OBS Operations by Olympic Games
Beijing 2008
OBS's operations began with the Olympic Games Beijing 2008, where Beijing Olympic Broadcasting (BOB), a joint venture between OBS and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, acted as the host broadcasting consortium (along with the state television network, China Central Television, which is one of the host nation broadcasters of the Olympic Games).
For the first time in history, an Olympic Games' edition took place in China and OBS provided a then-record more than 5000 hours of coverage, 32% more than for the Olympic Games Athens 2004.
The BOB team of more than 6000 professionals was the first Games to be covered fully in High Definition and 5.1 surround sound.
Beijing 2008 marked the introduction of the Olympic News Channel (ONC), a sports news programme made available to broadcasters. It consisted in regularly updated 30min program that ran around the clock offering the sports news, as well as other Olympic-related news stories. [5]
Vancouver 2010
For the Olympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010, a wholly owned division, Olympic Broadcasting Services Vancouver was established. These Games were the first in which the host broadcasting facilities were provided entirely by OBS. A total of 2700 hours of content were produced by OBS, a 170% increase from the Olympic Winter Games Turin 2006. [6]
Following Beijing 2008 which coverage was fully in HD and 5.1 surround sound, Vancouver 2010 was the first Winter Games edition to offer the same for all events. [7] [8]
The Olympic News Channel (ONC), a round the clock sports news programme made available to broadcasters introduced at Beijing 2008, was reconducted and enhanced with additional content, in particular athletes’ interviews directly from the venues. MRHs were able to receive the ONC via satellite worldwide. The service comprised a number of other feeds including live finals and recorded content as well as selected competitions, two daily highlights programmes and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. This multichannel distribution helped bring Games coverage in areas where they were not traditionally broadcast and would be referred to as the Multichannel Distribution Service (MDS) in future Games. [9]
London 2012
For the first time, OBS served as the host broadcaster at a Olympic Summer Games. At London 2012, OBS produced 5,600 hours of coverage of which 1,300 hours were dedicated to live sports and ceremonies, across 30 competition venues. [10] Over 1,000 HD cameras were deployed, including approximately 50 High Super Slow-Motion (HSSM) cameras, 3D cameras, and Super Hi-Vision (8K SHV) cameras, with SHV live coverage provided in collaboration with Japanese broadcaster NHK. [11] [12] At Eton Dorney, a 2,500 m cable camera was installed for the rowing events, offering sweeping 360-degree aerial views from up to 95 m above the water. [13]
The International Broadcast Centre (IBC), located in the Olympic Park in Stratford, accommodated nearly 5,900 OBS personnel and hosted multiple public viewing areas for 3D and SHV coverage.
The Games reached 3.6 billion viewers globally and marked a major expansion of digital and multiplatform broadcasting, with audiences accessing content via TV, computers, tablets, and mobile devices. [14] [15]
Sochi 2014
The Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 marked the beginning of the tenure of Yiannis Exarchos as the new CEO, who replaced the retired Manolo Romero. [16] The Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 represented the largest broadcast operation in Olympic Winter Games up to that time. OBS deployed more than 450 cameras, including 12 cable camera systems, 31 High Speed Slow-Motion (HSSM) cameras and a drone used for the first time as part of the coverage of snowboard and freestyle skiing events, to ultimately produce 3100 hours of coverage, including 1300 hours of live sports and ceremonies coverage.
In total, 464 television channels broadcast Sochi 2014, almost double the number from Vancouver 2010, and more digital platforms offered coverage than at any previous Winter Olympic Games with 155 websites and 75 apps showing events live from Russia.
Due to the increased number of channels and digital platforms for Sochi 2014, there were more hours broadcast globally than any previous Winter Games with 114,367 hours broadcast around the world, compared to 56,902 hours at Vancouver 2010. For the first time in Olympic history, the amount of digital coverage exceeded traditional television broadcasts with 60,000 hours available on digital platforms, compared with 54,367 hours on television. [17] The Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 were the first to be predominantly digital, with OBS contributing to the expansion of online coverage through the launch of the Olympic Video Player (OVP). Offered to MRHs on a subscription basis, the platform operated in 95 countries and combined live and on-demand coverage of competition sessions with news content and integrated data. The OVP also expanded the reach of the Winter Games into new territories, notably parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and the Arab world. [18]
Rio 2016
Rio 2016 represented the most television coverage of any previous Olympic Games, with nearly 350,000 total hours broadcast globally, far exceeding the 200,000 hours that were broadcast for the London 2012 Games. Additionally, coverage was aired across more platforms than ever before, as more than 500 television channels and 250 digital outlets conveyed the Olympic Games around the world.
The Olympic Video Player OVP was used for the first time in a Summer Olympics. [19] The OVP broadcast the Games to 56 territories including highly populous areas such as India, Latin America and Thailand, providing live and on-demand HD video of all competition sessions as well as short-form highlights and real-time statistics with enhanced interactivity. [20]
Ultimately the number of hours of coverage available on digital platforms nearly doubled that of traditional television, representing more than two and a half times of what was achieved for London 2012 (218,000 hours versus 81,500 hours), marking a milestone in the history of Olympic broadcasting. [20]
Representing the largest host broadcast operation to date, Rio involved more than 7,200 OBS personnel. Further, having developed a production plan to cover all 28 Olympic sports, including new additions Golf and Rugby Sevens, OBS drew on more than 1,000 cameras for the coverage of the Rio Games.
Rio also marked the first time Olympic content was available in Virtual Reality (VR). Overall, OBS produced more than 85 hours of live VR coverage, captured by custom-developed 360-degree camera systems, to a total of 14 RHB organisations, representing 31 territories and with total views topped 1.3 million. OBS provided VR coverage as Video On Demand (VOD) and highlights packages available for the Opening/Closing Ceremonies, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Fencing, Athletics, Basketball, Diving and Artistic Gymnastics. [20] [21]
8K Super High Vision (16 times the resolution of High-Definition) was also used for the first time in Rio in collaboration with Japanese Rights Holder NHK. [22] [23] OBS-NHK distributed 8K and down-converted 4K (distributed with one-hour delay) to eight MRH organisations that took the 8k/4k feeds, representing 10 territories. Approximately 100 hours of live coverage was produced including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and a selection of disciplines (Athletics, Basketball, Football, Judo, Swimming). [23] [22]
Pyeongchang 2018
Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympic cameras provided by Panasonic. [24]
In cooperation with Intel, OBS utilised a VR platform that created a 360/180-degree virtual reality environment for viewers. [25]
Certain sports events and the Ceremonies were produced natively in Ultra High Definition (4K UHD), for the first time, providing participating subscribers with a pixel resolution four times that of High Definition (HD) – the current standard. [25] Furthermore, other events were produced in 8K Super Hi-Vision (SHV) through partnership with Japan’s public service broadcaster, NHK. [26] Up to 10 cameras, including 8K Super Slow Motion (SSM) cameras, were deployed for live production, twice the number used at Rio 2016. [25] [26]
The OBS Production Plan included more than 450 cameras to produce approximately 5,000 hours (approximately 20 per cent more than in Sochi four years ago) – including live sport, select official trainings and Ski Jumping trials; the Opening and Closing Ceremonies; the daily Medals Plaza Victory Ceremonies; the Olympic Channel News (OCN); digital content (Virtual Reality, Content+); and other production material. [27] [28]
OBS launched a new cloud-based content delivery platform known as Content+, which provided fully produced short-form content (varying from 10 seconds to slightly longer pieces of three minutes) for MRHs to use on their digital and social media platforms. [26] [25]
Tokyo 2020
The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 proved to be unprecedented in Olympic history due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [29] In March 2020, the decision was made to postpone the Games until the summer of 2021, which affected normal broadcasting routine. [30]
This was done through daily interactions and planning sessions with governmental authorities, the IOC, the Organising Committee and the MRHs, as well as Exarchos team addressing agreements with vendors and the more than 8,000 OBS personal. [29] This included the development of guidelines, or a “Playbook”, for the IBC and venues operations which OBS and the more than 7,000 MRHs onsite in Tokyo would follow to ensure the Games existed in a safe and secure environment. [31] [32]
OBS partnered with Alibaba Group to create the OBS Cloud, a suite of custom-made cloud-based solutions adapted to the demanding, data-heavy broadcast workflows. [33] OBS Cloud offered the connectivity, processing and storage capabilities required for the broadcast of the Games. Not only could MRHs access all OBS content remotely, but they could also set up their own content creation, management and distribution systems within the platform. [34] [35]
With fans unable to attend the Tokyo 2020 Games, OBS provided an online ‘Cheer Map' and ‘Fan Video Wall’ that brought audiences virtual participation. [36] [37] Fans could access the Cheer Map and Fan Video Wall feature via participating MRHs, as well as at the Tokyo 2020 section at the Olympics website. [37] OBS also facilitated the ‘Athlete Moments’, allowing athletes at selected venues to connect with their family and friends directly after their event. [36] The Athletes Moment proved was also implemented again in Beijing 2022 and even in Paris 2024. [36] [37]
Tokyo 2020 would also be the first Games edition to be fully produced natively in UHD HDR. [38]
By the close of the Games, the increase in the amount of digital content available across platforms would make Tokyo 2020 the most watched Games Tokyo 2020 saw a 74 per cent upsurge in digital unique viewers compared with the Olympic Games Rio 2016, with a 139 per cent increase in the number of video views on digital platforms. [39]
Beijing 2022
Beijing 2022 restricted movement outside the venues and IBC, separating the Olympic stakeholders from the Chinese population. [40]
Beijing 2022 represented the first time that an Olympic Winter Games was natively produced in Ultra High Definition (UHD) High Dynamic Range (HDR) with immersive audio. [41] [42]
Teaming up with Intel again, OBS set up a pilot project that was used for the coverage of curling. [43]
Paris 2024
The first-ever Summer Olympic opening ceremony not held in a stadium, the event was held along the River Seine, with more than 300,000 people watching from along the high and low quays. [44] [45]
As executive producer of the Ceremony, Exarchos led the OBS coverage which used more than 110 cameras including robotic cameras, cranes and cable cameras, as well as four custom-made stabilised boats, three helicopters, eight drones – three times the number of cameras used in Tokyo, where approximately 40 cameras were used for the Opening Ceremony. [46] [47] Additionally, 200 mobile phones were deployed on the boats of the different teams to cover the athletes as they float down the Seine. [48] The OBS coverage on land, water and in the air, resulted in the largest single broadcast production for a sporting event in history. [49]
Exarchos pushed to introduce for the first time in an Olympic Games, the use of cinematic lens. [46] Cinematic-style cameras brought a filmic quality to some images within the Olympic coverage; these shallow depth of field cameras brought the central characters and spectators into sharper focus enhancing the overall visual experience for the viewer. [47]
OBS also produced more overall content than ever before, including more coverage focused on the athletes’ journey, their training, warm-up, and behind-the-scenes content. [50] In total, OBS produced more than 11,000 hours of coverage, more than a regular television network produces in a single year, including around 4,000 hours of sports competition and ceremonies. [32] This represents nearly double the number of hours produced only 12 years ago for London 2012. [50]
The 2024 Olympics had UHD HDR visuals paired with 5.4.1 immersive sound. [51] Cinematic lenses were used across various venues, honoring the host country. [52] The coverage featured advanced multi-camera replay systems, with the number of cameras doubling compared to Tokyo 2020, and First Person View (FPV) drones equipped with UHD HDR cameras. [51]
The production also used augmented reality (AR) technology, enabling live interviews from the Olympic Village to be seamlessly integrated into mixed-reality studio environments. Dynamic graphics were used for the presentation of sports. [53]
For the first time in Olympic broadcasting, the OBS Live Cloud served as the main method of distributing live signals, a shift towards cloud-based delivery. [33] A virtualized OB van (VOB) was used to create a more sustainable broadcast production environment. Three VOBs were used for delivering live coverage in native UHD (4K) HDR for four sports: Shooting, Judo, Wrestling, and Tennis. [54]
Artificial Intelligence (AI) was used in several new initiatives, including automated highlights generation in collaboration with TOP Partner Intel. Intelligent stroboscopic analysis, developed with TOP Partner Omega, studied movement and biomechanical positions in Diving, Athletics, and Artistic Gymnastics. [55] [56] Enhanced data graphics were used in Diving to analyze athlete body positions, while AI-driven technology measured serve reaction times in collaboration with Omega, providing data on the athlete's response to a serve. [57] [56]
