The United States broadcaster took gold in three of the six categories, including Best Olympic Programme, Best Olympic Feature and Best Digital Offering.

Other winners at the ceremony presented by Britain's world triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards and double Olympic speed skating gold medallist Yang Yang, an International Olympic Committee member, were Germany's ARD, BBC from the United Kingdom and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) who swept the board in the Best Olympic Sports Production category.

Trophies were presented at a glittering ceremony at the Monte Carlo Sporting Club.

The event was attended by some 500 guests, including Price Albert II of Monaco, Thomas Bach, IOC President, and Sepp Blatter, FIFA President.

Created in 1976, the Olympic Golden Rings is an international contest through which the IOC seeks to promote and recognise excellence in television broadcasting of the Olympic Games.

IOC President Thomas Bach presented the Golden Ring award for The Best Olympic Programme to NBC ©IOC

The sale of broadcasting rights for the Games constitutes the Olympic Movement's biggest revenue source.

Winners were chosen by an international jury headed by Gian-Franco Kasper, IOC member and President of the International Ski Federation (FIS).

This year's awards were presented within hours of the IOC deciding to launch a digital Olympic Channel.

The full list of awards, in order of presentation on the night, is as follows:

The Best Olympic Sports Production
Awarded by Gian-Franco Kasper

Gold: Alpine - OBS Producer - Ursula Romero; Director - Beni Giger

Silver: Figure skating - OBS Producer - Haiwei Wang; Director - Michael Lansbury

Bronze: Cross country - OBS Producer - Makoto Nakamura; Director - Tapani Parm

The Best Digital Offering
Awarded by Gerardo Werthein

Gold: NBC Olympics, NBCOlympics.com; Live from Sochi
Producers - Rick Cordella, David Gabel

Silver: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CBC Digital Project, Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Producers - CBC Olympic Digital Team Sochi 2014; Directors - Dan Tavares, Ken Wolff, Mihira Lakshman, Andrea Lee-Greenberg

Bronze: Panorama (ANO Sports Broadcasting), Russia Sport mobile application
Producers - Vasily Kiknadze, Marina Shvedova; Directors - Maxim Belyakov, Artem Tovbin, Andrey Ermakov

The Best On-Air Promotion
Awarded by Nawal El Moutawakel and Ivan Dibos

Gold: BBC, Sochi
Producers - Edel Erickson /RKCR/Y&R; Director -Tomek Baginski

Silver: NBC Olympics, Sochi Olympic Winter Games on NBC
Producers - Barbara Blangiandi, Joseph Lee, John Miller

Bronze: America Movil, Team Latam
Producers - Gustavo Ramírez, España Beguerisse; Director - Santiago Arau Pontones

The Best Olympic Feature
Awarded by Marisol Casado and Danka Bartekova

Gold: NBC Olympics, XXII Olympic Winter Games – "Winter's Theatre"
Producers - Matt Allen, Jim Bell, Aaron Cohen, Joe Gesue, Mark Levy, Philip Parrish

Silver: Network Ten Australia, Sochi 2014 Teaser & Opener
Producers - Lesley Tapsall, Jane Caswell, Kim Knox; Editor - Tim Hannah

Bronze: CCTV, The dream of Mengtao
Producer - Ni Ran; Directors - Wei Zhang, Gang Luo, Ping Wang, Fanhao Meng, Xiaobo Yang, Jingjing Liu, Ruchang Li, Chuan Liu and Ni Ran

The Olympic Video Player (Special Award)
Awarded by Lawrence Probst III

Matt Millington, Dalmacio Tola

The Best Athlete Profile
Awarded by HSH Prince Albert II

Gold: ARD / Bayerischer Rundfunk, Living for a Golden Moment - Maria Höfl-Riesch
Producer - Andreas Troll

Silver: NBC Olympics, XXII Olympic Winter Games – "Alex Bilodeau"
Producers - Jim Bell, Jack Felling, Joe Gesue, Mark Levy, Ryan Yaeger

Bronze: BBC, Inspire - James Woods Feature
Producer - Tom Gent

The Best Olympic Programme
Awarded by IOC President Thomas Bach

Gold: NBC Olympics, The XXII Olympic Winter Games
Producers - Jim Bell, Becky Chatman, Peter Diamond, Sam Flood, Joe Gesue, Lena Glaser, Mark Lazarus, Mark Levy; Director - Michael Sheehan

Silver: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Sochi 2014 - Olympic Winter Games on CBC
Producers - Chris Irwin, Sherali Najak, Karen Sebesta, Paul McDougall, Jeff Pearlman; Directors - Fred Parker, Steve Pennie, Chris Elias, Dawn Landis

Bronze: Panorama (ANO Sports Broadcasting) Ladies Free Skating Final
Producers - Vasily Kiknadze, Marina Shvedova, Teona Pernikova; Director - Irina Orenova

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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