CBC suffered a setback in its bid to air the Olympics Games in 2010 and 2012 when the federal Competition Bureau last month rejected its complaint against CTV.

The Ceeb had claimed that a partnership that exists between CTV’s parent Bell Globemedia and Rogers Media would unfairly push the pubcaster out of the running to air the Summer and Winter Games. BGM and Rogers are preparing a joint bid to the International Olympic Committee and, together, control the sports specialty channels TSN and Sportsnet, leaving CBC without a major sports partner, likely an important factor in the bidding process.

The board says it found no evidence that the BGM/Rogers deal would hurt CBC’s chances with the IOC.

The 2010 Winter Games, to be held in Vancouver, are especially important to CBC, which lost a reported $15 million on this year’s Summer Games in Athens. The Winter Games are cheaper to cover and draw much higher ratings among Canadians. The last time the Games were in Canada was 1988, in Calgary.

BGM senior VP Paul Sparkes cheered the decision, calling the Ceeb’s complaint ‘baseless’ and a waste of taxpayer money.

CBC says it understands the ruling but wants all the contenders to have a fair shot.

Talks with the IOC are expected to begin in February.

-www.cbc.ca

-www.ctv.ca

-strategis.ic.gc.ca (Competion Bureau)