Winter Olympics 2018

SVG have some details of the BBC's plans for PyeongChang, with an average of 19 hours a day across BBC One and Two, and a 24-hour Red Button channel:

https://www.svgeurope.org/blog/headlines/preparing-for-pyeongchang-looking-ahead-to-the-winter-olympics/

(They're also avoiding any Daily Mail criticism by saying they've not decided how many people they're sending yet)

There's also details there of how Croatia's HRT's coverage, which sounds somewhat less extensive.

this article has a brief mention of NHK's 8 hours a day of 8K coverage of the games.

Least coverage from the BBC since 1998.

Interesting there they say presentation will be from PyeongChang from 0000 till 0915 then from Salford from 0915 till 2000.

Could the fact that it's also the furthest from GMT since 1998 have something to do with that?

Makes sense when most of the coverage during our daytime it will be dark there, it won't make for a great backdrop. Probably much easier to put a whole day of what will essentially be highlights and replays from Salford, studio presentation will presumably just be linking between them.

Has the winter games ever been much of a ratings winner in the uk?

We likely to see the BBC Two 2000 Christmas Ident again like in 2006?

Wouldn't have thought so, as it's already been back on screen for the last 2 Christmases (and we may yet see it again this year!). I think it's possibly the only BBC Two ident which has had FOUR different sountracks- Christmas 2000, Winter Olympics 2006, Christmas 2015 and Christmas 2016.

No, it's due to Eurosport nabbing the full rights (well for 2022+ then the BBC forfeiting exclusivit for 2018/20) despite the Olympics in their entirety being a protected event.

Well 24m watched in 1984.

What percentage of the audience will notice any difference in the coverage?


When was the last time the BBC provided 19 hours a day of coverage of a Winter Olympics across BBC 1 and 2?

Once Eurosport had purchased pan European rights with no alternative bids considered how would you have ensured extensive FTA coverage of the 2022 Winter Olympics and 2024 Summer Olympics?

Could you please cite the relevant part of ‘listed event’ that states that every second of every Olympic event must be broadcast in order to ensure compliance?

Could you provide a list of past Summer and Winter Olympics where every second of every event has been broadcast? (2012 wasn’t)

If the above is not possible could you please explain what level of coverage is necessary to satisfy the ‘listed events’ requirement?

As you’ve been making the same point since the BBC agreed their deal with Discovery I’m interested to know what you would have done differently.

I can tell you every single second of the 2012 Winter Olympics was broadcast on the BBC.

And by your own admission I've already answered the rest of your questions. All the BBC had to do is stand up for itself and the letter of the law be upheld.

The 2012 Winter Olympics? Must have missed those. If you mean London 2012 then you’re wrong - there were some events (made available by OBS) that weren’t shown live. Not many, but not ‘every single second’ was live. By your definition that makes the BBC in breach then and by extension at every Olympics since listed events have been in place.



I haven’t admitted anything, and neither have you answered any of the questions apart from the one you were incorrect about. So please, do answer them because I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants to know what you’d have done differently. Along with finding out when there’s been an average of 19 hours per day of Winer Olympics coverage on BBC 1 and 2 and details of the level of Olympic coverage that is required to fulfill it being a listed event. I’m also interested to hear what percentage of viewers you think will notice a difference in the level of coverage.



Telling the BBC to ‘stand up for itslef’ is a nice sentiment but isn’t going to get you very far in ensuring extensive FTA coverage beyond 2022 which is what you seem to be saying there was / is a better way of securing.