The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Tuesday that CCTV.com, a part of Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, has been awarded the internet and mobile platform exhibition rights within China for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

As a member of the Asian Broadcasting Union, CCTV has already acquired over-the-air TV rights for the Beijing Games.

No details about the deal was released, while the IOC said it selected CCTV.com because it could work closely with its television arm and fully exploit digital broadcast rights on a number of platforms.

"By granting digital rights to CCTV.com, the IOC believes CCTV.com's digital team will work closely with the broadcast team at CCTV to develop joint executions across media platforms. This will ensure Chinese Olympic fans have access to the best possible Olympic coverage in 2008," Richard Carrion, a member of the IOC's TV rights and new media commission, was quoted as saying by an IOC statement.

In March, the IOC launched a tender for the internet and mobile platform broadcast rights in the Chinese mainland.

(Xinhua News Agency December 19, 2007)