CTV consortium launches most ambitious web coverage of any Olympics

The CTV-led Olympics broadcast consortium has announced the launch of two websites that are expected to attract over 200 million visits in the one-year period leading up to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, but plans for distribution on mobile platforms are yet to be finalized. Launched this week, CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympics.ca will provide an estimated 2,400 hours of live coverage of the games in English and French, in what is being billed as the "most comprehensive web offering ever by an Olympics rights holder." Alon Marcovici, VP, digital media research for the consortium, says digital plans for streaming the games will outpace previous plans by other broadcasters in Canada, with every second of the games to be streamed live. "In past games, the sites used to get less than 50 million visits," he says. Marcovici says he is optimistic about the projected 200 million visits because Internet usage has increased in Canada compared to past Olympics. In addition, he says the consortium's emphasis on online video and diverse platforms to broadcast the games will spur an increase in visits to both online sites. During the games, 14 live streams will be available from CTV, TQS, Rogers Sportsnet, TSN and RDS. Live streaming will be in high definition format and available on demand. It will feature replays, highlights, features and interviews. "We know we will generate this incredible buzz about the games," says Marcovici, adding that currently, the Globe and Mail, which is owned by CTVGlobmedia, will carry information that will direct readers to the two sites. Plans to stream the games live on mobile platforms have yet to be finalized, pending negotiations with potential partners. Marcovici could not disclose the name of the partners, projected revenues or whether the mobile platforms would carry advertising, but added that the consortium will make an announcement on the matter when a deal is struck. Even with the projected large number of visits to both sites, Marcovici says advertising will only be generated from Canadian sources because of limitations in the contract that bar the consortium from taking ads from other countries or broadcasting those that target foreign audiences. "Most of our video will be geo-gated to prevent from spilling to other countries, so our primary focus will be the Canadian marketplace," says Marovici. In designing both sites, Marcovici says the consortium looked at what was done in previous Olympics, especially the Beijing Olympics and the Winter Olympics in Turin, to improve coverage and attract viewership online. The live streaming of the games will be rolled out in five phases, starting with the sites' official launch this week, where they will be operating at 30% functionality. The next phases will include interactivity and scheduling functionalities to be rolled out in the spring and summer. The fourth phase will be when the Olympic torch arrives in Canada in the fall, while the last phase will be unveiled when the games start in Feb. 2010. A CTV-Rogers Communications consortium won the bid to broadcast the 2010 Winter Olympics for a whopping US$153 million in 2005. The consortium's coverage of the games has generated controversy because of projections that it will only cover 95% of Canadians. At the access to broadcasting services to minority English and French speaking communities hearing last month, CTV executives said they expect most of the French community to have online access to the games because 66% of them have access to broadband, which will compensate for any shortfalls on television and radio broadcasts.

CTV consortium launches most ambitious web coverage of any Olympics

News | 02/12/2009 5:35 pm EST

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