M2006 - Canadian TV coverage confirmed

[ard72]

Canadian backflip to beam Games

January 24, 2006

THE Commonwealth Games in Melbourne will be beamed to 30million North American viewers after the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation backflipped and decided to buy broadcast rights.

The Canadian reversal came the day before the Commonwealth Games baton reaches Australia today.

After 316 days travelling through 71 nations, the Queen's Baton Relay is scheduled to touch down at Sydney airport at 10.20am, where it will be met by John Howard.

Launched by the Queen at Buckingham Palace last March, the Australian leg of the relay begins tomorrow, taking off from Penrith in Sydney's west at 7.30am, before travelling through the city's southwest and then north to Parramatta for an evening ceremony.

The CBC last year decided to abandon its tradition of televising the Games, announcing that it would not bid for the broadcast rights and instead televise curling, ice skating and the Winter Paralympics action in March.

Australia, however, sought high-level talks with the Canadian Government over the decision, seen as a significant blow to the prestige of the Commonwealth movement.

And yesterday Melbourne Games chairman Ron Walker announced CBC had acquired the free-to-air, pay television and radio broadcast rights for the March event.

Mr Walker said it was the last major Commonwealth Games broadcast deal - just 51 days before the Games opening ceremony - and would boost the viewing audience by 30 million North American viewers.

It comes on top of a deal struck with Fox Sports last year to broadcast the Games in the US for the first time.

"Today's announcement confirms the biggest sporting and cultural event Melbourne has ever hosted will be shown around the world on a grand scale and favourably compares with any major sports event in history," Mr Walker said.

Mr Walker said CBC would screen a daily highlights package and the opening and closing ceremonies on free-to-air television.

"Given the huge sporting broadcast commitments CBC already has in place for March, this is an outstanding result and will provide tremendous exposure for Melbourne, Victoria and Australia into North America," he said.

Mr Walker said agreement also had been reached with Cyprus and Nigeria to take the Games feed, while the Asian Broadcasting Union had confirmed it would be available to the biggest Asian audience in the history of the Games. The latest broadcast agreements means the Games will be exposed to more than 1.5billion viewers each day.

More than 4500 athletes from 71 nations will take part in the Games from March 15-26.

[arwebb]

About bloody time.

[Colonel Iredale]

Surely with the 2014 bid, they must have been forced to buy the rights!!

[Apple]

Yay! Good news though it will probably be crappy broadcast since CBC only has 51 days to prepare.

[Sir Rols]

Finally!

The big question is, how much did they pay for it? Did they get a bargain price after playing hardball?

[Colonel Iredale]

Yay! Good news though it will probably be crappy broadcast since CBC only has 51 days to prepare.

I doubt it would have much effect, most of the pictures will be done by the host broadcaster (Channel Seven?), with CBC sorting out editing and commentary, which is not as such a logistical nightmare, something they have plenty of experience with. I know in Manchester, much of the filming was done by the BBC and given to the other broadcasters. It works a bit different from the Olympic Games, having a "Host Broadcaster" involved with most of the filming, rather than a "Broadcasting Organisation", such as AOB in Athens, TOBO in Turin, BOB in Beijing (gotta love it -  I am soing going to over use that name "nice car BOB").

Good point Roltel, I don't know if they will release the figures though?

[Guardian]

It is coincidential that this news comes out at the same time Canada decides to give the Conservatives the minority government in a "big way."

But, it is good that CBC will showcase Melbourne 2006 in the end, despite the problems that followed it before.

[TOOOC]

Thank the Lord!

I knew there was high level lobbying by the Australian Embassy in Ottawa to get a deal signed.

I had no doubt a Canadian broadcaster would be picked up. I believe the CBC was just bitter after losing the rights to the 2010 Olympics to CTV.

I was ready to buy a digital set to get the BBC coverage of the Games so I can catch the spectacular Opening and Closing Ceremonies planned.

Halifax will need some backing at the Games, so I wonder who the New Ministers of Sports and Culture will be in the new government?

Looking forward to watching Melbourne!

Louroz

[Suit U Sir !!!]

Canadians.....be prepared for what's gonna be the most boring and dullest sporting event of 2006....

Yawn.....

[Aronious]

Canadians.....be prepared for what's gonna be the most boring and dullest sporting event of 2006....

Yawn.....

Incorrect again Suit U Sir. That prize has already been taken! By....golf.

[Suit U Sir !!!]

"Given the huge sporting broadcast commitments CBC already has in place for March, this is an outstanding result and will provide tremendous exposure for Melbourne, Victoria and Australia into North America," he said.

Clearly this Ron walker is living in a fantasy world....

Tremendous exposure? Dream on.......

If we're talking about cities and major major world wide exposure, then sorry Mr Walker, but the commonwealth games dosen't come anywhere near to giving a city major world wide exposure, not even close.

If we're talking about a city getting major worldwide publicity, and really being thrust into the world media spotlight, then here are examples:

9/11- attack on WTC (New York City, 2001)

9/11 - attack on Pentagon (Washington DC, 2001)

Death of Princess Diana, Car crash (Paris 1997)

Funeral of Princess Diana (London 1997)

Tianemin Square massacre (Beijing, 1989)

Fall of Berlin Wall (1989)

Hurricane Katrina (New Orleans 2005)

Death of the Pope, election of new pope (Rome, 2005)

Madrid train bombs (2004)

Beslan School Siege (2004)

Gulf War 1991, 2003 (Baghdad)

Assassination of JFK (Dallas, 1963)

In each of the above examples the next day/ weeks there was only 1 story that made headlines around the world, front page of every newspaper around the world, extended news bulletins on TV.

Everybody, whether they were at school, at work at university were discussing only one story.

This is what I call a city getting major world wide publicity, not the commonwealth games.

[TOOOC]

Well, I still have to hand it to the Melbourne organizer and Australian government officials for lobbying hard. Not having the Games shown on Canadian television would have been a huge lost marketing opportunity to 32 million Canadians.

From what I understand the CBC paid close to nothing for the right to air the Games here in Canada. So depending how you look at it the taxpayers of Australia are paying the CBC to air the Games in Canada which is not so great.

From the sounds of it, besides the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Canadians aren't going to get wall to wall coverage of the Games. We get to see a nighly one hour pre-package program of the day's highlights.

I doubt the CBC has to send any staff and crew down to Melbourne in the first place? Hopefully they will, as I will like to have a Canadian anchor live coverage of the Ceremonies and a few crews to interview Canadian athletes after their competitions and their winning performances.

Louroz

[stevie]

This is what I call a city getting major world wide publicity, not the commonwealth games.

Oh of course Melbourne is getting world exposure from the hosting the commonwealth games. People in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Europe, United States, Canada, India, South Africa etc. can watch the commonwealth games and it will be one big advertisement for Melbourne, Victoria and Australia. They have been advertising the games in Melbourne on TVNZ since September 2005. Yeah this is no way as big as the olympics but to say Melbourne isn’t getting exposure from this is absurd.

Besides if NZ take out the netball and rugby 7’s gold it will be all over the nz news.

[Guardian]

Well, I still have to hand it to the Melbourne organizer and Australian government officials for lobbying hard. Not having the Games shown on Canadian television would have been a huge lost marketing opportunity to 32 million Canadians.

From what I understand the CBC paid close to nothing for the right to air the Games here in Canada. So depending how you look at it the taxpayers of Australia are paying the CBC to air the Games in Canada which is not so great.

From the sounds of it, besides the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Canadians aren't going to get wall to wall coverage of the Games. We get to see a nighly one hour pre-package program of the day's highlights.

I doubt the CBC has to send any staff and crew down to Melbourne in the first place? Hopefully they will, as I will like to have a Canadian anchor live coverage of the Ceremonies and a few crews to interview Canadian athletes after their competitions and their winning performances.

Louroz

Ironically for me, the CBC wants to broadcast the World Figure Skating Championships in Calgary MORE than the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. CBC's Sports Saturday seems to be keeping that in mind recently in its recent editions of this program.

[Suit U Sir !!!]

This is what I call a city getting major world wide publicity, not the commonwealth games.

Oh of course Melbourne is getting world exposure from the hosting the commonwealth games. People in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Europe, United States, Canada, India, South Africa etc. can watch the commonwealth games and it will be one big advertisement for Melbourne, Victoria and Australia. They have been advertising the games in Melbourne on TVNZ since September 2005. Yeah this is no way as big as the olympics but to say Melbourne isn’t getting exposure from this is absurd.

Besides if NZ take out the netball and rugby 7’s gold it will be all over the nz news.

So for roughly 10 days in March 2006 people in  Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Europe, United States, Canada, India, South Africa will be doing nothing else all day but watch the commonwealth games 24/7?

Unlikely........I mean people have better things to do with their lives.

The truth is that commonwealth games is the kind of thing you watch when you come home from work, and are flick through the channels with the remote control, and you watch 1/2 an hour of the games, because their nothing else on, and it takes maybe 15 minutes to half an hour for your dinner to be cooked in the oven, gas cooker, microwave oven. So you might as well pass your time somehow until the meal is ready.

I've mentioned the thing about poor countries like India and Nigeria where lots of people do not own a TV set.

In contrast when you have the FIFA world cup, people around the world take time off work to watch matches, when their home team is playing, they gather around big screens in parks and downtowns areas across the world, pubs/ clubs/ bars show the match on big screens, friends go out together just to watch the match - the commonnwealth games gets no way near this level of recognition.

[Suit U Sir !!!]

In the UK, the big tournament for 2006 is the world cup.

People are already talking about it and have been talking about it for a long time. All eyes will be on the England team and how they do.

As the summer approaches, cars and houses will be decorated with England flags, people will be wearing England T-shirts, giant TV screens will be erected in public squares across british cities, people will be bunking off work to watch England games, or booking holidays.

As for the 2006 commonwealth games, no such publicity or recognition im afraid, not even close.

A lot of people don't even know the commonwealth games are coming this March, or that Melbourne is hosting. There's been no commercials or advertistments for the Melbourne 2006 here in the UK so far.

A lot of people in the UK didn't even know that the 2002 commonwealth games were being held in Manchester, until one day in the summer of 2002 they switched on their TV set and saw them, and thought "Oh, Ok......"

No-one got a knighthood from the queen for winning a commonwealth gold medal.

[stevie]

This is what I call a city getting major world wide publicity, not the commonwealth games.

Oh of course Melbourne is getting world exposure from the hosting the commonwealth games. People in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Europe, United States, Canada, India, South Africa etc. can watch the commonwealth games and it will be one big advertisement for Melbourne, Victoria and Australia. They have been advertising the games in Melbourne on TVNZ since September 2005. Yeah this is no way as big as the olympics but to say Melbourne isn’t getting exposure from this is absurd.

Besides if NZ take out the netball and rugby 7’s gold it will be all over the nz news.

So for roughly 10 days in March 2006 people in  Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Europe, United States, Canada, India, South Africa will be doing nothing else all day but watch the commonwealth games 24/7?

Unlikely........I mean people have better things to do with their lives.

The truth is that commonwealth games is the kind of thing you watch when you come home from work, and are flick through the channels with the remote control, and you watch 1/2 an hour of the games, because their nothing else on, and it takes maybe 15 minutes to half an hour for your dinner to be cooked in the oven, gas cooker, microwave oven. So you might as well pass your time somehow until the meal is ready.

I've mentioned the thing about poor countries like India and Nigeria where lots of people do not own a TV set.

In contrast when you have the FIFA world cup, people around the world take time off work to watch matches, when their home team is playing, they gather around big screens in parks and downtowns areas across the world, pubs/ clubs/ bars show the match on big screens, friends go out together just to watch the match - the commonnwealth games gets no way near this level of recognition.

I'm not saying everybody will be watching the Commonwealth Games but quite a lot of people will be watching and Melbourne will be getting exposure from it. Look I don’t know where you’re from and maybe there the Commonwealth Games don’t get much exposure and people don’t care but in places like Australia and New Zealand, countries that are just made about sports in the place, the Commonwealth Games get a lot of exposure.

[stevie]

In the UK, the big tournament for 2006 is the world cup.

People are already talking about it and have been talking about it for a long time. All eyes will be on the England team and how they do.

As the summer approaches, cars and houses will be decorated with England flags, people will be wearing England T-shirts, giant TV screens will be erected in public squares across british cities, people will be bunking off work to watch England games, or booking holidays.

As for the 2006 commonwealth games, no such publicity or recognition im afraid, not even close.

A lot of people don't even know the commonwealth games are coming this March, or that Melbourne is hosting. There's been no commercials or advertistments for the Melbourne 2006 here in the UK so far.

A lot of people in the UK didn't even know that the 2002 commonwealth games were being held in Manchester, until one day in the summer of 2002 they switched on their TV set and saw them, and thought "Oh, Ok......"

No-one got a knighthood from the queen for winning a commonwealth gold medal.

Why even bother comparing the FIFA world cup the Commonwealth Games? The world cup is on a whole different level to the Commonwealth Games but they is still quite abit of global interest in the Commonwealth Games.

In New Zealand I wouldn’t be surprised if the Commonwealth Games pulls more tv viewers than every match during the world cup be kiwi are just not that interested in soccer. But we are interested in Rugby 7’s and Netball which are commonwealth games sports.

[Sir Rols]

Exactly.

Of course, the Olympics are a whole different level of interest around the world to the CWGs. And of course, in the UK a Football WC or a Euro Cup are bigger deals. Just as in Australia an Ashes Test would (possibly) outrate them, in NZ a Rugby WC would, in Canada an Ice Hockey championship etc etc. But, as NZOlympic pointed out, I'm sure the CWGs would outrate the Stanley Cup in the UK, and probably outrate the FIFA WC and certainly Euro 08 in Australia, NZ and Canada.

The CWGs are still a multi-sport event and therefore of much broader appeal in more countries than any of those single events. Like the Olympics, for a start they probably attract a bigger female audience than the traditional sports (hence the importance of such events like gymnastics and ice dancing). Then there's the old appeal to nationalism that multi-sports events offer that single events can only aspire to.

It's not about quality of the field (though that's a furphy as well _ for many commonwealth events like Rugby 7s, Netball, bowls etc it IS the equivalent of a world championship), it's the appeal of the festival and the range of sports that certainly still put the CWGs above such events as the IAAF WCs, the FINA World Swim Champs etc, in terms of general interest.

[Faster]

Exactly.

Of course, the Olympics are a whole different level of interest around the world to the CWGs. And of course, in the UK a Football WC or a Euro Cup are bigger deals. Just as in Australia an Ashes Test would (possibly) outrate them, in NZ a Rugby WC would, in Canada an Ice Hockey championship etc etc. But, as NZOlympic pointed out, I'm sure the CWGs would outrate the Stanley Cup in the UK, and probably outrate the FIFA WC and certainly Euro 08 in Australia, NZ and Canada.

The CWGs are still a multi-sport event and therefore of much broader appeal in more countries than any of those single events. Like the Olympics, for a start they probably attract a bigger female audience than the traditional sports (hence the importance of such events like gymnastics and ice dancing). Then there's the old appeal to nationalism that multi-sports events offer that single events can only aspire to.

It's not about quality of the field (though that's a furphy as well _ for many commonwealth events like Rugby 7s, Netball, bowls etc it IS the equivalent of a world championship), it's the appeal of the festival and the range of sports that certainly still put the CWGs above such events as the IAAF WCs, the FINA World Swim Champs etc, in terms of general interest.

roltel: Soccer is a big sport in Canada with a lot of interest. France, England, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, and the Netherlands matches will probably break the 2 million mark, and the finals with the right teams could break the 3 million mark especially if it was England-Italy, England-Brazil, Italy-Brazil. Every major game is going to be broadcast live and tape delayed in Canada, some of them taped delayed twice. People will skip of work, and there probably will be parties of the different ethnic groups in the area. Total viewership in the tournement could exceed 40 million viewers.

The Commonwealth Games will be lucky to exceed 5 million viewers over the ten days.

[Sir Rols]

Don't get me wrong _ yeah, things like the WC are a big(ish) deal in Oz as well. Germany 2006 will rate well (within the confines of broadcasting in a viewer-unfriendly timezone) and the WC qualifier between Oz and Uruguay was one of the highest rating events on TV here last year. But these are one-offs _ between major tournaments, soccer doesn't command a huge following here except, like Canada, amongst the large ethic communities.

And anyway, I never denied that the WC was bigger than the CWGs _ by any reckoning, it's generally agreed that the WC is second in world interest after the Olympics, nobody denies that. Third is probably the Rugby WC (at least that's what the IRB claims). It's only after that that you're looking at the CWGs, but after them there's a huge gap between anything else that has anything remotely like the widespread interest across countries and continents that those events have. Individual world championships outside football and Rugby just don't cut it in broad trans-national appeal against multi-discipline events.

[stevie]

Exactly.

Of course, the Olympics are a whole different level of interest around the world to the CWGs. And of course, in the UK a Football WC or a Euro Cup are bigger deals. Just as in Australia an Ashes Test would (possibly) outrate them, in NZ a Rugby WC would, in Canada an Ice Hockey championship etc etc. But, as NZOlympic pointed out, I'm sure the CWGs would outrate the Stanley Cup in the UK, and probably outrate the FIFA WC and certainly Euro 08 in Australia, NZ and Canada.

The CWGs are still a multi-sport event and therefore of much broader appeal in more countries than any of those single events. Like the Olympics, for a start they probably attract a bigger female audience than the traditional sports (hence the importance of such events like gymnastics and ice dancing). Then there's the old appeal to nationalism that multi-sports events offer that single events can only aspire to.

It's not about quality of the field (though that's a furphy as well _ for many commonwealth events like Rugby 7s, Netball, bowls etc it IS the equivalent of a world championship), it's the appeal of the festival and the range of sports that certainly still put the CWGs above such events as the IAAF WCs, the FINA World Swim Champs etc, in terms of general interest.

roltel: Soccer is a big sport in Canada with a lot of interest. France, England, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, and the Netherlands matches will probably break the 2 million mark, and the finals with the right teams could break the 3 million mark especially if it was England-Italy, England-Brazil, Italy-Brazil. Every major game is going to be broadcast live and tape delayed in Canada, some of them taped delayed twice. People will skip of work, and there probably will be parties of the different ethnic groups in the area. Total viewership in the tournement could exceed 40 million viewers.

The Commonwealth Games will be lucky to exceed 5 million viewers over the ten days.

Well that’s understandable, traditional ‘commonwealth’ sports aren’t that popular in Canada.

[Suit U Sir !!!]

Look I don’t know where you’re from and maybe there the Commonwealth Games don’t get much exposure

I'm from England.

At present in England, in terms of public interest, enthusiam and excitement the commonwealth games are behind the Olympics, Football world cup, Rugby World Cup, Six nations rugby, Wimbledon, European football championships.

Ironic really, given that the CG's are a sporting event made up of countries which were once under British rule.

[Suit U Sir !!!]

I'm sure the CWGs would outrate the Stanley Cup in the UK, and probably outrate the FIFA WC and certainly Euro 08 in Australia, NZ and Canada.

This could change (I'm referring to the 2006 CG's getting more attention than the 2006 FIFA world cup in Australia).

Now that Australia has qualified for the 2006 world cup, there will be a massive increase in interest for the tournament in Australia. World cup fever will hit the country this winter.

As Australia continues to qualify for the world cup in 2010/ 14 and beyond (they're now in the Asian group so it will be much easier to qualify), the appeal will increase every 4 years.

By 2014, the World Cup will generate more public interest and publicity in Australia, compared to the commonwealth games.

The massive interest in Australia for the 2006 CG's has been boosted by the fact that Melbourne is hosting, once Melbourne, is over and done with, Australia won't be hosting for a while (it's 24 years since they last hosted) people won't be as interested in a CG's in places like New Delhi 2010 or Abuja 2014 etc....

[Sir Rols]

Actually, with Austyralia qualifying, the 2006 WC possibly will get more attention in Australia. That's good. How many times do I have to say, OF COURSE the WC gets more attention around the world than the CWGs. It's the second biggest regular sports event in the world. Nobody's ever tried to say the CWGs are a bigger deal _ only that they're not as minor a deal as you try to paint them.