions of the CAS shall be final, binding and non-appealable.

(C) Copyright IOC 2009 All Rights Reserved
IOC Television News Access Rules - Vancouver 2010

For further information: Media Contact: VANOC Media Relations, Tel: (604) 403-1611, E-mail: media_relations@vancouver2010.com [3]

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