[2] Seven held Australian free-to-air, pay television, online, and mobile telephony broadcast rights to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, on-selling some events to SBS.

Seven broadcast the opening and closing ceremonies and mainstream sports, including swimming, athletics, rowing, cycling, and gymnastics.

In contrast, SBS TV provided complementary coverage focused on long-form events such as football, road cycling, volleyball, and table tennis.

IOC president Thomas Bach praised the deal, stating that the Committee "enjoys long term partnerships and this agreement is something of a homecoming between us and Seven."

Seven West Media CEO Tim Worner explained that unlike previous stints as rightsholder, it would not necessarily have to sub-license the Games to a secondary broadcaster (as it had historically done with the ABC), stating that "[with] around 150 hours of content on any given day, there will be many more opportunities than ever before".

Seven will continue broadcasting scheduled programs Sunrise, The Chase Australia, Seven News at 6pm, Home & Away and My Kitchen Rules, with Olympic coverage airing at other times on its main channel.

[19] Seven's use of a paid service for full access to 2016 Summer Olympics content was criticized for contradicting and being a loophole around anti-siphoning laws (which require that specific sporting events, such as the Olympics, must have their rights primarily held by a terrestrial broadcaster), which account for premium television platforms such as Foxtel but not for over-the-top internet services.

The arrangement was criticized by Tony Shepherd, chairman of the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA), for serving as evidence that the existing anti-siphoning rules were outdated.