According to Reuters, weekly magazine Der Spiegel reported yesterday the broadcasters were forced to make an offer after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) rejected the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) umbrella bid to negotiate individual deals instead.
The magazine also said that pay-television operator Sky Deutschland was in the running and had bid over €100 million for the rights to the two Games.
Rupert Murdoch-owned pay-broadcasters Sky Italia and Fox Turkey have already acquired the rights for the 2014 and 2016 Games in respective territories.
Germany is one of the four territories - including Spain, France and the United Kingdom - which will be handled by the IOC while all other European territories were awarded to Sportfive agency. The IOC said it could get more money on separate deals with individual countries rather than partnering with the EBU.
