The BBC's 'below par' Olympics coverage is down to a deal over broadcasting rights, which saw the lion share of live action being sold to another channel for close to £1million.
The opening days of the Tokyo games has seen the BBC hit by criticism from viewers who have complained about the 'shocking' coverage, which has left them unable to watch some of the key events.
Frustration peaked on Monday when gymnastic fans didn't get to see the bulk of Team GB's performances in the men's team final, with commentator Matt Baker telling viewers: "We'll keep you posted with their scores if we don't see them, as we're not in control of the feed here. I'll keep you posted as they go round here."
READ MORE: Matt Baker forced to explain as BBC viewers 'miss' Team GB gymnasts
The reality of the situation actually goes further than that as the BBC's coverage has been cut due to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) sold European television rights to the pay-TV company Discovery in a deal thought to be worth £920m.
While the contract was announced prior to the Rio games in 2016, Tokyo 2020 is the first Olympics where it actually comes into play and means that majority of live coverage is available exclusively on the Eurosport channels or on the £6.99-a-month streaming service Discovery.
The up shot of the near £1m Discovery deal is that the BBC can only air two live events at any given time - through one channel - either BBC1 or 2 or on via the red button, while in past Olympics, a whole array of events have been available on the red button if viewers weren't interested in the sport on TV time at any given time.
The BBC's hands being tied over their Toyko coverage has led to more analysis on events and results and family reaction in place of an abundance of live action.
It also led to bosses having to make a call over what to prioritise for BBC1 and BBC2 with the nail-biting final rotation of the men's gymnastic final being taken off air in favour of Lauren Williams' taekwondo final on Monday afternoon.
And, those not aware of the Discovery deal have continued to blast the BBC's coverage, with one tweeting: "BBC coverage is spoiling the Olympics for us. Constant repeats of results we already know. Talking to mums and wives and girlfriends.. "how do you think they will feel"? Very poor."
A second vented: "The Olympics coverage this year on BBC is woeful. Them not having all the sports is ruining it."
However, those who have discovered the Discovery deal have more sympathy with the BBC, with one posting: Didn't realise the BBC has the rights to only 350 hours of coverage for Tokyo 2020, compared to the 3,500 hours they had for Rio 2016.
2 Basically Discovery (Eurosport) waded in and bought exclusive rights for £900 million."
