Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium announced the launch of its dedicated websites, CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca, which go live today and will provide a record 2,400 hours of live Olympic Games coverage from Vancouver 2010 in English and French, representing the most comprehensive web offering ever by an Olympic rights-holder.
As the official English and French Canadian digital hubs for live coverage of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca will be rolled out in five phases over the next year, highlighted by a record amount of embedded video, user generated content, interactive and participatory games, unmatched depth of information about Canadian Olympic athletes, and the best in news coverage. This all culminates in February 2010 with exclusive live online coverage of every single moment of Olympic Games competition.
Never before have dedicated Olympic Games websites been unveiled so far in advance of competition. As part of the Consortium’s ongoing efforts to build awareness for Canadian Olympic athletes and generate excitement, the websites are launching one year in advance of Vancouver 2010, reinforcing the Consortium’s commitment to truly making these Canada’s Games.
“We are seeing an evolution in the way Canadians consume media. It’s all about choice and customization. We, as content providers, are offering consumers the opportunity to experience the Games how they want and when they want, whether it be on our dedicated Olympic websites, one of our official 11 television networks or 10 radio stations, or all at the same time,” said Keith Pelley, President, Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium. “We are redefining how Canadians consume content and putting them in control of their own personal Olympic Games experience.”
The sheer abundance and quality of live streaming and video content is unprecedented for sports in Canada and positions CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca as the undisputed leaders in Olympic Games web coverage. During the Games, there will be up to 14 concurrent live streams available. There will be live feeds of five networks – CTV, TQS, Rogers Sportsnet, TSN, RDS – plus live host broadcast streams of every single sport/discipline. All live streaming will be in enhanced definition and available on-demand, including full-event, replays, highlights, features and interviews.
“CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca are dedicated Olympic Games destinations which give both the core sports fan and casual Olympic Games observer a unique online experience that combines superlative high-quality video with captivating storytelling, entertaining and interactive elements, and informative news and analysis,” said Alon Marcovici, Vice-President, Digital Media and Research, Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium.
Online Olympic Games content will be fully bilingual, with the majority of print content provided exclusively by The Globe and Mail staff writers, the official national newspaper of the Consortium and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. RDSolympiques.ca focuses heavily on events, athletes and news of specific interest to Francophones across Canada.
Further announcements regarding mobile and exclusive partnerships for CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca will be announced in the coming months.
The following is an overview of the various digital offerings CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca will roll out over the next year leading up-to and during Vancouver 2010:
• Video – CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca will provide 2,400 hours of live Olympic video coverage with up to 14 concurrent streams from five television networks and all 15 disciplines. In addition, the embedded video player will deliver exclusive Olympic Games highlights, montages, athlete interviews and expert analysis. The video player’s enhanced ‘Mosaic’ quad-screen mode gives users the option to watch four different events simultaneously or the same event from four different views. A searchable database of Olympic Games video content allows users to select video features from the Consortium’s suite of assets, including coverage of World Cup performances and athlete and team features. All video is in enhanced definition and available on-demand.
• Web-Exclusive Content and Programming – The depth and diversity of web-exclusive programming at CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca will enhance the user’s experience leading up-to and during the Games. Web-exclusive content includes non-televised events and competitions from Vancouver 2010, as well as enhancements to existing programming, such as full-length interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and directors’ cuts. The websites will also stream exclusive live pre- and post-game coverage of Team Canada men’s hockey. In addition, roving reporters covering the sights and sounds of Vancouver and Whistler will provide web-exclusive content beyond Games competition.
• News and Information – CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca are the undisputed destinations for Games coverage with breaking news, by-the-minute updates via the News Centre, the latest from the World Cup circuit, and comprehensive analysis, results and blogs delivered by the Consortium’s award-winning broadcast and digital media teams. Information elements that will figure prominently on both websites include Legends of the Games, profiling history’s all-time Olympic Winter Games legends; By the Numbers, featuring intriguing stats and numbers about the Winter Games; Today in Olympic History; Athlete Performance of the Week; and Venue Information.
• Photo Gallery – All things Vancouver 2010 can be seen through multiple galleries and narrative slide shows with an unprecedented, robust and visually appealing photo gallery featuring up-to-the-minute photo coverage through a live photo feed.
• User Generated Content – Canadians will have their voices heard leading up-to and during Vancouver 2010 through an abundance of user generated content initiatives: Call The Game, whereby users can call the play-by-play of iconic Olympic Winter Games moments and vote to determine the best amateur announcers in this country; Highlight Mash-ups, allowing visitors to edit their own Olympic Games highlight packs; You Be The Judge, allowing fans to act as judges and rate athlete/team performances; Fans Wanna Know, whereby users submit questions to studio guests and analysts; Citizen Journalists, in which users provide coverage of their Olympic Games experiences from Vancouver 2010.
• Personalized and Interactive Viewer’s Guide – This comprehensive user-friendly interactive viewer’s guide will help visitors navigate the expansive Olympic Games coverage across the Consortium’s suite of television, radio, print, digital and live theatrical assets. The Consortium’s complete broadcast and digital schedules will be updated throughout the Games and will provide localized listings to Canadians across the country. Users can sort by network, day and time or sport, and can search using selected keywords, such as athlete or country. Tied into personalized reminders and alerts, the Viewer’s Guide is the central tool for maximum viewing enjoyment.
• Fantasy Games – Interactive games and nano-gaming allow fans to follow and play the game within the Games, responding to Olympic-themed trivia and polls during live competition. Users can also take part in Fantasy Games, selecting their favourite athletes and competing against friends and fellow Canadians in a fantasy performance pool.
• Exclusive Print Partnership with The Globe and Mail – Lead sports columnist Stephen Brunt will provide original content exclusively for CTVOlympics.ca, while all Olympic-related stories by The Globe and Mail reporters will be online at CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca.
• Audio – Drawing from the resources of Rogers Radio stations across Canada, visitors to CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca will be able to access audio content, including live event coverage, interviews and programming, such as the FAN Sports Radio Network’s Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown. In addition, the websites will offer roundtable podcasts with Canada’s Olympic experts, including The Globe and Mail’s Stephen Brunt.
• Interactive Medal Tracker – Users can trace the medal history of every country that has competed at an Olympic Winter Games with the Interactive Medal Tracker, a sortable database of historical information detailing the number of gold, silver and bronze medals won by each nation. Fans can also compare nations’ Olympic Winter Games performances and results with the Medal Tracker comparison chart. During Games time at Vancouver 2010, the Medal Tracker will present Real Time Medal Standings.
• Team Canada – In-depth coverage of Canadian Olympic athletes, including profiles, photo gallery, videos, World Cup results, medals won, athlete map of Canada (highlighting where each athlete is from) and featured athletes of the week.
• Athletes, Sports and Country Profiles – Athlete profiles will be available for all 2,500 athletes competing at Vancouver 2010, with unparalleled content and information for the Canadian athletes, including Q&As;, photos, videos and results. Each sport has its own dedicated section, outlining rules and regulations, equipment, scoring system, historic timelines, venues, video, and the athletes to watch. Country profiles include an overview of the 80+ nations expected to compete at Vancouver 2010 with general information, Olympic history and medal results, and athletes to watch.
• About Vancouver – A dedicated section about the host city, highlighting the traditions and customs of Vancouver and Whistler, news about the cities and province, Olympic Games venue information, and Vancouver/Whistler-specific photo gallery and video content.
• Personal Profiles – Visitors can register and create a profile at CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca to unlock key features and subscribe to an e-newsletter featuring the latest news, information and stories on the road to and during Vancouver 2010.
The infrastructure for CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca was designed in partnership with CTV’s internal resources and deltatre, a sport technology firm that specializes in website construction, rich data and mobile services.
(Source: Sportsbusinessnews.com)
