NBC retained its hold on U.S. Olympic television rights Tuesday in a four-games deal through 2020 worth about $4.4 billion, defeating rival bids from ESPN and Fox, officials with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.

Three officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet been officially announced by the International Olympic Committee.

NBC, now controlled by Comcast, won the bid less than a month after the resignation of longtime sports and Olympics chief Dick Ebersol in a dispute with the new owners. The victory extends NBC's reign as the Olympic network in the United States, a period stretching back 20 years.

NBC has broadcast every Summer Olympics since 1988 and every Winter Games since 2002.

The network now will have exclusive rights to the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, as well as the 2018 Winter Games and 2020 Olympics, whose sites have not yet been chosen. It was the first U.S. rights auction since 2003.

- The Associated Press