T-minus 11 days until the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremonies, but actually, only nine days till the sporting events start, and amateur sport and nationalism gets ready to take the spotlight for another fortnight.
More details of the Olympic Broadcast Consortium have been made public, and the coverage plans are the usual feast for sports fans. By the numbers, Canadians will reportedly get over 5,500 hours of coverage, involving almost 1,100 employees covering 205 countries’ best and brightest in over 28 sports.
Canadian viewers should settle in and enjoy themselves, because while London will clearly dominate TV and news for the next month, none of Canada’s broadcasters want to talk about what’s next. While the Olympic Broadcast Consortium gets ready for its last hurrah, it’s unknown who will step up and take its place at Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016.
It was last reported that the IOC rejected Bell and CBC’s last combined bid, which was reportedly a little over $70 million, and the refusal prompted Bell to say they aren’t interested in trying again. Rogers has already said they are out. CBC is still interested, but it’s highly unlikely they’ll be able to foot the bill themselves. There’s also talk of Yahoo as a potential bidder, but they also are not commenting.
Clearly, there’s plenty of time for things to be sorted out, but after paying an exorbitant price for the Vancouver and London Games, and still somehow losing millions on Canada’s Games, it is an unknown future for the next two, although Canada’s most veteran Olympic broadcaster says not too worry.
“There will be a Canadian broadcaster, there’s no question,” says Brian Williams, TSN’s lead anchor and long time TV face of the Olympics. “As to who it will be, I have no idea. It’ll be on TV … and if I was to worry about where it’s going, I’d drive myself crazy. The bosses don’t tell me, and I don’t ask.
“The IOC is still married to over-the-air television. But listen, I don’t think about this. If it’s my last Olympics, I have had the greatest run in history. If it’s not, so be it. But I plan to be working at TSN and CTV, I’ve got a lot to do with my other projects.”
This will be Olympics No. 14 for Williams, whose penchant for bringing up the time during his live hits became a longtime Royal Canadian Air Farce punch line. “I did it to give a point of reference,” he says of his clock-mentioning ways.
Talking to Williams this past Friday, right before his CFL duties that night, and last minute prep here before flying out Monday, he is a veritable encyclopedia of this country’s involvement in the Games, habitually naming off past winners as he talks about a current athlete’s chances.
“We’re picking 19 right now,” he says, indicating what he and his researchers predict will be our total medal haul. “ It’s early, but that would still be best in a non-boycott year, for a Summer Games.”
He brings up an interesting point in that Canadians are used to Olympics coverage improving. CBC has historically been praised for their coverage (with Americans just north of the border often choosing that over their home broadcaster), and the breadth of coverage of Vancouver.
“Regardless of whoever gets the next Olympics, they can never go back to one or two networks. The bar has been raised with the extent of the coverage, where they will have to partner with people, or have several arms of its own from which to broadcast. “
Taking a look at the recently released online schedule of events is a bit overwhelming.
While we’re still only in build-up, the expansive digital plans are being brought back from 2010, and one fun online element of the coverage is The Experts, which pits cross sports athletes against one another, like Brett Lawrie and J.P. Arencibia taking on Canadian table tennis players Xavier Thérien and Max Xia, and Canadian hockey players Tessa Bonhomme and Jennifer Botterill trying out synchronized swimming. They are well done, showing the uphill battle for recognition for our summer athletes, some of whom are benefitting from the refracted glow of Winter Olympic heroes in the videos.
As well, for Williams, one question is whether or not there will be an on-air sequel meet-up with NBC’s Brian Williams, as the namesake pair did a fun bit comparing studios during Vancouver, and the American anchor left a classy thank you note to the city of Vancouver.
“We do have plans to meet up in London,” is all our Williams will say about the potential for more international anchor co-operation this time around.
More details of the Olympic Broadcast Consortium have been made public, and the coverage plans are the usual feast for sports fans. By the numbers, Canadians will reportedly get over 5,500 hours of coverage, involving almost 1,100 employees covering 205 countries’ best and brightest in over 28 sports.
Canadian viewers should settle in and enjoy themselves, because while London will clearly dominate TV and news for the next month, none of Canada’s broadcasters want to talk about what’s next. While the Olympic Broadcast Consortium gets ready for its last hurrah, it’s unknown who will step up and take its place at Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016.
It was last reported that the IOC rejected Bell and CBC’s last combined bid, which was reportedly a little over $70 million, and the refusal prompted Bell to say they aren’t interested in trying again. Rogers has already said they are out. CBC is still interested, but it’s highly unlikely they’ll be able to foot the bill themselves. There’s also talk of Yahoo as a potential bidder, but they also are not commenting.
Clearly, there’s plenty of time for things to be sorted out, but after paying an exorbitant price for the Vancouver and London Games, and still somehow losing millions on Canada’s Games, it is an unknown future for the next two, although Canada’s most veteran Olympic broadcaster says not too worry.
“There will be a Canadian broadcaster, there’s no question,” says Brian Williams, TSN’s lead anchor and long time TV face of the Olympics. “As to who it will be, I have no idea. It’ll be on TV … and if I was to worry about where it’s going, I’d drive myself crazy. The bosses don’t tell me, and I don’t ask.
“The IOC is still married to over-the-air television. But listen, I don’t think about this. If it’s my last Olympics, I have had the greatest run in history. If it’s not, so be it. But I plan to be working at TSN and CTV, I’ve got a lot to do with my other projects.”
This will be Olympics No. 14 for Williams, whose penchant for bringing up the time during his live hits became a longtime Royal Canadian Air Farce punch line. “I did it to give a point of reference,” he says of his clock-mentioning ways.
Talking to Williams this past Friday, right before his CFL duties that night, and last minute prep here before flying out Monday, he is a veritable encyclopedia of this country’s involvement in the Games, habitually naming off past winners as he talks about a current athlete’s chances.
“We’re picking 19 right now,” he says, indicating what he and his researchers predict will be our total medal haul. “ It’s early, but that would still be best in a non-boycott year, for a Summer Games.”
He brings up an interesting point in that Canadians are used to Olympics coverage improving. CBC has historically been praised for their coverage (with Americans just north of the border often choosing that over their home broadcaster), and the breadth of coverage of Vancouver.
“Regardless of whoever gets the next Olympics, they can never go back to one or two networks. The bar has been raised with the extent of the coverage, where they will have to partner with people, or have several arms of its own from which to broadcast. “
Taking a look at the recently released online schedule of events is a bit overwhelming.
While we’re still only in build-up, the expansive digital plans are being brought back from 2010, and one fun online element of the coverage is The Experts, which pits cross sports athletes against one another, like Brett Lawrie and J.P. Arencibia taking on Canadian table tennis players Xavier Thérien and Max Xia, and Canadian hockey players Tessa Bonhomme and Jennifer Botterill trying out synchronized swimming. They are well done, showing the uphill battle for recognition for our summer athletes, some of whom are benefitting from the refracted glow of Winter Olympic heroes in the videos.
As well, for Williams, one question is whether or not there will be an on-air sequel meet-up with NBC’s Brian Williams, as the namesake pair did a fun bit comparing studios during Vancouver, and the American anchor left a classy thank you note to the city of Vancouver.
“We do have plans to meet up in London,” is all our Williams will say about the potential for more international anchor co-operation this time around.
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