Channel Four will be the broadcaster of the 2012 Paralympic Games. From the news release:
Quote:
The deal with Channel 4 includes multi-platform broadcast rights within the UK, with non-exclusive rights in the Republic of Ireland. Channel 4 will produce and screen two peak time 10 part documentaries in 2011 and 2012, building the stories of the athletes and their journey to the London 2012 Paralympic Games. It will also include dedicated coverage of the Paralympic Torch Relay and will be supported by the biggest marketing campaign in the broadcaster’s history.
Channel 4 will also cover key disability sports and sporting events, in the run up to the Paralympic Games in 2012.
At Games-time, Channel 4 will deliver over 150 hours of coverage of the Paralympic Games, with over 130 hours on their core channel (Channel 4). Paralympic sport has never had this level of exposure in the UK. The coverage will be led by a flagship peak-time show, and extensive coverage will also be provided on mobile and online. Subtitling and audio description will form part of all the programming, ensuring the widest possible audience can enjoy the Games.
Surprising - but since the EBU bid for bundled rights was not successful, LOCOG (the body organising the London 2012 events) have unbundled the rights, meaning there was no certainty that the BBC (as primary EBU member for the UK) would get them this time around. C4 is a PSB corporation, like the BBC, and is a FTA terrestrial, so it isn't a totally radical situation - it isn't as if Sky Sports are covering it Pay-TV only. I wonder if C4 have pushed their PSB remit for minority interests in this regard ?
Be interesting to see how C4 and the BBC manage this, particularly in the years between now and the games, where the BBC would naturally have done loads of build-up programming?
Also - presumably C4 will need to provide some decent streaming of this in addition to scheduled linear output on Channel 4?
Web streaming may be the norm by 2012, but if not I guess the +1 channels for E4/More4/Film4 services, or maybe the normal and +1 channels for one or two of these services could be switched to Paralympic sport for the duration of the events (as BBC Parliament was for BBC Freeview covereage of Beijing?)
Also - doesn't the Paralympics carry on-site advertising, unlike the Olympics, so that may have meant that C4 can generate revenues?
Not sure if this means BBC production staff working for the host broadcaster (an independent operation set-up for the games, coverage hasn't been the responsibility of the local rights holder for quite a while now, instead many broadcasters from around the world provide production expertise) will now be working to produce output for C4? Hmm...
I think it's an excellent move. The BBC can concentrate on covering the Olympics and C4 on the Paralympics and so should be able to provide much more and better coverage than the beeb where it would always be a secondary event
Not sure if this means BBC production staff working for the host broadcaster (an independent operation set-up for the games, coverage hasn't been the responsibility of the local rights holder for quite a while now, instead many broadcasters from around the world provide production expertise) will now be working to produce output for C4? Hmm...
That's not really much of an issue though as they'll be working to produce coverage for many other non-BBC broadcasters too. I wonder if they'll do a deal about their local presence there - the BBC will have facilities there for it's unilateral coverage and C4 will need similar. All the facilities will be either hired in or BBC Resources owned so it would make sense for C4 just to use what was there for the Olympics
I wonder if they'll do a deal about their local presence there - the BBC will have facilities there for it's unilateral coverage and C4 will need similar. All the facilities will be either hired in or BBC Resources owned so it would make sense for C4 just to use what was there for the Olympics
The host broadcaster will provide the inject points and feeds for rights holding broadcasters at the venues back to their location in the broadcast centre from the venues, so there won't be much for the BBC to share with C4. Commentary positions are all booked with the host broadcaster. Only exceptions are studios for linking the coverage which are solely the responsibility of the rights holders, but I don't imagine getting hold of a studio in London will be a problem for either BBC or C4!
It will be interesting to find out who's going to produce this for C4 - are there any production companies with experience in this type and scale of multi-format sporting event? Or, will the BBC produce it for C4?
I notice that the press release says 150 hours, 130 of which will be on C4, with presumably only the other 20 on other outlets (E4? More 4?) - that's about 10 hours a day on C4 and 1.5 hours a day on other outlets on average (assuming a 14 day event schedule?)
I suspect that is more on mainstream outlets than the BBC provided at Beijing, but not as much as on the Red Button and bbc.co.uk services? (Though C4 may not be including these in their releases?)
Possibly a good move for the audience and both broadcasters though in reality.