(Associated Press via NewsEdge) The Arab States Broadcasting Union was awarded the Middle East broadcast rights to the 2012 London Olympics in a deal worth $21 million.
The International Olympic Committee, which negotiated the rights, said the deal includes coverage in Bahrain, Djibouti, Iraq, Mauritania, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Yemen.
The ASBU has been the IOC's broadcast partner in the region since 1976.
In 2012, the ASBU will offer free-to-air coverage via TV, cable, satellite, Internet and mobile telephones.
'By awarding the TV rights to the ASBU, the IOC ensures that people in the Middle East are able to be at the heart of the Olympic competitions without payment,' IOC president Jacques Rogge said in a statement.
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