PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Media Updates

[Durban Sandshark]

Pyeongchang Olympic organizers hand off the IBC to the OBS and the numerous broadcast rights holders yesterday so they can start producing up to 4000 hours of video they can transmit worldwide:

https://www.olympic.org/news/pyeongchang-crosses-off-major-milestone-with-ibc-handover

A little more on the South Korean TV transition to UHD groundwave in time for Pyeongchang. Includes the detail of connecting smartphones to TVs that will relay the broadcasting and allows South Korean viewers to customize their Olympic viewing regardless of scheduling:

http://english.etnews.com/20170531200003

[Durban Sandshark]

Canadian Olympic Committee hosted a 2-day Team Canada Pyeongchang 2018 Media Summit at the Calgary Telus Convention Centre this past weekend with Canada's 75 Olympians and Paralympians made available for it to coincide with the Olympic Lab that was going on too:

http://aroundtherings.com/site/A__60283/Title__Canada-Hosts-PyeongChang-2018-Media-Summit----Conferences-and-Conventions/292/Articles

TV3 Lietuva plans for an Olympic Day celebration live from Ayltus with a short live broadcast throughout the day and also more from 19:30 Lithuanian time. It will also get involved with the broadcasting of the LTeam Olympic Festival, LTeam Sports Awards among others with association and co-production from the LTOK. Came upon the announcement that TV3 and TV6 Lietuva and the tv3.lt portal will act as the official Lithuanian Olympic broadcast platforms:

http://sportas.lrytas.lt/startai/2017/05/25/news/ltok-vykdomojo-komiteto-posedyje---ir-ziemos-olimpiniu-zaidyniu-atgarsiai-1398734/

http://www.bernardinai.lt/straipsnis/2017-01-17-2018-ir-2020-metu-olimpines-zaidynes-transliuos-tv3-televizija/154266

[Durban Sandshark]

Discovery Communications Europe hooks up with Italy's top telecommunications and largest company TIM with a partnership in offering coverage of the 2018-2020 Olympic Games on mobile and other digital platforms during this cycle with plans for a specific and exclusive new 24/7 channel as the first official mobile broadcasting provider in broadband and ultra-broadband that also extends to TIM's TV service with Eurosport Player (both subscription and on-demand):

http://www.multichannel.com/news/content/discovery-tim-team-olympic-mobile-broadcaster-service/413670

http://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/06/26/discovery-announces-first-ever-mobile-broadcast-partner-its-olympics-coverage

http://www.eurocomms.com/industry-news/12398-tim-to-be-europe-s-first-official-mobile-broadcaster-for-the-olympic-games

http://www.digitaltveurope.net/709571/discovery-signs-tim-as-first-olympics-official-mobile-broadcaster/

Now with Intel an IOC partner, it plans to broadcast 16 events live and offer another 16 events on-demand with drones using True VR's 12-camera video capture array with 180 degrees of action. Home viewers can also choose where to see the action at Olympic venues:

https://www.digitaltrends.com/virtual-reality/intel-olympic-tech-drones-vr/

http://www.nbcmontana.com/news/money/intel-drones-virtual-reality-headed-to-2018-olympics/555396415

[Durban Sandshark]

SuperSport and SABC are back with the acquisition of the 2018-2024 Sub-Saharan African Olympic media rights with the latter solely carrying the free-to-air South African media rights. Not only DStv SuperSport is joined by Zimbabwean-founded but now based in Johannesburg, South Africa Econet Media also acquiring the Sub-Saharan African pay-TV and FTA rights outside of South Africa (the former for Econet Media also does SA) through the Kwese Sports mulitchannels and Kwese TV and will compete with SS throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. In the case of the Winter Olympics, both SABC and Econet will create daily highlights on the FTA--and this time South Africa better participate in these Games. Hopefully, SuperSport will offer an additional channel for the Winter Olympics than for Sochi and Torino like maybe 4-5. SuperSport will also get involved in the development of The Olympic Channel.

No word on the French-language Sub-Saharan African media rights as of yet. It could be again TVMonde 5 and Canal+ Afrique. TVMonde 5 did Vancouver, if you recall. Could offer a few hours daily up to 100 since the Winter Olympics don't garner as much interest with no serious African Olympic medal contenders again for next year. Canal+ Afrique could offer more abundant coverage mostly in one channel or two. Not anticipating Portuguese coverage for Pyeongchang on SuperSport Maximo for South Africa, Angola, and Mozambique like in the Summer Olympics. If anything, more likely daily highlights.

https://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-awards-2018-2024-broadcast-rights-in-africa

https://citifmonline.com/2017/07/11/ioc-awards-2018-2024-exclusive-broadcast-rights-to-supersport/

The race is now on in South Korea for the 5G testing equipment with Pyeongchang as an all-important stop in the development: 

https://semiengineering.com/tm-vendors-look-5g-business/

Swiss online/mobile customers of Swisscom and Teleclub will be happy to get access to Eurosport's online coverage of Pyeongchang 2018 on Eurosport Players at a discount thanks to an extending cooperation agreement with Discovery Discovery Networks, Swisscom, and Teleclub, which will include the German (both Eurosport TV channels, DMAX, and TLC), French, and Italian coverages for Switzerland, Germany, Liechtenstein, and maybe Austria like for Eurosport 2:

http://www.horizont.net/schweiz/nachrichten/Eurosport-Player-Swisscom-und-Discovery-Network-erweitern-Zusammenarbeit-159328

General overview of what Germany's two Eurosport channels (including the FTA Eurosport 1), DMAX, and TLC plans to do as the new German TV holders of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics with over 50 hours daily and what sports and how things are scheduled. More so than what ZDF and ARD ever did with the highly sufficient supply of sports. No Winter Olympic sports televised on German primetime due to time zone differences. And also the challenges in comparisons to what the German public broadcasters done with the Olympics up until now like with TV shares for each of the Discovery Networks like the financial costs amid restructuring and TV parallelism:

http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/medien-olympiaprogramm-von-eurosport-auf-dem-pruefstand.1346.de.html?dram:article_id=387217

We will see Laurent Luyat definitely getting involved for France Televisions with its massive FranceTV Sport's Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics project. Sport TBA. Just conducted an interview with France's President Emmanuel Macron over his thoughts on Paris' 2024-2028 bid:

http://www.ozap.com/actu/laurent-luyat-je-veux-que-velo-club-soit-une-emission-grand-public/531347

 

[Durban Sandshark]

Things obviously quieted down lately here. Well, maybe not in some areas. But we know as this edition of the Winter Games get closer like when we hit the fall, media news and other things worldwide accelerate like a snowball going downhill. 

We now know this development as we could already expect: NBC's Pyeongchang 2018 coverage (and the Super Bowl with NBC's NFL Sunday Night in America leading up to that) will temporarily sideline Megyn Kelly's Sunday Night program until at least early March:

http://adage.com/article/media/nbc/309994/

The way how the CBC will announce its coverage plans with its partners like TSN/RDS and Rogers SportsNet is, if I recall things right, by start announcing the coverage sponsors that in many cases also happen to be Canadian Olympic Committee ones along with the IOC worldwide ones like Royal Bank, Petro-Canada, and Canadian Tire. Should be hearing things soon. Now with TSN having multiple channels, Canadians TV viewers like with Rio De Janeiro will everything shown and won't conflict with Toronto Raptors games and NHL regional ones. Even when showing the daily highlights segments.

But perhaps the biggest development right now is that Discovery/Eurosport is actually resuming negotiation talks with German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF back at the table in early July and might join the Eurosport channels, DMAX, and TLC as sublicensers after all following the two pulling out in a huff, upon realizing the low viewership shares and lack of sports experience (save for Eurosport) the latter three all have even combined. We don't know right now exactly what role or sports those two will play under this format. But alternating days like they traditionally did wouldn't be a surprise:

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/07/18/discovery-resumes-olympics-rights-talks-german-broadcasters

And it seems coming out a sublicensing deal with ZDF and ARD is struck but with little details yet except it's from 2018-2024:

http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/report-ard-and-zdf-secure-long-term-olympic-deal

Same cannot be said unfortunately down in Italy as RAI broke off talks with Discovery Italia over--you guessed it!--the amount of money for Pyeongchang 2018. Does hope it will do Tokyo 2020. Maybe it needs to be brought back too later on:

http://www.corriere.it/sport/17_aprile_23/olimpiadi-rischio-rai-88928b20-2792-11e7-b1fd-6ac3feee71e3.shtml?refresh_ce-cp

[Durban Sandshark]

Discovered (pun intended) the English press release regarding Eesti Meedia obtaining the Estonian Olympic 2018-2020 cycle exclusive free-to-air audio-visual broadcasting rights after decades of being on ETV since independence. We all know the IOC mandates worldwide broadcasters must show at least 100 hours for the Winter Olympics, so that will be complied. Eesti Meedia designated Kanal 2 for the free-to-air TV distinction with comprehensive coverage that will compliment the Estonian language Eurosport, who will handle its own Estonian digital rights. Fellow Eesti Meedia entities Postimees, the first Estonian daily newspaper known as The Postman in English, along with Kuku Raadio will handle the Estonian digital rights along with Kanal 2. During this period, Russian language Olympic Games broadcasts in Estonia starting with Pyeongchang 2018 will be made available online/digitally. No word yet on whether Kanal 2's sister channels Kanal 11 and Kanal 12 will get involved in February with pay-TV's Eurosport, maybe in a more limited junior partner capacity. Or perhaps not. More likely with the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics with so many events held there. Also expect advertising opportunities and duties for Discovery and TLC scaled up this recent partnership and joint promotion at Eesti Meedia, Estonia's largest private media corporation:

http://eestimeedia.ee/news/as-eesti-meedia-has-acquired-olympic-games-coverage-rights

It is reported the rights fee agreed by ZDF and Das Erste with Discovery for up to 2024 is 1.3 billion euros.

First news somewhat regarding the Seven Network down in Australia. Seven was so impressed with its TV and digital streaming viewership/coverage success with record viewership and TV acting as the catalyst, it's eager to build upon the lessons learned from that multiplatform exercise experience moving forward. Kurt Burnette declares this structure as the "new norm", even extending to entertainment. It will certainly play an important role in the development of SevenWest Media's new millennials' digital play Platform 7 or P7 and its new programmatic data-oriented play Code 7 introduced in Sydney. Look for great specific details on both as we get closer to Pyeongchang and Tokyo because we obviously know there's lots of content involved with the Olympics for both:

https://mumbrella.com.au/seven-focuses-local-content-announces-youth-focused-off-platform-distribution-404629

[Durban Sandshark]

Now it's finally official with ZDF, ARD, and Eurosport as far as the German Olympic TV/radio rights coverage from 2018-2024 in scoring a new deal. The two German public TV channels get exclusive live and highlights programming packages with Eurosport. Eurosport still gets the exclusivity for select live events such as snowboarding, ice hockey (excluding German team matches and finals), figure skating and short track at Pyeongchang 2018 along with daily primetime highlights through Eurosport 1:

http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/discovery-confirms-olympic-deal-with-ard-and-zdf

http://www.eurosport.de/olympische-spiele/eurosport-und-ard-zdf-prasentieren-zuschauern-in-deutschland-die-olympischen-spiele_sto6284076/story.shtml

http://www.digitaltveurope.net/730072/discovery-to-sub-license-olympics-to-german-pubcasters/

http://worldscreen.com/tveurope/2017/08/11/german-pubcasters-ard-zdf-score-olympics-deal/

At the 200-day countdown mark, Eurosport Italia announces the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics will be shown for 1000 hours on Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2, and Eurosport Player. Eurosport 1 will be your Team Italia Azzurri channel like Sky Sport Italia did with its own version during the previous cycle. 24 hours a day with live programming going from 1:30pm Italy time to the beginning of the afternoon the next day. Two international studios will be planned with one back in Italy and the other in Pyeongchang. Its talent will be headlined by Giorgio Rocca in South Korea with Tina Maze, Karen Putzer and Gabriella Paruzzi all there. Enrico Fabris, journalist Irene Saderini are expected to be there. Alessandro Acton and as yet unnamed female face will act as studio anchors back in Italy, likely in Rome with Guido Bagatta. It will also international work of Kjetil André Aamodt, Lasse Kius, Anja Pärson and Sven Hannawald:

http://www.gazzetta.it/Sport-Invernali/23-07-2017/pyeongchang-2018-200-giorni-via-eurosport-pronta-sara-tutto-diretta-210495025160.shtml?refresh_ce-cp

[Durban Sandshark]

TV2 Denmark is not very thrilled over the fact that Eurosport is teaming up with just DR starting next year and not continuing or extending the long-running Danish Olympic broadcasting partnership between TV2 and DR, though it says the channel is more than capable:

http://www.dr.dk/sporten/ol/tv2-aergrer-sig-over-brud-paa-ol-samarbejde-med-dr

TVR Romania and Eurosport through Discovery have struck an agreement for the Romanian Olympic TV broadcasting rights for this 2018-2020 Olympic cycle starting with Pyeongchang. TVR will get the exclusive free-to-air sublicensing TV rights from Eurosport through its linear and non-linear TVR channels and digital/mobile rights that will also include on-demand programming, radio rights, news content rights, and short clips that will be broadcast on the TVR channels and digital platforms without being exclusive. Thus continuing on TVR's Olympic broadcasting tradition:

https://www.agerpres.ro/comunicate/2017/08/08/comunicat-de-presa-tvr-22-32-06

[Durban Sandshark]

A further detail dealing with DR's (but not with TV2 this cycle) Winter Olympic broadcast coverage plans this coming February in Pyeongchang with Discovery's Eurosport and Kanal 5. Coverage is to be split between the two entities. We still don't know exactly what sports DR will exclusively air for the Winter Olympics as much as we do with the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, though I can safely assume that the Opening and Closing Ceremonies will get shown there. Discovery's Eurosport and Kanal 5 will retain the exclusive Danish Olympic TV rights to ice hockey. But Discovery retains all the Olympic moments and rights on TV with online/mobile platforms. DR will also hold access to time-shifted OL programming events that Discovery has exclusive live access to and also transmit live from the disciplines DR has exclusive TV rights to there. Other disciplines may be shown in an offset manner:

http://ekstrabladet.dk/sport/anden_sport/OL2016/dr-snyder-konkurrenterne-tv-2-maa-vinke-farvel-til-ol/6772173

http://www.avm.dk/nyhed/visnyhed.php?nyhedsnummer=2791

Theresa Johaug is one of Norway's top Winter sports stars and serious medal contenders TV Norge and Discovery's Eurosport was planning to heavily promote to the Norwegian public in the run-up for their coverage of Pyeongchang although her races would've been live in the middle of the night in Norway from South Korea. But now she's slapped with an extension of her 13-month suspension to 18 for positive doping testing last week following losing in the CAS that will cause her to miss Pyeongchang and beyond and not appear on TVNorge's screens, and this will no doubt place a semi-serious dent onto those plans with attracting sponsors as one with high TV viewing and attraction levels being involved in nordic cross-country skiing. But not too terribly overall with other Norwegian profiles like Marit Bjørgen and Heidi Weng to get people excited. Meanwhile, rival and former Norwegian Olympic TV broadcaster TV2 is watching closely on the Johaug saga for possible changes for a currently in-production documentary about her in the fall:

https://www.dn.no/etterBors/2017/08/22/1507/Tv/mister-viktig-seerattraksjon

We can expect a segment on NBC about the infamous DMZ with the Olympics back in South Korea. But unlike the more lighthearted one with Ahmad Rashad visiting and having fun with US Army troops there back in Seoul 1988, I anticipate this upcoming one will be more fully serious in tone as part of the Korean War legacy and strong on the history angle. Perhaps we can also see ones on South Korea's rapid economic growth since the 1970s from poverty and maybe the democratic maturity since Seoul from Chun Doo-Hwan/Roh Tae-Woo to Moon Jae-In even with Park Gyn-He's impeachment:

http://deadline.com/2017/08/nbc-geared-up-for-winter-olympics-in-pyeongchang-even-as-north-korea-heats-up-tca-1202142068/

Today Show on NBC will showcase the Pyeongchang 2018 sports events as part of its weekly travel and lifestyle segments during October after having shown Olympic clips from March-April. KOCIS, the South Korean government-run cultural organization, has already arranged Olympic news coverage for news organizations from 40 nations with an additional 60 journalists arriving by December. Look for overseas Olympic-related and themed future ads televised to major Olympic broadcasters starting at the 100-day countdown mark--Promotional videos on the Olympics already aired on other broadcasters, including CNN, Eurosport, Fox Sports, Fuji TV, America TV, and Vietnamese and Chinese ones (and surely this is where the deluge of worldwide Olympic media news developments will really take off) along with KOCIS including a tour of the venues involving journalists at foreign news organizations in South Korea like the IBC:

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170828000723

 

 

 

[Durban Sandshark]

On TV Norge/Eurosport's part, we can expect more Winter Olympic events to be shown unprecedently through online/streaming for Norwegians, since there's no other FTA Norwegian TV channel in the Discovery family willing to carry at least of the Pyeongchang coverage like with its neighbors Sweden's Kanal 5 is doing (How many streaming channels is still unknown at this point). Partly out of the desire to get many of them who will likely be at the office rather than at home. Yet they'll watch there too, of course.

But there will be lots of sports during the Olympic weekends involving Norwegian athletes, especially with the first one, and TVNorge plans to capture all of the Norwegian medal contenders live from Pyeongchang that will usually be shown with many events during the morning/mid-afternoon hours in Norway's time. During TVNorge's daily 24-hour Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics broadcast, it will also plan for Olympic-themed entertainment programming, daily primetime summaries and highlights segments, other Olympic-related broadcasts, and news during the afternoon and evening:

http://www.vg.no/sport/ol-2018/slik-er-programmet-under-ol-i-pyeongchang-2018/a/24131416/

Helene Husvik will join the TVNorge/Eurosport team for the Pyeongchang 2018 broadcast but with what portfolio is TBD. But not before she had to endure suing her former employer TV2 for wrongful termination earlier this year and just settled out of court:

http://www.vg.no/rampelys/tv/tv-2/helene-husvik-klar-for-ol-jobb-for-discovery/a/24130751/

ORF showcased their upcoming 2018 TV programming for ORF1 and ORF2 yesterday for a publicity pre-screening yesterday in Vienna in front of journalists, like when the major FTA American TV networks show their new fall programming to advertisers and journalists. And ORF's Olympische Winterspielen 2018 coverage was among them, but there was little details, judging from the reports afterwards, about what to expect there from it except that the ceremonies are now back on ORF after being on ATV for Sochi. Not even the TV channels officially, though we can expect ORF1 and ORF Sport with Eurosport and Eurosport 2 imported from Germany (and for Switzerland and Liechtenstein too):

https://mnews.medianet.at/primenews/orf-programm-2018-dauerbrenner-und-innovationen-15386.html

Estonia's Kanal 2, the most watched TV channel there, has just left free-to-air TV broadcasting for cable subscription on August 1 because of Eesti Meedia's desire to contribute in restructuring the Estonian TV market and raise the very low advertising rates with hopes to raise funds for more original programming. But plans are at work in assuring every Estonian will watch Kanal 2's coverage of Pyeongchang 2018 with sister channel Kanal 12. Also notes that incidentally former Estonian Olympic broadcaster Viasat's TV3 from the previous Olympic cycle with figure skating in the winter and track and field in the summer version also joined the cable move. Are we starting to see a backlash trend of sorts with rising rights fees with broadcasters?

http://news.err.ee/603395/kanal-2-tv3-to-leave-free-to-air-television

Latvian cable television provider Lattelecom just signed a cooperative agreement with Eurosport to provide extensive broadcast rights coverage for this Olympic cycle with three pop-up Winter Olympic channels for Pyeongchang with an additional (but separate) seven for the Summer in Tokyo while also purchasing the online Eurosport Olympic rights for Shortcut TV:

http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/Technology/?doc=133201

Along with the already complex committment towards 4K, NHK and OBS continues its partnership that uses 8K which will also include  the introduction of HDR and the BT 2020 wider color gamut and perhaps the higher frame rates that will bring the "full monty" in an interview with Sotiris Salamouris by IBC's Chris Forrester:

https://www.ibc.org/production/interview-sotiris-salamouris-obs/2229.article

BeIN Sports in the Middle East and North Africa further solidify its partnership with the IOC with becoming also the home of the Olympic Channel that includes and begins with a daily 8-hour programming block with robust Olympic content on BeIN Sports' free-to-air channel. The Middle Eastern/North African 24/7 version of the Olympic Channel begins November 1 on a subscription basis:

https://www.olympic.org/news/olympic-channel-and-bein-media-group-announce-partnership

http://www.beinsports.com/en/olympics/news/bein-sports-home-of-the-olympic-channel/636930

[Durban Sandshark]

On 8/15/2017 at 8:44 PM, Durban Sandshark said:

TV2 Denmark is not very thrilled over the fact that Eurosport is teaming up with just DR starting next year and not continuing or extending the long-running Danish Olympic broadcasting partnership between TV2 and DR, though it says the channel is more than capable:

http://www.dr.dk/sporten/ol/tv2-aergrer-sig-over-brud-paa-ol-samarbejde-med-dr

...And there's really nothing TV2 can do about it to change things to restart the Danish Olympic TV partnership with DR.

Swedish women's hockey goalie Kim Martin Hasson with a silver from 2006 and a bronze in 2002 under her name, two World Championship bronzes, three SM gold, and two European Cup victories with AIK, and a former Minnesota-Duluth Bulldog in the NCAA win her illustrious career who was born on the very day Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was murdered, joins the Kanal 5/Kanal 9/Eurosport Sverige Pyeongchang 2018 sportscasting team in the ice hockey portion with notable Swedish hockey legends turned Discovery experts Peter Forsberg, Hakan Loob, and Daniel Rudslatt as its women's ice hockey analyst with Tommy Astrom as play-by-play man. Makes it her fifth consecutive Olympics but first as a broadcaster. She's hopeful that Sweden will surprise out of their preliminary group in Pyeongchang as a medal contender:  

http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/eurosport/pressreleases/kim-martin-hasson-ny-os-expert-i-eurosport-2148378

Also joining Eurosport as an analyst, though apparently in its pan-European English form, is a 4-time German gold medalist in bobsledding Andre Lange. He will provide his expertise at the Alpensia Sliding Centre in Pyeonchang, South Korea for the sports network's coverage right after his South Korean luge coaching expires just before the Winter Olympic Games start:

https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1055207/four-time-olympic-bobsleigh-champion-to-feature-on-eurosports-pyeongchang-2018-coverage

Swedish subscribers to ComHem/Boxer and Sappa will be happy to know about its new agreement with Discovery Sweden that assures Kanal 5, Kanal 9, the Eurosport channels, and Eurosport Player will be made accessible for Pyeongchang 2018:

https://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/discovery-networks-sweden-ab/pressreleases/nytt-avtal-mellan-comhem-slash-boxer-och-discovery-klart-2146425

https://www.resume.se/nyheter/artiklar/2017/09/06/mitti-comhem-krisen--discovery-tecknar-avtal-med-sappa/

[yoshi]

I don't understand this Discovery & Eurosport deal...so are the BBC involved here or not? If so, how much will they have? And will we end up like America with Olympic events sprawled across all the discovery group - ski jumping on Animal Planet, say?

[Durban Sandshark]

The good ol' Beeb will no doubt be involved for Pyeongchang next February and with Tokyo later with two Eurosport channels acting as the cable supplier. Just now at least for this Olympic cycle, the BBC will have even greater emphasis, I suspect, on the British Winter Olympians than ever with plenty of medal prospects again on BBC2. As for the bigger and exact details like how its coverage and its amount will work in association with Eurosport on TV, online/mobile, and radio, those of course will be forthcoming in the coming months. Will see more sprawling coverage, I think.  

Little new developments on the NBC front across the pond for right now. But there are a couple I found. First is that Little Rock/Central Arkansas' KARK 4 anchor Aaron Nolan gets his second consecutive Olympic assignment to Pyeongchang to report localized Olympic news and stories to Central Arkansas:

http://www.arkansasmatters.com/news/local-news/another-olympic-assignment-for-aaron-nolan/786030339

As already mentioned earlier here, plans are afoot in South Korea in moving into 5G territory for the online/mobile realm. NBC certainly wants to take advantage of that, also being made available Stateside, and use this new standard for better, high-quality digital live video streaming quality and reduce lag times for not just Pyeongchang 2018 but also the Super Bowl in Minneapolis with newer mobile devices forthcoming:

http://www.cablefax.com/distribution/nbc-sports-looking-forward-to-streaming-advances-in-5g

https://fansided.com/2017/09/17/nbc-sports-5g-video-integration-great-news-wide-variety-sports-fans/

We just now got France Televisions' Pyeongchang 2018 advertising press kit to promoting its exclusive coverage there with 17-day coverage coming mostly from 2am-3:30pm France time. Says France Televisions 2-4 will be involved for FranceTV Sport but mostly on France 2 and 3 with France 4 doing nighttime highlights. Both ceremonies will be shown live in the afternoon 12-13h France time. 16 VR 360 degrees videos from its emag, and Facebook and Instagram gets some serious involvement with France TV Sport. Plus, there's three levels of advertising rates for TV and now digital outlets for the first time:

https://www.francetvpub.fr/content/uploads/2017/09/pyeongchang-2018.pdf

http://www.offremedia.com/francetv-publicite-lance-ses-offres-tvdigital-pour-les-jeux-olympiques-dhiver-de-pyeongchang-2018

[JMarkSnow2012]

5 hours ago, Durban Sandshark said:

Will see more sprawling coverage, I think

Yes but ....

The BBC has been quite canny in letting Eurosport "borrow" some of its rights for 2018 and 2020, because they are both in pretty much the most inconvenient possible timezones for the UK. The real focus of BBC coverage is likely to be summaries on breakfast TV and in evening primetime.

[Durban Sandshark]

Sports Video Group brings a tech look at the upcoming and new Dolby Atmos immersive broadcast iteration that will definitely upgrade South Korean stereo television for South Korea's three Olympic television broadcasters for Pyeongchang 2018--SBS, KBS, and MBC--and the orientation needed for the massive undertaking:

https://www.sportsvideo.org/2017/09/14/tech-focus-immersive-sound-part-2-rapid-development-spurs-the-need-for-training/

[Durban Sandshark]

Not shocked at all with this development from NBC with zero NHL games televised during the Winter Olympics on all platforms. Does certainly seem, at least on the surface, that NBC is giving "the not-so-subtle symbolic middle finger" towards NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHL for not allowing NBC and NBCSN to promote the NHL's star players repping for their countries at Pyeongchang 2018 for its early morning coverage in the latter, despite having a largely prosperous decade-long television partnership since the lockout as NBCSN's major tentpole sports product. Could the strains start showing? Based on the 13-hour time difference from Pyeongchang and the US east coast cities, the NBC Olympic TV network family can still show a handful of NHL games from February 9-26 for primetime. But NBC doesn't want to stretch its resources too thin (like its regular broadcasting talent and overloading with its Olympic feeds) or divide its between Pyeongchang and wherever it could go stateside and won't touch its regional sports cable channels to replace them. Strictly business on NBC's part as it makes better sense to give greater priority on the Winter Olympics that month. Curling seems to be just as popular with TV viewers during the Winter Olympics, so it could promote that well too:

http://awfulannouncing.com/nhl/nbc-will-air-zero-nhl-games-olympics-coincidence.html

https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2017/9/26/16368584/nbc-nhl-olympics-broadcast-nbcsn-gary-bettman

http://nypost.com/2017/09/23/nhls-decision-to-skip-olympics-leads-to-tv-embarrassment/

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/report-nhl-will-go-dark-across-all-nbc-platforms-during-the-2018-olympics/

But the IOC says the NBC is more than free to show NHL games during Pyeongchang 2018 with the time zone difference. Theoretically it can with no conflicts; it can't entirely avoid the NHL. NBCSN may instead show Olympic highlights or Big East college basketball during that primetime segment:   

http://aroundtherings.com/site/A__61634/Title__IOC-Says-NBC-Free-to-Air-NHL-Games-During-PyeongChang-2018/292/Articles

[Quaker2001]

14 hours ago, Durban Sandshark said:

Not shocked at all with this development from NBC with zero NHL games televised during the Winter Olympics on all platforms. Does certainly seem, at least on the surface, that NBC is giving "the not-so-subtle symbolic middle finger" towards NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHL for not allowing NBC and NBCSN to promote the NHL's star players repping for their countries at Pyeongchang 2018 for its early morning coverage in the latter, despite having a largely prosperous decade-long television partnership since the lockout as NBCSN's major tentpole sports product. Could the strains start showing? Based on the 13-hour time difference from Pyeongchang and the US east coast cities, the NBC Olympic TV network family can still show a handful of NHL games from February 9-26 for primetime. But NBC doesn't want to stretch its resources too thin (like its regular broadcasting talent and overloading with its Olympic feeds) or divide its between Pyeongchang and wherever it could go stateside and won't touch its regional sports cable channels to replace them. Strictly business on NBC's part as it makes better sense to give greater priority on the Winter Olympics that month. Curling seems to be just as popular with TV viewers during the Winter Olympics, so it could promote that well too:

http://awfulannouncing.com/nhl/nbc-will-air-zero-nhl-games-olympics-coincidence.html

https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2017/9/26/16368584/nbc-nhl-olympics-broadcast-nbcsn-gary-bettman

http://nypost.com/2017/09/23/nhls-decision-to-skip-olympics-leads-to-tv-embarrassment/

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/report-nhl-will-go-dark-across-all-nbc-platforms-during-the-2018-olympics/

But the IOC says the NBC is more than free to show NHL games during Pyeongchang 2018 with the time zone difference. Theoretically it can with no conflicts; it can't entirely avoid the NHL. NBCSN may instead show Olympic highlights or Big East college basketball during that primetime segment:   

http://aroundtherings.com/site/A__61634/Title__IOC-Says-NBC-Free-to-Air-NHL-Games-During-PyeongChang-2018/292/Articles

Do you have any original thoughts on all this?  Because it seems like you're just repeating most of the points brought up in these stories and using phrases and talking points that clearly don't come from your own opinions.  

To the last one.. the IOC doesn't have to say that.  They have no say in what NBC shows in and around Olympic coverage and it's noted in the story they don't impose restrictions, let alone that this is an Olympic sport.  This was entirely NBC's decision, and I agree with the sentiment that this is a middle finger to the NHL, because they could have showed at least some hockey (could have used the resources of Comcast RSNs) but they decided not to.  Perhaps we all should have figured this was coming weeks ago when the NHL schedules were first released, but clearly NBC decided not to change course.

Also, to note.. it's a 14 hour difference between the US East coast and Korea during the Olympics (it's 13 hours now, but Korea doesn't observe Daylight Savings Time, so it will be 14 hours in February)

[daniel anderson400]

1 hour ago, Quaker2001 said:

Do you have any original thoughts on all this?  Because it seems like you're just repeating most of the points brought up in these stories and using phrases and talking points that clearly don't come from your own opinions.  

To the last one.. the IOC doesn't have to say that.  They have no say in what NBC shows in and around Olympic coverage and it's noted in the story they don't impose restrictions, let alone that this is an Olympic sport.  This was entirely NBC's decision, and I agree with the sentiment that this is a middle finger to the NHL, because they could have showed at least some hockey (could have used the resources of Comcast RSNs) but they decided not to.  Perhaps we all should have figured this was coming weeks ago when the NHL schedules were first released, but clearly NBC decided not to change course.

Also, to note.. it's a 14 hour difference between the US East coast and Korea during the Olympics (it's 13 hours now, but Korea doesn't observe Daylight Savings Time, so it will be 14 hours in February)

I wonder if CBC will cover NHL during the Olympics? maybe with their regional SportsNet guys filling in.

[Quaker2001]

2 minutes ago, daniel anderson400 said:

I wonder if CBC will cover NHL during the Olympics? maybe with their regional SportsNet guys filling in.

No need to wonder..

Sportsnet Announces 2017-18 National NHL Broadcast Schedule

Sure looks like they plan on covering NHL games during the Olympics.

[daniel anderson400]

On 9/26/2017 at 8:10 PM, Durban Sandshark said:

Not shocked at all with this development from NBC with zero NHL games televised during the Winter Olympics on all platforms. Does certainly seem, at least on the surface, that NBC is giving "the not-so-subtle symbolic middle finger" towards NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHL for not allowing NBC and NBCSN to promote the NHL's star players repping for their countries at Pyeongchang 2018 for its early morning coverage in the latter, despite having a largely prosperous decade-long television partnership since the lockout as NBCSN's major tentpole sports product. Could the strains start showing? Based on the 13-hour time difference from Pyeongchang and the US east coast cities, the NBC Olympic TV network family can still show a handful of NHL games from February 9-26 for primetime. But NBC doesn't want to stretch its resources too thin (like its regular broadcasting talent and overloading with its Olympic feeds) or divide its between Pyeongchang and wherever it could go stateside and won't touch its regional sports cable channels to replace them. Strictly business on NBC's part as it makes better sense to give greater priority on the Winter Olympics that month. Curling seems to be just as popular with TV viewers during the Winter Olympics, so it could promote that well too:

http://awfulannouncing.com/nhl/nbc-will-air-zero-nhl-games-olympics-coincidence.html

https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2017/9/26/16368584/nbc-nhl-olympics-broadcast-nbcsn-gary-bettman

http://nypost.com/2017/09/23/nhls-decision-to-skip-olympics-leads-to-tv-embarrassment/

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/report-nhl-will-go-dark-across-all-nbc-platforms-during-the-2018-olympics/

But the IOC says the NBC is more than free to show NHL games during Pyeongchang 2018 with the time zone difference. Theoretically it can with no conflicts; it can't entirely avoid the NHL. NBCSN may instead show Olympic highlights or Big East college basketball during that primetime segment:   

http://aroundtherings.com/site/A__61634/Title__IOC-Says-NBC-Free-to-Air-NHL-Games-During-PyeongChang-2018/292/Articles

CBC will have the same issue with stretching its resources too thin(they do have the regional SportsNet announcers though to help out.) Like for example, Rogers owns the rights to the Flames, Oilers and Canucks, so those regional crews could help out. Plus i don't think all of their regular NHL guys will go to Korea, maybe Hughson and maybe Randorf would go, and they still have Bob Cole to help out on NHL games, plus the regional guys.

[Durban Sandshark]

5 hours ago, daniel anderson400 said:

CBC will have the same issue with stretching its resources too thin(they do have the regional SportsNet announcers though to help out.) Like for example, Rogers owns the rights to the Flames, Oilers and Canucks, so those regional crews could help out. Plus i don't think all of their regular NHL guys will go to Korea, maybe Hughson and maybe Randorf would go, and they still have Bob Cole to help out on NHL games, plus the regional guys.

SportsNet also has the Toronto Maple Leafs regional rights too including on SportsNet Fan 590 radio that it also shares with TSN 1050 Toronto. TSN/RDS holds the regional rights towards the Maple Leafs, Senators, Jets, and the Canadiens with RDS holding the exclusive French rights towards the Habs (Canadiens for the unitiated) and Sens. But their resources won't be stretched thin like Rogers will be because of the latter's very massive national Canadian NHL TV contract with TVA Sports on the French side that Bell Media isn't involved. Contract lasts until 2026. Furthermore there's the TSN multichannel advantage, which it can use to show Winter Olympic events like it did acting as the bulk than SportsNet with Rio 2016 but not as much sports. Maple Leaf games will be TSN4, Sens are on TSN5, the Jets will be at TSN3, and the Canadiens will appear on TSN2. Issue is, where exactly the TSN channels will the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics from the TSN front will be shown? Surely TSN proper will but maybe with TSN2/3 for supplemental events with likely some simulcasting from the others until Sportscentre and NHL regional action. Or the sports. With Rogers SportsNet, I seriously think there will be a fusion with the CBC hockey personnel with the CBC acting as the bulk. Doubt highly we'll see some TSN hockey sportscasters involved. One can only imagine if the Vancouver Grizzlies were still existing and also showed all their games on Rogers SportsNet Pacific and West how that would affect things. As for as that Hockey Day in Canada coming on Saturday February 18, that early game Winnipeg at Montreal in the afternoon has to go to City TV with CBC/Radio-Canada and Rogers SportsNet too focused on live Pyeongchang 2018 coverage segments up to the early afternoon. In many cases. that hockey will be immediately afterwards Hockey Night in Canada and the regional/nationally televised games.

Plus, there's also the additional fact that Rogers SportsNet also has half of the Toronto Raptors 82-game TV schedule it's committed to as well with four games during the Pyeongchang span, all on SportsNet One. TSN in comparison will only have two Raptors games at that month because their greater broadcasting priority of course will be with Pyeongchang 2018 and of the regional NHL team rights (ditto on the radio with TSN 1050 Toronto) with those multiple channels. Very safe to say that Rogers SportsNet will showcase men's and women's Olympic hockey as its anchor because of the NHL contract and of the hockey resources it currently hold with plenty of pre- and post-game analysis with the CBC having all the games, not just the Team Canada and the medal round ones of course. I am sure there will be ceremony simulcasting from Rogers SportsNet and TSN/RDS and possible replays. We'll touch upon the RDS French side, where things aren't as vast even with three channels--and its hockey personnel could get stretched out even more so. The TVA Sports hockey sportscasting guys MIGHT (emphasis on that word) get involved in South Korea because of the NHL rights, but I don't think so because there's no Olympics broadcasting involved with them.

With the Olympics, be it Summer or Winter, it unquestionably will reach Millenials to bring forth more ad revenue for 17 days than MTV reaps in a year. Millenials are where it's at to get them into Olympic fever, and they've succeeded during Rio 2016. Snapchat and Buzzfeed will help them even further to reach the $10 billion ad revenue goal for NBCU as it highly picks up steam when we get closer for February:

http://www.adweek.com/tv-video/ad-sales-for-nbcs-coverage-of-the-winter-olympics-are-starting-to-pick-up/

[Quaker2001]

1 hour ago, Durban Sandshark said:

As for as that Hockey Day in Canada coming on Saturday February 18, that early game Winnipeg at Montreal in the afternoon has to go to City TV with CBC/Radio-Canada and Rogers SportsNet too focused on live Pyeongchang 2018 coverage segments up to the early afternoon. In many cases. that hockey will be immediately afterwards Hockey Night in Canada and the regional/nationally televised games.

You sure about all that?  Maybe you should check that schedule 1 more time,

[JMarkSnow2012]

1 hour ago, Quaker2001 said:

You sure about all that?  Maybe you should check that schedule 1 more time,

Of course he could be wrong, but experts are right most of the time.

[daniel anderson400]

5 hours ago, Durban Sandshark said:

SportsNet also has the Toronto Maple Leafs regional rights too including on SportsNet Fan 590 radio that it also shares with TSN 1050 Toronto. TSN/RDS holds the regional rights towards the Maple Leafs, Senators, Jets, and the Canadiens with RDS holding the exclusive French rights towards the Habs (Canadiens for the unitiated) and Sens. But their resources won't be stretched thin like Rogers will be because of the latter's very massive national Canadian NHL TV contract with TVA Sports on the French side that Bell Media isn't involved. Contract lasts until 2026. Furthermore there's the TSN multichannel advantage, which it can use to show Winter Olympic events like it did acting as the bulk than SportsNet with Rio 2016 but not as much sports. Maple Leaf games will be TSN4, Sens are on TSN5, the Jets will be at TSN3, and the Canadiens will appear on TSN2. Issue is, where exactly the TSN channels will the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics from the TSN front will be shown? Surely TSN proper will but maybe with TSN2/3 for supplemental events with likely some simulcasting from the others until Sportscentre and NHL regional action. Or the sports. With Rogers SportsNet, I seriously think there will be a fusion with the CBC hockey personnel with the CBC acting as the bulk. Doubt highly we'll see some TSN hockey sportscasters involved. One can only imagine if the Vancouver Grizzlies were still existing and also showed all their games on Rogers SportsNet Pacific and West how that would affect things. As for as that Hockey Day in Canada coming on Saturday February 18, that early game Winnipeg at Montreal in the afternoon has to go to City TV with CBC/Radio-Canada and Rogers SportsNet too focused on live Pyeongchang 2018 coverage segments up to the early afternoon. In many cases. that hockey will be immediately afterwards Hockey Night in Canada and the regional/nationally televised games.

Plus, there's also the additional fact that Rogers SportsNet also has half of the Toronto Raptors 82-game TV schedule it's committed to as well with four games during the Pyeongchang span, all on SportsNet One. TSN in comparison will only have two Raptors games at that month because their greater broadcasting priority of course will be with Pyeongchang 2018 and of the regional NHL team rights (ditto on the radio with TSN 1050 Toronto) with those multiple channels. Very safe to say that Rogers SportsNet will showcase men's and women's Olympic hockey as its anchor because of the NHL contract and of the hockey resources it currently hold with plenty of pre- and post-game analysis with the CBC having all the games, not just the Team Canada and the medal round ones of course. I am sure there will be ceremony simulcasting from Rogers SportsNet and TSN/RDS and possible replays. We'll touch upon the RDS French side, where things aren't as vast even with three channels--and its hockey personnel could get stretched out even more so. The TVA Sports hockey sportscasting guys MIGHT (emphasis on that word) get involved in South Korea because of the NHL rights, but I don't think so because there's no Olympics broadcasting involved with them.

With the Olympics, be it Summer or Winter, it unquestionably will reach Millenials to bring forth more ad revenue for 17 days than MTV reaps in a year. Millenials are where it's at to get them into Olympic fever, and they've succeeded during Rio 2016. Snapchat and Buzzfeed will help them even further to reach the $10 billion ad revenue goal for NBCU as it highly picks up steam when we get closer for February:

http://www.adweek.com/tv-video/ad-sales-for-nbcs-coverage-of-the-winter-olympics-are-starting-to-pick-up/

 

I don't see any conflict for Hockey Day In Canada, since the Olympics aren't going on yet.

[Quaker2001]

9 hours ago, JMarkSnow2012 said:

Of course he could be wrong, but experts are right most of the time.

That's an accurate sentiment, but 2 things there..

1) Durban is not an "expert" (if he is, what exactly is he supposed to be an expert on)?  He has a knack for collecting and sharing loads of online posts and news/information about Olympic media coverage and as I've said before, I'm fascinated how he collects it all.  But that doesn't make him an expert in the content.  Durban has noted on a couple of occasions that he doesn't really consume much, if any Olympic coverage.  A lot of times, it seems like he's catching up after the fact (hence his "updates" in the Rio section).  Or like here where he's posting a bunch of articles and giving us the cliff notes version.  Again, that doesn't necessarily make him knowledgeable.  It means he can read and summarize.  Anyone could do that.  I've had more than a couple of occasions where Durban has tried to offer original thoughts/analysis and missed the mark because he's trying to go off what others have told him.  To me, that's a little like trying to find out how a movie is from someone who has read reviews but who hasn't actually seen the movie yet.  And then when some people have seen that movie and are talking about having seen the movie, there's Durban with more "here's what other people are saying about the movie."  In short.. not an expert.

2) There is no "could be" here.  He IS wrong.  I was giving him the benefit of the doubt to check his information and spot his error.  Took me a bit to figure out what he did there.  I'll give you a hint.. might want to check the year on that calendar he's looking at.