MUMBAI: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) have signed a new revenue sharing agreement that will govern the financial relationship between the two parties for two decades, beginning in 2020 running through till 2040.

Newswire AFP quoting unnamed officials said that "the USOC will retain the revenue it currently receives, but it would net a smaller share from television and marketing deals as overall revenues rise above a set minimum".

Under the old agreement, the USOC receives 20 per cent of the funds from the IOC‘s top sponsors and 12.5 per cent of the US television revenue from the Games until 2020 which is the amount that all other Olympic committees receive put together.

The reason USOC received a major chunk of IOC‘s revenue was due to the fact that most of the sponsorship and television revenue came from US.

The deal, which runs until 2040, paves the way for US to bid for the 2022 Winter Games or 2024 Summer Olympics. The USOC has maintained that it will not bid for Olympic Games until its dispute over the share of Olympic television and sponsorship revenues are resolved.

"The USOC is an absolutely crucial pillar in the Olympic Movement. This agreement lays a cornerstone which will provide the foundations for the continued growth of the Movement and our shared values, not just in the United States but around the world," said IOC President Jacques Rogge.

USOC president Larry Probst added, "I would like to thank President Rogge and his colleagues at the IOC who worked so diligently over the course of the last year and a half to find a solution that works for all parties. I can confidently say that we have accomplished that goal and have set the stage for a much more collaborative relationship going forward."

MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) will launch ?Smash? on Star Sports tomorrow at 10 pm. ?Smash? will be Asia?s first ever all-inclusive racquet sports magazine show featuring the best weekly coverage from the worlds of badminton, table tennis, squash and tennis.

The show aims to be the ultimate destination for racquet lovers to keep track of their favourite players and all the latest action. The half-hour show aims to satiate Asia?s tremendous appetite for racquet sports with a collection of the best rallies, matches and top spin from players, coaches and fans from across the globe.

In addition to top event highlights, Star Sports? team will provide player interviews, profiles and on-site reporting from top tournaments across Asia and internationally.

ESS executive VP, programming and production Craig Dobbs said, "We?re delighted to add ?Smash? to our diverse portfolio of original programmes and top racquet sports coverage, including Wimbledon and Australian Open. Given Asia?s widespread passion for racquet sports combined with many top athletes of this genre being local heroes, we are pleased that we can add a new dimension of entertainment featuring the best highlights and action for racquet fans in the lead-up to Wimbledon and the 2012 Olympic Games."

MUMBAI: BBC director general Mark Thompson will step down from his post and leave the organisation either later this year after the Olympic Games or in 2013.

BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten had said earlier that the organisation had already employed headhunters Egon Zehnder to search for a successor to Thompson.

Reports state that there are three internal possibilities for the job. They are BBC COO Caroline Thomson, BBC News head Helen Boaden and BBC Vision head George Entwistle.