Do you have to pay to have your rights?

Question

see this link http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Final-word-on-the-Olympics-ratings-juggernaut?urn=oly,103625

It says -

The US network broadcast a record 3,600 hours of coverage from Beijing across its various multimedia outlets - including mobile and online - after paying $894m for the rights.

What I am wondering is do you have to pay to have your rights in the United States?

Answer 1

Is the question ironic?

If it is not: yes, sure, you need to pay to purchase your broadcasting rights everywhere in the world.

You pay on the base of your audience, type of matches you want to broadcast (finals cost more, 100 meters  is more expensive than hammer and so on), the number of direct operators you want to employ , the number of hours you buy

If it is: Anywhere in the world, even where you don't have to, it will expedite things  and grease wheels (or at least your rights will be considered more)

Answer 2

There's always a price to pay to maintain your rights.

Sometimes, it's the cost of defending your rights in Court - sometimes it's giving your life on a battlefield.

A large part of America's current problems is due to the fact that the citizens at home did NOT defend their rights when the government usurped them.

But the "rights" your question refers to are contractual rights, not your personal rights.  Contractual rights are always purchased.