Some More Olympic Tv Updates

[Durban Sandshark]

CBC and Bell Canada reveal more details on its broadband Internet, HD, and cell phone Olympic coverage in Beijing (with interviews and highlights included). It's still not known exactly, among several details, how many hours of coverage will be on broadband like it is here south of the border with 2200 or will there be on-demand coverage after the games, but at least lesser sports to Canadians like table tennis in their entireties will have an accessible outlet for many to tune to when frustrated with the CBC TV coverage. I hope it's a lot, within striking distance to what NBC plans to offer. Speaking of which, does it jump from sport-to-sport instead of going all the way through?

CBC and Bell Canada's Beijing Olympic 2008 Broadband, HD, and Cell Plans

Back to Australia momentarily. Seven, as a reminder, will have exclusive broadcast rights toward both ceremonies, swimming, track and field, rowing, cycling, gymnastics, along with coverage of other sports involving Aussies like the Boomers, Opals, Hockeyroos, Kookaburras, and the Sharks. SBS will engage itself with soccer (naturally enough), table tennis, volleyball, road cycling, and badminton. Together they will broadcast over 800 hours from Beijing. To us Yanks, that doesn't come close to what we're going to get of course. But that's above what they had for Athens but still down from Sydney. I can only hope that there won't be as much jumping around from sports in its coverage when it hits. Haven't those two networks thought about teaming up with Telstra Big Pond's broadband and bring forth additional coverage there, since it's a big broadband nation too?

[Durban Sandshark]

I just remembered something: what percentage of its streaming Broadband, HD, and cellphone coverage from the CBC will be in French (SRC)? What about TSN's (RDS)? Will there be simultaneous audio for all coverage with the option for both English and French for Canadian online consumers?

New Zealand's TVNZ One will air 200 hours of unprecendented comprehensive Olympic coverage for New Zealanders with, like the British, a digital Freeview channel solely devoted to the Olympics--though the British have far more Freeview channels than what NZ will have.

[Durban Sandshark]

Over the last two weekends I mulled over how many of the 1400 hours each of the NBC Olympic family members--NBC, USA, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo, Oxygen, and Multicultural Broadcasting--would air for Beijing as the US Olympic TV rights holder. How I did the breakdown was, with Athens serving as a guide to it in terms of programming, was interesting. Apparently with Bravo not being a part of this this time around, expect to see an increase in hours from the first five networks. We all know by now that Oxygen will air 20 hours every Olympic weeknight. I do expect USA will get an increase in Olympic TV hours from 59 in Athens to around more than twice that with 110-140 as it distinguishes itself again as the Olympic network for Team USA sports like basketball, softball, and baseball. MSNBC, I predict, will earn 140 hours with more extended blocks during the weekdays and a little more hours than it did in Athens during the weekends. CNBC gets 120 hours while still doing its 3-hour weekday boxing blocks. Telemundo of course will get an increase in theirs with the usual sports of soccer, baseball, basketball, volleyball (both varieties), track and field with swimming and diving a part of it too, among a few other sports new to Telemundo's coverage of 180 (most of NBC's coverage will head to Telemundo with Spanish commentary). Of course, no network will ever have more than what NBC will feature. I anticipate there will be an increase in their weekday afternoon, weekend, and (a little bit of) latenight coverages. Projection is 250 hours, which of course includes the daily latenight 4-hour primetime encore presentation for 16 days. I did not include the HD versions to NBC, NBC Universal, MSNBC HD, and CNBC HD; all will be simulcasts that won't have different commentators from the analogs like in Athens (Dara Torres commentating in swimming on NBC HD while Rowdy Gaines--yuck--does the standard NBC cast, for example). Multicultural Broadcasting serves as the real wildcard in this. No plans for the amount of coverage out of that has been revealed as of yet for both Chinese and Korean TV coverage. With the Summer Olympics in Asia for the first time in 20 years (damn, I'm old), it makes more than enough sense to offer some comprehensive coverage in both languages with growing Chinese and Korean populations in America instead of just highlights. The Spanish-speaking minority got that already, so why not them? Will it be the exact same amount of hours each for Chinese and Korean? I'll say cautiously 140-160 hours.

My breakdown analysis for the sports on each network will arrive next time.

Will NBC air an Olympic preview like it did in the past, something it hasn't done since Barcelona?

State-owned TV network TVN will air the 2008 Beijing Olympics for Chile.

Brazil, for the final time, has its Olympic TV rights there owned by the large confederation of Globo TV, the SPORTV channels (expect a network from them solely devoted to the Brazillian athletes for the Olympics like in Athens), ESPN Brasil, Bandeirantes TV, and BandSports. After Beijing, all of Brazil's rights turn to TV Record.

RTE retains the Olympic TV rights for Ireland.

Italy's Olympic broadcasts in Beijing belong to RAI Dua. Does RAI Sport, if it exists, supplements RAI Dua's coverage? SKY Italia takes over Olympic coverage starting in Vancouver.

Look for Austria's ORF Sport Plus to add to and boosts Austria's Olympia coverage on ORF.

Spain has TVE to air the Beijing Olympics, though don't be surprised to see Teledeportes acting as a junior partner to it. How does it do its Catalan coverage, if it all?

If any of our Greek posters can provide insight as to how NOVA's ambitious Olympic broadcasting and coverage performed in the minds of the Greeks during Athens with six additional ERT channels just for the Olympics, more than what was offered on NBC, how would they think if NOVA and ERT did it again for Beijing, which I expect?

Norway surely will have NRK doing the Beijing coverage with likely SportN, the Norwegian sports TV network, getting involved like it did in Torino.

[Durban Sandshark]

Last time Sweden did a Summer Olympic telecast for Swedes was when SVT1, SVT2, SVT24, SVT Barnkanalen, SVT Europa, and TV4 all got involved in Athens. TV4 aired several basketball and soccer games. So I expect SVT will get involved again with online and cell phones to boot.

CCTV partnered up with MySpace China and online video site Tudou.com offering streaming video of the Games and web profiles with an outlet to contact messages to Chinese Olympians for CCTV's interactive Olympic website starting August 8. Only the streaming video is available to those in China.

The BBC will air 300 hours of Beijing on HD, the first program for such in the UK. It also secured the cell phone rights.

Yes, Australia will have Beijing Olympic coverage not only on TV (HD and standard) and online but PVRs and cell (mobile) phones.

Singapore's MediaCorp's and StarHub's Olympic plans are still publicly hidden until finalized. Considering its status as rapidly-developing nation economically and its Chinese majority population, the high-quality technology and the Chinese language coverage will be huge.

[Durban Sandshark]

Which nation has the largest TV/media consortium for the Olympics? Brazil, the United States, Japan, South Korea?

I couldn't believe that NBC has aired the most Olympic broadcasts in the USA with 13 (including future Olympics Vancouver and London). Being as someone who first watched the Games on ABC, I'm used to being raised with ABC as the Olympic network for America. Maybe NBC should expand its primetime coverage an hour for Beijing, but because of the disappointing ratings drop from Sydney in that primetime coverage, except Sundays, I don't think NBC will attempt that again anytime soon. I would like for NBC to downplay on features and profiles emphasizing them into stories and spectacles on sports that regularly draw small TV audiences outside of the Games, but that's more toward the casual viewers to drive ratings high. That said, I prefer more action and coverage of those kinds of sports, when taken from the Games, must improve. Reduce the slicing and dicing designed to tease viewers to stay tuned as long as possible. Highlights and events in progress, if the US are involved, are a given with NBC's primetime coverage. I also like the fact there's an advanced warning of a notable athlete to show ("Amanda Beard or Michael Phelps in 5 minutes" when jumping around) and with all of the plenty of camera closeups and splashy technical innovations on NBC's over-the-air broadcasts. How about a daily Olympic review/news show?

Another thing: NBC must stop placing Olympic-related features like the 1960 Rome Olympics retrospective aired on the last day of Atlanta Olympics and the one about the Greek marathoner on NBC's Athens primetime coverage unless it is originaly scheduled on the TV schedule. What the latter was on, it took the place of what should've been the gold-medal men's volleyball match that Brazil won (a portion of the USA-Russia men's volleyball bronze game was aired), perhaps because the US wasn't in it. Where did that game go to instead? Stick to the original schedule unless it's impossible by an unforseen event!

[BTHarner]

I think about those NBC ratings from 2000 and I debate what really was the cause for the less than expected numbers. Was it the time difference and the virtually complete tape-delayed coverage (save for the mens basketball final)? Was it the fact that the games were in September when the kids are back in school and the sports calendar is very crowded? A combination of both perhaps?

As for the volleyball final in Athens, I remember watching it late in the afternoon coverage. NBC then showed the bronze medal game prior to the closing ceremony, which felt strange as we are accustomed to seeing the bronze medal game first.

I like those last day features, the final day of the Games is usually one of the lightest in terms of events and you need some filler material. Especially so this year since the marathon will be shown live Saturday night, thats 2.5 hours you need to fill on Sunday.

[olympics08]

For sure it's the US that is the biggest Olympic media consortium.

I think about those NBC ratings from 2000 and I debate what really was the cause for the less than expected numbers. Was it the time difference and the virtually complete tape-delayed coverage (save for the mens basketball final)? Was it the fact that the games were in September when the kids are back in school and the sports calendar is very crowded? A combination of both perhaps?

As for the volleyball final in Athens, I remember watching it late in the afternoon coverage. NBC then showed the bronze medal game prior to the closing ceremony, which felt strange as we are accustomed to seeing the bronze medal game first.

I like those last day features, the final day of the Games is usually one of the lightest in terms of events and you need some filler material. Especially so this year since the marathon will be shown live Saturday night, thats 2.5 hours you need to fill on Sunday.

Ah I remember it too! I was in my house watching that on the night of Aug. 29. All day I was with my father in a farm in Bulacan province. After that my family went to a mass (I'm Roman Catholic) at a shopping mall. (It was a Filipino-language mass.) We ate dinner at that same mall. After that we went home and when I turned my TV to the state television (NBN) which covered the Athens Games, I saw that volleyball final you're talking about. The marathon followed (with the taekwondo finals during it) and finally, the closing ceremony.

As for the Beijing Games' Philippine broadcast, the speculations continue. I felt just today that the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation increased its chance of snatching the Olympic rights thanks to their sponsorship of the Philippine branch of McDonald's (one of the Worldwide Olympic Partners) in a promo allowing five Filipino childred and their mommies to fly to Beijing from August 7-10. You know what else? They'll gonna sleep in the OLYMPIC VILLAGE!

Okay, I'll keep you informed of the Philippines situation...

[Durban Sandshark]

I think about those NBC ratings from 2000 and I debate what really was the cause for the less than expected numbers. Was it the time difference and the virtually complete tape-delayed coverage (save for the mens basketball final)? Was it the fact that the games were in September when the kids are back in school and the sports calendar is very crowded? A combination of both perhaps?

As for the volleyball final in Athens, I remember watching it late in the afternoon coverage. NBC then showed the bronze medal game prior to the closing ceremony, which felt strange as we are accustomed to seeing the bronze medal game first.

I like those last day features, the final day of the Games is usually one of the lightest in terms of events and you need some filler material. Especially so this year since the marathon will be shown live Saturday night, thats 2.5 hours you need to fill on Sunday.

I think it's all of the above. Never mind the fact it's a every-four-year event of course. If the Sydney Games were held in July or August like it's normally the case in the northern hemisphere, it won't be favorable weatherwise for the Aussies obviously. Plus the backlash against the constant highlights, storyline-like sports designed to draw casual viewers, and features on NBC.

After reading that, I can see and actually like your points. I was at work when the men's volleyball matches flipped flopped from originally scheduled. It indeed felt strange, but the network execs felt if Americans were involved in either match, put the Yanks on primetime to jack up the ratings.

Now that there's going to be broadband streaming coverage for Beijing, it's safe to assume the events will be shown in their entirety on-demand. So I can now live with the "already in progresses" and the switching of the NBC Olympic TV schedules more.

The filler materials are OK by themselves, but they need to be scheduled in on the onset of the TV/online schedule release, which was my point. One doc movie I would like to see one made for Beijing would involve China's first ever Olympian at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, when the Nationalists ran China back then.

Eurosport will simulcast the Beijing Olympics on its HD channel ready to launch very soon.

[Durban Sandshark]

In order to eclipse what Supersport showed in Athens (1760 hours), I think that network will have to add a couple of more of its channels onto its roster, not counting Supersport Maximo, in order to do so. Maybe more will be announced. Surely there will be encore prsentations and simulcasts like both ceremonies and news and highlights shows. But I can see Supersport going for at least 2200 hours in Beijing because they showed almost everything in Athens.

And now, the CBC Beijing Olympic hosts have been announced.

This is the article that I alluded all of the extensive and upcoming Olympic coverage info toward Australia, Singapore, Canada, and the United Kingdom:

More Digital Coverage Coming Worldwide For Beijing

And the related NBC Ups The Ante:

Hollywood Reporter: NBC Sharpens Its Game

[Durban Sandshark]

The other day I noticed online there were a few reports (including Wikipedia) that Bravo will actually be on board for Beijing 2008. I think it'll be nice to have them back, but until there's official word on Bravo being part of the NBC Olympic family, I will continue to take the assumption the network won't return for Beijing.

Really excited even more with the Silverlight technology and what the streaming live Olympic video online will get presented with some very cool interactive features and presentation that will get me pumped even more for it. Wow!

Sneak Peak of NBCOlympics.com Streaming Live Video

Silverlight Streams Video for 2008 Olympics

Anyone out there knows what Russia's Olympic TV plans as of now with Channel One/Pervy Kanal (and likely other networks)?

The Netherlands' NPO/NOS will telecast Beijing 2008. No surprise there.

How and who will the Central American, and the South American countries of Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, and the Guianas cover the Beijing Olympics?

[olympics08]

Maybe its not only Channel One, but it'll gonna be RTR.

[olympics08]

The other day I noticed online there were a few reports (including Wikipedia) that Bravo will actually be on board for Beijing 2008. I think it'll be nice to have them back, but until there's official word on Bravo being part of the NBC Olympic family, I will continue to take the assumption the network won't return for Beijing.

Really excited even more with the Silverlight technology and what the streaming live Olympic video online will get presented with some very cool interactive features and presentation that will get me pumped even more for it. Wow!

Sneak Peak of NBCOlympics.com Streaming Live Video

Silverlight Streams Video for 2008 Olympics

Anyone out there knows what Russia's Olympic TV plans as of now with Channel One/Pervy Kanal (and likely other networks)?

The Netherlands' NPO/NOS will telecast Beijing 2008. No surprise there.

How and who will the Central American, and the South American countries of Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, and the Guianas cover the Beijing Olympics?

The only thing I know about that is ATV for Peru.

[Durban Sandshark]

Thanks for that Olympian08. I would refer to ATV as Canal 9, and I would wonder how many hours and what kind of coverage will it telecast for Beijing 2008. Women's volleyball would normally be a staple for Peruvian Olympic coverage. But not now since 1988 despite both Peru and Kenya were invited to face off to qualify for an Olympic Qualification tournament. Easily Peru would defeat Kenya, but both nations declined the invite.

I would not be surprised at all that Channel One in Russia would hook up RTR and a few other networks, likely in digital cable, for Beijing 2008 coverage.

Singaporeans should get coverage that would, at least relatively and comparatively, rival that of Malaysia's ASTRO thanks to StarHub Cable joining as opposed to just MediaCorp.

[mattygs]

TV One here in NZ has just started it's Olympic promos, with a cool lil tv ad .

They have also started adding the Silver Fern in Olympic rings logo next to their *One* watermark in the top corner of the screen.

[Durban Sandshark]

TV One here in NZ has just started it's Olympic promos, with a cool lil tv ad .

They have also started adding the Silver Fern in Olympic rings logo next to their *One* watermark in the top corner of the screen.

On top of that, the new TVNZ 7, the new news, current affairs, and documentary channel slated to hit on March 30, will air a Countdown To Beijing show on Satrudays and Sundays.

[Durban Sandshark]

More insight officially coming from the CBC on their final Olympic plans.

China's Coming Out Party From CBC Sports' Perspective

[Durban Sandshark]

RTS will cover the Beijing Olympics for Serbia. Though I'm curious will TV Pink offer complimentary coverage?

STV will do likewise for Slovakia.

[Durban Sandshark]

A fresh interview with NBC executive David Neal with Broadcasting & Cable about NBC's plans in their coverage of the Beijing 2008 Olympics amidst all of the negative political grief the People's Republic of China is having internationally in the months leading up August 8 and how different online coverage will be compared to Sydney (and of possibly having the cult sport of the summer Olympics--I would pick team handball). Of course the technology is far superior for Olympic events access now than it was back in Sydney with broadband more omnipresent these days, but I wish the IOC and NBC worked out something to allow (limited) Internet coverage in Sydney without interfering with its immense TV deal and coverage.

Broadcasting & Cable's Interview with David Neal

I said it before and I say it again: I would like to see NBC make a comprehensive archive section to store all of its coverage of past Olympics it aired in their entirties.

RAI's little promo for their final telecast of the Olympics in "Pechino". Unlike many bigger markets, Italy on RAI Due will air 300 hours of Olympic coverage (according to the translation of it), which is now miniscule compared to even South Africa, hosts China, Germany, and Brazil. It says nothing of its Internet plans (perhaps TBD), which will help it a lot. When I read the news of SKY Italia taking over after Beijing, RAI aired every Olympics since Rome. Again, I presume, unless somebody out here on these posts notifies me otherwise, there will be a lot of jumping to and away some sports during RAI's coverage.

RAI Olimpiadi Pechino 2008 TV Spot

BNT will air for Bulgaria. TVR will air for Romania. How many hours each will TVR, STV, BNT, RTE, RTS, Televisa (Mexico), YLE 2, and ATV air.

Mattygs, where is the TV ONE Olympic NZ Silver Fern Beijing 2008 logo? I couldn't find it online.

We'll see if Canal Plus Sports gets involved for greater coverage for France with France 2

[Sir Rols]

Finally, as principalled stance from one of the broadcasters:

PARIS, March 25 AFP - French public TV may boycott coverage of the Beijing Olympics if China bans the broadcast of footage from demonstrations, France Televisions' director of sports warned today.

``For the time being, we have no intention of boycotting the games,'' Daniel Bilalian told RTL radio.

``But if they are censored or sanitised in any way by the Chinese authorities and the IOC (International Olympic Committee) accepts this - which I would very much doubt - this would obviously call into question our stance,'' he said.

``At that time, the president of France Televisions, would, without a doubt I believe, decide not to cover the Olympic Games.''

Chinese television yesterday briefly suspended broadcast of the lighting of the Olympic flame in Greece, showing file footage when human rights protesters disrupted the ceremony.

Three men from the media rights group Reporters Without Borders breached tight security around Olympia, the site of the ancient olympic games, to unfurl a flag demanding a boycott of the Olympics.

Later, 10 Tibetan activists staged a protest in the town's main street before they were detained or chased by police.

IOC President Jacques Rogge said there was no momentum for a boycott of the Games, which start in the Chinese capital on August 8.

And France Televisions' director of sports cautioned that ``we are far from'' a boycott of TV coverage of the games and that the IOC's Rogge was trying to work out problems with the Chinese authorities.

A crackdown on anti-Chinese protests in Tibet, which exiled Tibetans say has left at least 140 dead, has overshadowed the build-up to the Games.

[Durban Sandshark]

Good principled position for France TV!

You just can't expect the exact same thing of course from NBC Universal with the millions of dollars it spent for them.

[Sir Rols]

Telstra's snapped up the mobile rights for Beijing:

Telstra's $9m Olympics deal

Lara Sinclair | March 27, 2008

TELSTRA has struck a $9 million deal with the Seven Media Group to show exclusive live Beijing Olympics content on its BigPond mobile service after a protracted negotiation.

The deal, signed last night, means Telstra's Next G network will become one of four media partners for the Games along with Seven, its internet arm Yahoo7 and SBS.

The telco will also become one of four Olympic broadcast partners that will run ads on Seven, Yahoo7 and SBS.

Those packages are worth a reported $8.4 million, but it's understood the two parties have also struck a revenue-sharing arrangement that will vary depending on how many BigPond Olympics subscription packages are sold.

A source said the mobile rights deal would not enable Telstra to sell its own advertising on the service.

"They will basically take a dirty feed from Seven, including all the ads," the source said.

The telco struck a broader media partnership and sponsor deal with former Nine Network owner Publishing & Broadcasting Ltd to show live mobile TV content from the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. That time, BigPond offered eight live streamed mobile TV channels, SMS alerts, a live medal tally and highlights packages.

BigPond group managing director Justin Milne would not say how the mobile subscriptions would be priced. By Media understands consumers will be able to sign up for various levels of subscriptions, from single-day packages to full Games broadcasts.

"Telstra's Next G network is Australia's largest and fastest national mobile network and it covers 99 per cent of the Australian population," Mr Milne said.

"This multimillion-dollar deal with the Seven Network and Yahoo7 will mean more Australians have access to live Games coverage."

Seven Media Group chief executive David Leckie said the mobile coverage would allow Australians to watch the Games on multiple platforms. Seven paid $75 million for the broadcast rights to the 2006 and 2008 Olympics.

The network has generated more than $100 million in advertising revenue linked to the Games, including four top-tier partnership deals worth $8.4 million each and at least nine sponsorships for $5.5million each.

Panasonic is the other partner that has been announced, while Lenovo has taken the lower sponsor-level package.

Last year, MindShare chief executive Chris Walton predicted the 2008 Olympics would "be the coming of age for 3G telephony".

"The Olympics are tailor-made for bite-size pieces of coverage on mobile or laptops," he said. "Most track and swimming events are over in 60 seconds or less and many will be outside of Australian prime time."

Telstra already sponsors the Australian Olympic team and the Australian swimming team, and advises on telecommunications for the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.

The Australian

[Durban Sandshark]

Maybe its not only Channel One, but it'll gonna be RTR.

According to Wikipedia, Channel One will have a Russian Olympic TV partner in RTR, AS Olympics08 noted.

Venezuelan viewers will have Venevision, Meridiano TV, and the controversial TVes all showing the Olympics.

[Durban Sandshark]

With the arrival of the CBC's newly renamed digital channels today bold (actual name in lower letters, formerly CBC Country Canada) and Documentary that both hit the Canadian airwaves at midnight, the CBC announced in their press release bold will get enhanced coverage of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics on weekends for Canadians.

[Durban Sandshark]

Australia surely isn't the only nation with immense cell (or mobile) phone Beijing coverage in its plans. All you Americans eager for Beijing Olympic coverage on yours, listen up for NBC is going to bring their massive coverage on them. But it's still early days in the process, testing, and negotiations.

NBC To Exploit Olympic Cell (Mobile) Phone TV Coverage

Wikipedia mentions Eritrea's national TV network Eri-TV, likely Eri-TV1, will air the Beijing Olympics for Eritreans. Take it with a grain of salt since Supersport will air it all over Africa from South Africa. It'll likely be daily highlights for ERI-TV.

[olympics08]

No! Eri-TV should air a good amount of Olympic coverage for the Eriteans who could afford over-the-air TV only.