Michael Payne, marketing director for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced at a press conference that the IOC will start producing the television coverage for the Summer and Winter Olympics as of 2012.
According to The Philippine Star Payne said a decision on the winning bid will be announced soon but didn’t set a firm deadline. The newspaper reports that although Payne didn’t identify the bidders, it is widely known that the National Broadcasting Network (NBN), Solar Sports and a group led by Carlos Velez are vying for the rights.
Payne said most of the coverage of the Athens Games will be unprecedented. There will be more than 4,000 hours of footage fed throughout the world on at least five channels allowing for customized coverage of the Games.
Footage is expected to be tailored according to the interests of each member country.
Payne said that today the Olympics are bigger than ever and the growing interest in the U.S. is an indication of its global appeal. Although there was only 170 hours of coverage for the Atlanta Games the U.S. is beaming more than 1,000 hours on five channels using two languages in Athens and will broadcast 3,000 hours in five languages in Beijing, reports the newspaper.
The IOC’s direction is to make available as much footage to as many countries as possible said Payne. In Athens the coverage will include key preliminary action, semi-final and final competitions, and all medical ceremonies and highlights.
