olympics everywhere supplement
introduction
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games will be the first truly multi- platform Olympics, with coverage available not only on television, but on computers, iPhones, iPads and virtually any smart device in any location. The Games will play host to 10,500 athletes from 205 nations, taking part in over 300 events. The Paralympics, which take place following the Olympics, will host 147 nations. These events will be staged at nine different venues within the Olympic Park, a further 13 venues across London, and another 10 venues across the UK. And the global audience, whatever the device and wherever they are, will be measured in billions. The period from 27 July to 12 August 2012 is going to be busy for everyone involved in the ‘broadcast’ chain. Neil Nixon reports.
Olympics everywhere S
uccessive Olympic Games have seen the emergence of new broadcast technologies, with the whole industry uniting to deliver the next ‘must-have’ device or service
to an unsuspecting public. This year, however, the tables have turned. It is the consumer setting the
agenda...and laying down the technological challenge. Every event, on any device, anywhere in the world - that’s what’s being demanded, and that’s what our industry will deliver thanks to widespread cooperation and technological development. “In an Olympic Games of many
broadcast firsts, it will be multi-screen delivery that will triumph as the winning formula,” said Ralph Higson, director of Panasonic UK’s London 2012 Olympic Programme. “We will use deep broadcast technology experience and expertise in content capture and display technology to make the Games relevant to as many different screens as possible in terms of how the content is recorded and how it is filmed and shown, allowing the world to share in the passion of the Games in a way that we think will shape the on- screen future for all Olympic Games to come.” And he’s right. We will never look
back after this Olympics, and the way we consume content and interact with our TV will change forever. And we must engage with this new offering and, ultimately, be prepared to pay for it. After all, we asked for it... “Consumer expectations for the
It’s easy to forget that video consumption on tablets wasn’t even a consideration for the 2010 Vancouver
Games...In 2012, tablets are likely to be one of the most- watched devices for viewing the events.
availability of multi-screen Games coverage are tremendously high,” said Mike Nann, director of marketing and communications at Digital Rapids. “Where live web coverage of an event was noteworthy just a few years ago as the exception rather than the norm, today it would be significant if an event wasn’t available across all consumer platforms, from the web to tablets and mobile phones. It’s easy to forget that video consumption on tablets wasn’t even a consideration for the 2010 Vancouver Games - the Apple iPad had been announced just days earlier and was not yet shipping. In 2012, tablets are likely to be one of the most-watched devices for viewing the events.” In addition to the events
themselves, the large volume of participants will make for an endless stream of news and human-interest stories to audiences around the world hungry for information about their favourite teams and athletes. With so much sporting action across a large number of venues, it will be a real challenge to organise and manage such a huge amount of live and post- produced coverage for media audiences around the globe. Tim Felstead from Harris Broadcast
Communications suggests the only way broadcasters can handle this volume of content and end-user devices is by being selective. “Next year’s London Games present both a great opportunity and a threat simultaneously,” he said. “The big winners will be those that have
22 l ibe l olympics everywhere supplement november/december 2011 l
www.ibeweb.com
thought through the task strategically, identified a realistic number of target screens and applications, and devised a workflow that will cater for these new revenue generating opportunities.” Across the board, broadcasting the
London Olympic Games will be fraught with challenges. Meeting the needs of an empowered and demanding global audience will not be easy. Alan Mercer, operations director at SatStream, said: “Broadcasting the Olympics will come with its challenges, more so for those broadcasters without a fixed production space in which to handle the hundreds of hours of feeds locally and to customise, package and deliver to broadcasters back home.” Success at the London Olympics -
both for the athletes and the broadcasters - will come to those who are well prepared, quick thinking and agile. Alan Mercer continued: “There are numerous improvised solutions possible - and undoubtedly many broadcasters will do so to good effect and their Olympic coverage will be successful in the end, but I don’t expect it will go smoothly. Unpredictable service outages, producing and post- producing content in unsuitable conditions, and unreliable connectivity are but a small selection of the challenges ahead.” No doubt performances will ‘wow’
audiences around the world - broadcasters and athletes alike. This supplement takes a look at just some of the enabling technologies that will make the Games of the XXX Olympiad one to remember.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60