The contract to provide temporary power to the 2014 Ryder Cup has been awarded to Aggreko. 

The leading lessor or power and temperature control solutions will provide 17 MW of power and back-up support on location at Gleneagles. 

Aggreko will also air-condition the media centre, hospitality units, tented village and other temporary infrastructure.

In total, Aggreko will be helping to power and cool around 40 different major temporary structures at the Gleneagles site.

The 2014 Ryder Cup will deploy Aggreko’s especially quiet TwinPack generators, which will minimise sound emissions from power production in and around the golf course.

An half a billion homes in 183 countries worldwide are expected to watch the event. As technical power is crucial for broadcasting, Aggreko will use around 600 distribution boards to connect and feed power supplies around the course. 

"Aggreko has vast experience of providing temporary power and temperature control solutions at golf tournaments,” said Angus Cockburn, interim CEO of Aggreko, which has its headquarters in nearby Glasgow.

“Doing so at The 2014 Ryder Cup, which is on our doorstep and is perhaps higher profile than any previous tournament is a great privilege.”

Other major sports events that Aggreko has provided services for include nine Olympic and Paralympic Games, five FIFA World Cups, four Ryder Cups in Europe and the XX Commonwealth Games.

"Aggreko is yet another global business with firm Scottish roots to join us at The 2014 Ryder Cup,” said Edward Kitson, match director of the 2014 Ryder Cup. “Their expertise and experience at previous sporting events, both at golf tournaments and others with international broadcast power requirements, will be invaluable.”

The 2014 Ryder Cup takes place at The Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder, Perthshire, Scotland from 26-28 September, 2014.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday awarded NBCUniversal the US broadcast rights for the Olympic Games through to 2032.

The deal covers all media platforms, including free-to-air television, subscription television, internet and mobile. The agreement will run from 2021 to 2032, extending an agreement in 2011 which gave NBCU the right to broadcast the Olympic Games until 2020. 

NBCU will now broadcast every Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games through to 2032, regardless of which host cities are elected to host these events.

The deal is valued at US$ 7.65bn with an extra US$100m signing bonus that will be used to promote Olympism and the Olympic values between 2015 and 2020, the IOC said in a statement.

“This agreement is excellent news for the entire Olympic Movement as it helps to ensure its financial security in the long term, in particular future host cities of the Olympic Games, the athletes of the 204 National Olympic Committees and the International Sports Federations,” said IOC President Thomas Bach, who led the negotiations.

“The IOC has worked in close partnership with NBC for many decades, and we are thrilled we will continue to work with them through to 2032. NBC’s expertise in sports broadcasting, as well as their passion for the Olympic values, will mean we shall be able continue to offer first-class broadcast coverage of the Olympic Games to the widest possible American audience for many years to come.”

Steve Burke, CEO, NBCUniversal, said: “The Olympics are part of the fabric of our company, and we couldn’t be more excited that today’s announcement guarantees that this massively popular and profitable programming will continue to air every two years on the broadcast, cable, digital and mobile platforms of NBCUniversal for the next two decades."

NBCU first broadcast the Olympic Games in Tokyo 1964. By 2032, it will have covered a total of 23 editions of the world’s biggest multisport event.

At the conclusion of SPORTELAsia on Wednesday, the organisers announced a 12 per cent increase in the number of registered participants as compared to 2013. A total of 603 participants, representing 299 companies of 42 countries, participated in the 2014 Asian Convention.

Ms. Amparo Di Fede, General Manager of SPORTEL said “All participants are extremely satisfied of the high quality and number of exhibitors, especially Asian. Among the new ones were SMIT, Kosmogo, LETV, PPTV, Super Sport Media and Slam Ball.

“The loyalty of the global sports media community has grown strongly over the years and shows that SPORTEL continues to be their ‘must attend’ event".

The conference and panel programme was organised in collaboration with Sports Video Group and TV Sports Markets. A symposium was hosted in partnership with local agency Oceans Marketing entitled "Insight into the Chinese Sports Media Industry".

The next SPORTEL spring convention will return to Miami, where it was hosted in 2011. "Our community has anticipated and clearly chosen America for their next spring convention. SPORTELAmerica will once again welcome the international sports media community from 17 to 19 March 2015, at the JW Marriott in Miami, Florida."

The next SPORTEL event will be the 25th anniversary of SPORTELMonaco.  “The constant success of SPORTELMonaco conventions looks back on 25 years of dedication to our industry and to you, the SPORTEL community that has shared the same dedication and loyalty to us. We very much look forward to welcoming you once again in Monaco from Tuesday 7 to Friday 10 october 2014.”

Registration for SPORTELMonaco opens on 2 April 2014.

Such is the draw of high-action, high-energy sports content that in 2023, Deloitte predicts that streamers will spend more than $6 billion on exclusive major sports rights in the largest global markets. For context, in 2021, streaming providers spent a combined $50 billion on all content: they are investing a significant proportion of their entire content budget on sports. 

For sports organisations, this presents four key opportunities: 

1. Monetising rights further: For premium sports competitions, streamers’ interest provides added competition for rights and/or distribution to reach a broader audience. For smaller and newer sports and leagues, streaming platforms can offer the benefits of coverage for the first time to increase awareness, and alternative commercialisation models (e.g. advertising-supported) beyond the traditional rights fee.

2. Appealing to younger consumers: While younger generations are less likely to watch full matches, their overall content consumption continues to increase, and that consumption takes place increasingly on digital platforms. In 2022, we witnessed a rush among clubs, leagues and governing bodies to respond to fans’ growing demand for sports content by partnering with streaming platforms to produce additional content taking fans beyond the live match. 

3. Making it personal: Streaming services could provide new innovations around personalisation, interaction and real-time data analysis. In the future, we expect to see further experimentation from streaming providers looking to offer more tailored experiences, such as offering multiple live feeds in-game. 

4. Growing global audiences: Giving viewers in different countries easier access to sports they might not be as familiar with and providing sports organisations with greater transparency of the popularity of their content. 

The challenges to overcome 

Streaming platforms may provide fans with access to even more content related to their favourite sports – such as original documentaries, behind-the-scenes content and associated secondary competitions. However, the fragmentation of rights across even more platforms could make it more difficult, and costly, for fans to access what they want to watch when they want to watch it. Rightsholders and streamers must work closely together to ensure that they aren’t creating artificial barriers to fan engagement.  

What’s more, there are technical challenges when streaming live sport. Sports content is often fast-paced and therefore necessitates a higher frame rate than other media genres. In addition, live sporting events are more sensitive to latency issues and, when streamed, delays can be a minute or more. This could be a real issue for many, particularly with premium-priced subscriptions, as sports fans will demand high picture quality and superb reliability.  

Meanwhile, rights holders may not want to risk a critical revenue stream when current linear broadcasts are already high-quality, low-latency, and have significant pre-existing production and distribution infrastructure already in place.  

What’s to come 

It will take at least a couple of rights cycles before the future of watching live sports is realised.  For some major sports, the next opportunity for streaming providers to bid for rights and grow their share will not be until the early 2030s, by which time underlying industry economics may have evolved, possibly markedly.  

For sports streaming to go the distance, sports organisations and entertainment companies should consider several things: 

• Put the fan first: Skilfully used, first-party data can provide insight into fans’ needs and preferences. As a result, careful analysis of audience engagement will help organisations to deliver the right amount of quality content, easy access, an engaging user experience and exclusive perks, all at a reasonable cost. 

• Expand the streaming service’s influence: The next generation of fans will consume sport across several platforms. Brands should consider how best to integrate social media, online games, fantasy sports and other digital engagement channels into the overall offer. 

• Improve streaming’s technical aspects: In order to enhance broadcast quality – eventually moving from 4k to 8k resolution, reducing latency and eliminating service interruptions. This will help ensure live sport remains truly ‘live’ when streamed. 

Ultimately, the question for sports organisations is whether media deals are both meeting their current fans’ needs and helping to build a future fan base. For many, streaming platforms, as part of a broader media strategy, may provide an opportunity to do both. 

About Deloitte’s Sports Business Group 

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We equip our clients with knowledge and insight that will resolve challenges, grasp opportunities and deliver transformational change.

Drawing on Deloitte's global network of expertise and capabilities, we work with some of the world’s largest sports organisations, governments and investors. 

Our global sport capability hubs lead industry innovation in areas such as: data and analytics; digital services; major event capabilities; sports and transformation advisory, M&A advisory and transaction support; cyber security, risk management and ESG; tax and legal. 

Find out more here.

[Source: Recast] Fans of one of the most exciting series in motorsport – WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup – can now watch race highlights and exclusive behind-the-scenes content from some of the sport’s biggest stars with the launch of a new WTCR Channel on subscription-free streaming platform Recast.
Audiences will have greater access to the sport than ever before as a result of WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup and promoter Discovery Sports Events joining the subscription-free, live, and on-demand streaming platform.
The WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup is the pinnacle of customer touring car racing and sits at the top of the TCR category ladder. The cream of the sport’s driving talent, including Yvan Muller, Esteban Guerrieri, defending world champion Yann Ehrlacher and Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport’s Tom Coronel will create exclusive content for WTCR’s Recast Channel on location from each race across the 2022 season.
Fans can also stream onboard camera sequences plus exclusive footage from leading WTCR teams, as well as highlights of each race.
The 10-round, 20-race 2022 championship runs through to November, with meetings taking place at some of motorsport’s most iconic venues across the globe. The season is already off to a flyer, with Mikel Azcona, of BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse, leading the championship after picking up a second win of the season at the historic Hungaroring in Hungary at the weekend.
The Spaniard will take a slender 10-point lead over Argentine Nestor Girolami into the next race as the championship’s attention turns to his home circuit at the famous MotorLand Aragón circuit near Alcañiz on June 25-26. WTCR fans can expect more exclusive content alongside thrilling highlights and on-track action on the Recast Channel.
Andy Meikle, Recast Founder and CEO, hailed the beginning of a significant connection with Discovery Sports Events. He said: "Together we're giving fans greater access to the sport they love in an affordable and flexible way.
"Recast will unlock new digital revenue streams for WTCR and Discovery Sports Events, whilst bringing fans even closer to the heart of the action each race weekend – it's win-win for all involved."
Jean-Baptiste Ley, WTCR Director, Discovery Sports Events, described the deal as ‘the latest firm demonstration of our significant, ongoing promotional push and commitment behind the WTCR’.
He continued: “Recast's unique platform will allow us to give WTCR fans even greater control and access to the series, including exclusive driver generated content and the best trackside action and commentary.
“Utilising Recast's flexible functionality to align with our existing broadcasting agreements, we look forward to bringing the best WTCR content to new and existing global markets, unleashing a wave of new racing fans to enjoy another fantastic season."
Fans will be able to use Recast’s subscription-free platform to stream exclusive interviews, in-car cameras and behind-the-scenes content from the top teams from the series, including Cyan Racing Lynk & Co, ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport, BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse, and Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport, to complement Discovery Sports Events race-by-race coverage.
Tom Coronel, Comtoyou DHL Team Audi Sport driver, said: “I want fans to go behind the scenes at WTCR events and they’ll see me being myself in my Tommy style. The content won’t just be about the racing but about my race car, the engine, the mechanics, the travel.
“They’ll get to understand what I do at race events from walking to the track from the hotel and what I have to eat. I’m going to show people the things they don’t normally see and I’m very excited to show Recast fans as much content as possible during race weekends.”
The launch of the Discovery Sports Events WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup Channel marks the latest high-profile Channel to join Recast, which has built an impressive portfolio of Publishers within sport and esports including Hibernian FC, Millwall FC, the World Curling Federation, and Formula Esports, with fans from across the world streaming affordable content every day across the platform’s 150 Channels.
The content offered across Channels ranges from live streams to on-demand content, including exclusive behind the scenes access to interviews and original content.
Recast, which is currently in beta, has secured £15 million investment to date from some of the biggest names in sport, business and venture capital.
Find all the WTCR content at WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup’s Recast Channel here. To find out more about Recast, visit the website.

Beijing 2022 has been hailed for setting new standards in engagement by Ivo Ferriani, President of GAISF (Global Association of International Sports Federations).

“Following 19 days of exciting winter sports action, I would like to congratulate the IOC, Beijing 2022, athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers for delivering a successful Olympic Winter Games and inspiring millions of people in China and around the world to engage in winter sports,” he said.

“I understand that the Opening Ceremony was the most watched broadcast in China in a decade; this is fantastic news for the future of ice and snow sports in China.”

Worldwide, the Opening Ceremony attracted achieved more viewers than any previous Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony.

Throughout the Games, more hours of broadcast coverage were made available than at any previous Olympic Winter Games edition. In China, broadcast coverage of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 reached over 600 million people through TV alone.

The IOC said the Games also achieved record coverage through digital platforms, with “billions of engagements across digital platforms, including Olympic and Rights-Holding Broadcasters’ properties”.

Ferriani said: “With more than 2.7 billion comments about the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on the IOC’s social media platforms, I have no doubt that millions more people will participate in winter sports activities as a result.”

More than a thousand journalists were accredited for the Games, in addition to close to a thousand other accredited members of the press from 520 organisations, plus 3,607 accreditations granted to representatives of rights-holding broadcasters.

The Games was delivered in the most challenging of circumstances amid the Covid 19 pandemic.

 “I can speak from experience and say that the closed-loop system was very successful and there was a fantastic Olympic spirit throughout the Games,” said Ferriani. “This would of course not have been possible if it wasn’t for all the hard work behind-the-scenes and everyone coming together to deliver a safe and secure Olympic Winter Games.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the GAISF Members of Olympic winter sports for your hard work and efforts to provide the best possible support for your athletes.”

At an thank-you event organised at the Big Air venue in Shougang Park in Beijing, the IOC’s Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission Chair, Juan Antonio Samaranch, thanked the thousands of Beijing 2022 workforce and volunteers.

“You and all your teams have done incredible work to tackle the different challenges. You have always been responsible, responsive and efficient to all our requests,” he said.

“Thanks for your strong commitment and dedication. You ensured that these Olympic Winter Games were memorable.”

With 45 per cent of athletes being female and 55 per cent male, Beijing 2022 also set a new standard as the most gender-balanced Olympic Winter Games.

Cai Qi, president of the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee, said: “As the first city to host both summer and winter Olympic Games, Beijing 2022 will go down in history. We will continue to work with the IOC to spread the Olympic spirit, enhance inclusiveness and mutual understanding, promote friendship and solidarity, and jointly shape a better future.”

Expertise, values and innovation were decisive factors in the appointment of Sunset+Vine to provide event production, live broadcast and programme distribution for E-Bike Grand Prix (EBK GP).

EBK GP is the world’s first international E-Bike race series which will be delivered as part of a robust sustainable transformative mobility programme in each city. The concept is owned and developed by Cube International. Due to begin in late 2022 with a showcase event in Dubai, the series will take place in 10 cities around the world across 2023. Each Grand Prix will highlight iconic landmarks and cultural sites in host cities as part of a high-speed, thrilling sporting spectacle.

All EBK GP races will be free for public viewing, and coverage of the events will be broadcast internationally via television and digital media through the series’ partner, Sunset+Vine.

“Sunset+Vine provide the E-Bike GP Series with the perfect solution for event production, live broadcast and programme distribution, drawing upon their diverse and considerable expertise in live events and their major sport experience,” Andy Moss, CEO of Teams & Franchise at EBK GP and founder and chairman of Cube International told Host City.

“The team demonstrated real commitment to our core sustainability programme and offered the exciting development of second screen technology, two winning ingredients.”

“Our broadcast and media programme is a crucial asset of the EBK GP Series,” Judith Rowan, Global Host Cities Director with EBK GP and International Project Director at Cube International told Host City. “It not only offers a platform for engaging with and entertaining a global audience, but importantly it also allows us to tell the stories of our host cities through the inspirational lens of a major sporting event.”

Second screens

“As this is a new event, we have a chance here to start with first principles,” said Andrew Preece, Executive Director of Sunset+Vine told Host City. “We have innovative ideas about AR & VR and how we link together the first and second screens in real time.”

The first screen is the TV or device where audiences watch the primary coverage, with the second being another device such as a phone or tablet where they watch surrounding content such as social media at the same time.

Sunset+Vine first had the opportunity to trial some of these techniques during the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in October 2019, when Eliud Kipchoge became the first person to achieve a sub-two-hour marathon. The wide range of content they produced included a gallery of photos of training during the live event.

“When watching a live sporting event, quite often it’s good to have a deeper insight into the players and the equipment, which you can’t really show as part of live coverage,” said Preece. “We can show it to them on another device so they can get a deeper insight without compromising coverage of the sporting event, and to link it events that are happening within the race.” 

360-degree services

Another advantage of working with a new event is the infrastructure can be designed with content production in mind.

“When the event company is designing the race track, we’ve got an opportunity to integrate with them on elements that work for broadcast and to incorporate the camera plan,” said Preece. “For example, we can mount a camera on a turn on a place that it would be otherwise dangerous to film. This way, we can design the coverage without distracting the players.”

Unusually, Sunset+Vine’s output extends far beyond the broadcast feed, acting as a one stop shop for all content, from live to news to social and digital.

“We are unique in the sector in offering 360-degree services – rights sales, programme distribution, live production, shoulder production such as highlights and previews, news on TV and digital, general digital and social and audience development, for example building fan bases on social platforms.

“As events like this are being viewed in more ways on more devices our 360-degree service is increasing useful to organisers, as they don’t have to employ lots of different agencies.”

Zero carbon

In keeping with EBK Grand Prix’s mission to help create cleaner, greener healthier cities, Sunset+Vine are minimising the footprint of their work.

“We are looking at zero carbon in terms of how we are doing production, including looking at options for remote production. We are considering that in terms of how we deliver the production, and we will also look at how we integrate that into the editorial,” said Preece.

“Sport has the power to inspire and motivate,” said Rowan. “Media broadcast multiplies that impact. EBK’s mission is to effect change towards sustainability around the world, and our partners Sunset+Vine have the experience and prowess to harness broadcast’s full potential to help us do that.”

Following the confirmation of Dubai as a host in October, South Korea was announced as the second host country in December 2021. Global sports and entertainment company Collinder Holdings will work closely with the South Korean government on delivering the race series there.

EBK GP’s hosts commit to a three-year Sustainable Transformation Mobility (STM) programme, with delivery and support provided by a sustainability partner.

“We are very excited to join the E-Bike Grand Prix series, promoting technology and sustainability,” said Sara Kim, Chief Executive Officer of Collinder Holdings. “South Korea is one of the global leading battery manufacturers and the EV market rapidly growing E-Bike is just the right fit for Korea”.

Host City: Sunset+Vine is the Host Broadcaster for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games – what are the key aspects of the service you will offer?

Jeff Foulser: We are providing the broadcast coverage (Host Feed) for all 19 sports plus ceremonies as well as running the International Broadcast Centre which rights holders can book space and facilities in. We also provide a Games Channel which is essentially a channel showcasing the best live sport at any given time and a multi-channel service if broadcasters want to take just one sport.  

Host City: What led to Sunset+Vine winning the host broadcasting contracts for the 2012 Paralympics and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games for Sunset+Vine, and how transformative were these projects for the company?

Jeff Foulser: For the 2012 Paralympics we were approached by Channel 4 along with IMG for a joint production of the Games. This was the first time a UK broadcaster had committed so much airtime to a Paralympic Games and led to us running the Rio Games in 2016 on our own. The biggest challenge was to integrate talent with disability into the coverage as well as to find ways to educate the viewing audience. It transformed our company’s perceptions of disability and we’ve trained and employed a number of those who are still with the company today.

The 2014 Commonwealth Games were even more transformative for the company because they signalled our arrival as a truly global player in the world of Host Broadcasting. There was historically a small number of ‘specialist’ companies who were the ‘go to’ people for major events, and Glasgow proved to ourselves and the wider industry that we could deliver outstanding coverage of multi-sports events. This led to a number of major contract wins including ICC cricket and World Rugby Sevens.

Host City: Sunset+Vine also produced numerous live sporting events over the past 18 months. It must be quite a challenge working through times like these – what were the qualities that have enabled your team to navigate this turbulent time?

Jeff Foulser: It has certainly been the toughest time any of us can remember working in the industry but what impressed me was just how adaptable our staff have been to working in completely different ways. We pride ourselves on the culture of our business and the willingness of our people to just knuckle down and handle whatever was thrown at them was incredible. They constantly went the extra mile to keep on delivering top quality productions.

Host City: How do you think the pandemic changed the business of host broadcasting on an ongoing basis?

Jeff Foulser: The pandemic accelerated the move to remote production by a number of years and it has been a transformational way of working. Instead of all staff going to a football/rugby/cricket stadium and working together, we now have significantly fewer people on site as the programmes are predominantly delivered for remote hubs. This way of working is not universal because remote production only works if there is good connectivity at the event but as that improves, the move towards more remote working will continue to evolve.

The danger though is we have to make sure the teams stay personally connected to each other and the on-screen talent and they only get that if they can share ideas over a coffee and reflect on how well the show went afterwards over a beer in the pub. It’s also vital that the more junior members in the team have mentors to help them develop their skills.

Host City: How would you describe the impact of OTT streaming services on the sports broadcasting industry – who are the winners and losers from this media disruption?  

Jeff Foulser: Massive, as we are starting to see in many different territories. Companies like Amazon have very deep pockets and at the moment are testing out which rights work in different countries. We’ve just seen their presence in the North American market drive up the price for Premier League football, forcing NBC to pay £2 billion for a new rights cycle versus £740 million last time. As always in the sports rights market, those with the biggest cheque books will be the winners and it will be impossible for the free to air broadcasters to compete.

Host City: Content is also being generated by fans and athletes themselves – how do you believe this impacts the broadcasting industry (and rights holders)?

Jeff Foulser: This is absolutely complementary to the live rights and really helps to promote the events. As long as the live experience is protected from piracy the value to the rights holder is huge. Content generated by fans and athletes creates excitement and a buzz that feeds interest in the sport and draws even more people to it.

Host City: Thank you very much Jeff, we really look forward to finding out more from you at Host City 2021 on the panel “Broader casting – who owns the rights?”. Readers, check out Jeff’s speaker profile here: and don’t forget in all the excitement and buzz to REGISTER HERE NOW – and enjoy the show!

[Source: IOC] Tokyo 2020 will be broadcast globally to a potential audience of over 5 billion people, with more coverage by broadcast partners than any previous Olympic Games across both linear TV and digital:

• In Japan, TV coverage of Tokyo 2020 is expected to be around double that of Rio 2016.
• In the USA, NBCUniversal will air more than 7,000 hours of coverage across TV and digital platforms – a US Olympic record.
• Across Europe, Discovery Eurosport will air up to 4,000 hours of coverage on its TV and digital platform. This unprecedented level of content will be available in 48 territories.

The IOC and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), working with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and Olympic broadcast partners (RHBs), have also created a suite of digital tools as part of the “Share the Passion” project. It will allow athletes to engage with friends and family in the venues and allow fans all over the world to be actively involved in supporting their sporting heroes.

• Fan Video Matrix: Allows fans to be a genuine part of the Games experience by sharing their reactions to the sporting action in five-second video selfies, which will be displayed as a video matrix inside the venue.
• Cheer Map: A virtual “cheer” button will be embedded on several broadcasters’ digital platforms. Fans can watch the broadcast feed of an Olympic event and virtually clap or cheer by clicking the button. The system collects all the cheers and renders a global map of “cheer activity”. The map is sent as a video stream to broadcasters and showcased on venue video boards. 
• Athlete Moment – Family & Friends: At selected venues, Olympians will be able to interact live, straight after their competition with their family and friends back home through dedicated “Athlete Moment” stations.

“Our ambition is to bring the magic of the athletes’ achievements to the world on an unprecedented scale. Technology is going to play a critical role and allow us to bring fans ‘inside the venue’ virtually. This is an important ambition, not just for the fans, but also for the athletes as they compete on the world’s biggest stage. The IOC and OBS have been able to benefit from the great partnerships we have with the world’s leading media companies and sponsors and with Tokyo 2020. We also believe these new digital innovations will leave a legacy which we will build on at future editions of the Olympic Games,” says OBS CEO Yiannis Exarchos.

For Tokyo 2020, OBS will again push the boundaries of Olympic broadcasting by producing more than 9,000 hours content, 30 per cent more content than for Rio in 2016, in more formats, to assist the world’s broadcasters in bringing the Games to the world. The full live coverage will, for the first time in Olympic history, be in Ultra High Definition (4K) HDR with Immersive Audio (5.1.4). Audiences around the world will be introduced to never-seen-before camera angles, 360-degree replays, multi-camera live Virtual Reality (VR) coverage and more analytical data processed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) than at any previous Olympic Games, including:

• Intel’s True View cameras, which offer, for the first time, immersive replays for all basketball matches. True View builds three-dimensional, 360° video through an array of cameras installed high in a stadium or arena.
• 3D athlete-tracking technology developed in collaboration with Worldwide TOP Partners Intel and Alibaba. This first-of-its-kind broadcast enhancement technology uses AI and computer vision to enhance the viewing experience with near real-time insights and overlay visualisations during the athletics sprint events (100m, 200m, 400m and 4x100m relay, as well as decathlon/heptathlon). Viewers will be able to understand at what exact moment each sprinter reaches their peak speed and analyse the different phases of the race in detail through a full set of race statistics.
• In another breakthrough, the coverage of the archery competition will provide biometric data from miniature sensors worn by the archers. The monitor’s receptors will detect the heart rate and transmit the data wirelessly to generate the on-screen television graphics. Audiences will be able to witness the heartbeat variations and adrenaline rush experienced by the archers as they shoot their arrow.

In addition, the IOC has developed additional ways to enhance the way worldwide audiences will experience the Olympic Games, including:

• olympics.com – launched by the IOC in May 2021, the new platform provides a single, people-centric digital presence that utilises Olympic digital and social media channels to drive engagement and deliver content and communications. Offering a comprehensive source for Olympic information, news and original content, olympics.com creates one destination for all Olympic online properties – including the Olympic Channel, Tokyo 2020 and all future Games – allowing for improved, streamlined digital engagement during and between each Games.
• The Tokyo 2020 FanZone – an interactive gamification experience on olympics.com and the official Tokyo 2020 website and mobile app that will engage and unite fans around the world leading up to and throughout the Olympic Games:
  • Pre-Games: Fan can take part in regular trivia competitions to win prizes or enjoy thrilling sporting action from past Olympic Games via Magic Moments and vote on their favourite highlights.
  • During the Games, the Fantasy Challenge will allow fans to create a team by selecting their 10 favourite athletes from individual sports. Fans can start a league with friends or join an existing one to compete against other teams.
  • And in the Bracket Challenge, fans can attempt to select the winning bracket in each team sport while competing with friends and other fans around the world. 
• To celebrate the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the IOC, in partnership with Worldwide Olympic Partner Airbnb and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), will give people the chance to experience the Games like they’ve never done before, with a new collection of Olympian and Paralympian Online Experiences on Airbnb. Under the banner of “Tokyo Together”, the Olympian and Paralympian Online Experiences will bring the magic of the Games to the homes of fans around the world, from watching and commenting on the Games live with Olympians, to experiencing behind-the-scenes action live from Tokyo.
• In addition, Coca-Cola’s PLAYNATION hub provides group experiences and games that can be played anywhere, whether through the Virtual Torch Relay, or gamification experiences. Coca-Cola will offer exclusive video content through unlockable rewards based on user engagement across the platform released throughout the Games. 
• Samsung will continue its legacy of supporting athletes by providing them with exclusive Galaxy S21 5G Tokyo 2020 Athlete Phones to help maintain real-time connections, keep up with information, and capture and share memories of the Games with their friends and family back home.

Worldwide Olympic Partner Intel will stage the Intel World Open esports tournament, ahead of the Olympic Games, engaging fans around the world.

Yiannis Exarchos spoke about the changing media landscape at Host City Americas on 29-30 June. Register to watch for free here. 

[Source: Commonwealth Games Federation] The BBC has signed up to be the Domestic Broadcast Rights Holder for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The deal means the corporation will broadcast Birmingham 2022 events on television and radio and provide online coverage for the home nations, offering unparalleled coverage of the UK’s largest sporting event since the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The BBC has a long and proud association with the Commonwealth Games which dates back to 1954. With the longstanding history between the BBC and the Games, the organisation will bring an unrivalled experience of covering Birmingham 2022.

The deal marks a particularly significant moment as 2022 coincides with the BBC’s own centenary celebrations. The partnership also reinforces the BBC’s longstanding connection with Birmingham and the Midlands, as one of the oldest regional arms of the broadcaster.

The announcement comes on the day that Birmingham 2022 unveiled the Games’ medal event programme, confirming that the competition will be the first major multi-sport event in history to award more medals to women than men.

In addition, Birmingham 2022 will host the largest ever integrated para sport programme, as well as a record number of mixed events including diving, swimming relays and para-athletics relays.

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will be held from 28 July until 8 August 2022.

Commonwealth Games Federation President Dame Louise Martin DBE said: “I am delighted that the BBC has taken up the domestic rights for the Commonwealth Games.

I believe this deal represents a huge vote of confidence in Birmingham as well as the entire Commonwealth Sport Movement.

We anticipate some of the world's highest profile athletes will compete at Birmingham, which will be an historic event for women’s sport, with more medals for women than men.

The BBC has demonstrated a huge commitment to women’s sport and with 2022 marking their centenary, I am delighted they are partnering again with Commonwealth Sport to help us generate huge levels of excitement and anticipation in the lead up to one of the biggest sporting events the UK has ever have hosted.

I am thrilled that the BBC will once again connect millions of viewers to the drama and excitement of the Commonwealth Games, bringing their world class production and analysis to homes and handsets across the UK.”

Tim Davie, Director-General of the BBC, said: “In a year when many major sport events have been postponed, this is welcome news for sports fans.

We are delighted to be broadcasting the Commonwealth Games.”

Birmingham 2022 CEO Ian Reid said: “This is a significant moment for Birmingham 2022 and we are very proud to be working with the BBC as the Domestic Broadcast Rights Holder for the Games.

The BBC’s record in covering major sports events is truly outstanding and we can’t wait to work with them on our edition of the Commonwealth Games.

Birmingham 2022 is the biggest sporting event to be staged in the UK since the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the BBC is the perfect broadcaster to showcase our 19 sports and 8 para sports, the majority of which will be held in venues across Birmingham and the West Midlands, ensuring that the city and the region will be truly centre stage in 2022.”

Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: "This is another significant step towards the successful delivery of Birmingham 2022. It will be a fantastic year of culture and national celebration as we enjoy the Commonwealth Games, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and Festival UK.

“I am delighted that the BBC will continue its long-standing heritage of broadcasting the Games, and I look forward to watching every moment of the action.”