Canada’s Olympic Broadcasting Consortium’s Plans for the Winter Games

Back in 2005, CTV outbid CBC for the 2010 and 2012 Olympics, breaking the stranglehold by Canada’s public broadcaster that went from 1996 to 2008. For the last five years, CTV has been gearing up for the games. By bringing together CTV, TSN, RDS and Rogers Sportsnet into the fold, Canadians will see blanket coverage of the Vancouver Olympics next month.

Today, CTV released its plans for the games by providing 4,800 hours of live coverage through its multiple platforms. I have two releases to give you and take a look. Be ready to scroll for a while.

OLYMPIC BROADCASTING 2.0: MOST AMBITIOUS MEDIA INITIATIVE IN CANADIAN HISTORY ANNOUNCED

• — Consortium reinvents how Games coverage will be delivered —
• — Canadians to experience Olympic Games like never before —
• — Record 4,800 hours of live Vancouver 2010 coverage —

It’s a completely new way to experience the Olympic Games. With one month to go until the Opening Ceremony, Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium announced today the most ambitious media initiative in Canadian history.

The Consortium will deliver unprecedented choice and access in a broadcast plan that is unlike anything seen before anywhere in the world. The strategy is designed to allow Canadians to experience the Games on their own terms – to watch what they want, when they want and how they want. Viewers can access three levels of experience: Best of the Best (on CTV and V), Extended (on TSN, Rogers Sportsnet, RDS and others), and Complete (on CTVOlympics.ca and RDSOlympiques.ca). The Olympic Games experience will also be delivered by the Consortium via online, radio, print, mobile, VOD, theatre, and in person at local events.

“Throw away any pre-conceived notions you may have about an Olympic Games broadcast,” said Ivan Fecan, President and Chief Executive Officer, CTVglobemedia and Chief Executive Officer, CTV Inc. “We are giving consumers complete control of their Olympic Games experience, tailored for our digital age.”

“We have seen an evolution in the way Canadians consume media, and as content providers, we have an obligation to deliver on those desires and expectations. And that is precisely what we aim to accomplish,” said Keith Pelley, President, Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium.

Viewers can choose the intensity of their Olympic Games experience:

Best of the Best – All the ‘big’ moments will be featured live on CTV and V (with French-language coverage produced by RDS).  Viewers won’t miss any of these key moments from Vancouver 2010, as the two channels will provide live coverage of the top stories and most significant events at any given time, including every single Canadian medal victory. In addition to live event coverage, CTV and V will present highlights from events happening concurrently on other channels, directing viewers to additional networks for extended coverage of certain events.

Extended – Companion networks, including TSN, RDS and Rogers Sportsnet, will present live coverage of key events from start to finish. Full hockey games, curling matches, alpine skiing races, figure skating programs, speed skating, sliding events and more will air in their entirety on these channels.

Complete – Every second of every competition will be provided live on the Consortium’s two websites CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca. With up to 14 concurrent live streams available, the websites will host live feeds from five networks (CTV, TSN, Rogers Sportsnet, V and RDS) as well as the live host broadcast stream of every sport and discipline from beginning to end of competition. For coverage viewers don’t often get to see – such as the 65^th-ranked alpine skier from the Cayman Islands – CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca offer access like never before.  Viewers won’t miss a second of the action.

The Olympic Games transcend sports, and as such, the Consortium will roll out the red carpet for all the glamour and glitz as the ETALK and FASHIONTELEVISION teams cover the celebrity sightings, style, fashion and pop culture of the Games.  MuchMusic also heads out west for a daily double dose of the music, sights and sounds of the Games with MOD Live @ The Base, as well as exclusive coverage of the star-studded nightly concerts from the Vancouver and Whistler Victory Ceremonies. CTV and Rogers’ industry-leading news organizations will also be front and centre with frequent daily reports on the politics, protests and topical issues of the Games.

In an Olympic Games first, the Consortium will deliver every second of every competition LIVE from Vancouver 2010, encompassing more than 4,800 hours of coverage in 22 languages on 12 television channels, 20 radio stations and two dedicated websites. In all, the Consortium will present more than 2,250 hours of coverage on television, 2,350 hours online and 200 hours on radio. The Consortium’s coverage of Vancouver 2010 on television alone is more than double the amount of Canadian television coverage made available in English and French for Turin 2006 (1,009 hours). Coverage of Vancouver 2010 will be produced entirely in High Definition and will be presented from February 12 to 28 across the following platforms:

• Television (English) – CTV, TSN, Ro
  gers Sportsnet, OLN, APTN, MuchMusic
• Television (French) – V, RDS, RIS Info Sports, APTN
• Television (Multilingual) – OMNI.1, OMNI.2, ATN, APTN
• Online – CTVOlympics.ca, RDSolympiques.ca
• Radio (English) – Rogers Radio: THE FAN 590 Toronto, THE FAN 960 Calgary, Mountain FM Whistler, News 1130 Vancouver, 680 News Toronto, 660 News Calgary, News 95.7 Halifax, News 88.9 St. John, News 91.9 Moncton, 570 News Kitchener
• Radio (French) – Corus Québec: CKAC Sports, 96.9 CKOI, 98.5FM and Info690 Montreal, 102.9Souvenirs garantisQuébec, 102.1 CKOI Québec, 104.7Souvenirs garantisOutaouais, 98.3Souvenirs garantisSaguenay, 104.5 CKOI Estrie, 106.9Souvenirs garantis Mauricie
• Print – The Globe and Mail
• Theatre – live coverage available in 64 Cineplex theatres throughout Canada during the Games, with CTV Olympic Games Broadcast at Cineplex
• Mobile – exclusive live video streaming on Bell Mobility, live coverage of men’s and women’s hockey, recaps, highlights and unique mobile features
• Video on Demand – details to be announced in the coming weeks
• CTV Olympic Celebration – details to be announced in the coming weeks

To help viewers navigate their Olympic Games experience, CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca offer an all-encompassing interactive digital Viewers’ Guide.  Launching February 1 at CTVOlympics.ca, RDSolympiques.ca and as a mobile application, the Viewers’ Guide is fully customizable offering Canadians complete control over their Vancouver 2010 experience. The Viewers’ Guide also enables and instructs fans to set reminders and alerts as well as program their Bell TV PVR by specific sport or event, ensuring they don’t miss any of the action or results. 

Additional highlights include:

• With 4,800 hours of coverage and every second of Vancouver 2010 sporting competition available live, the Consortium offers the most coverage ever, domestic or international, of an Olympic Winter Games
• Throughout the 17 days of the Games, Consortium coverage will average 282 hours per day, led by CTV with 22 hours per day in English and RDS with 21 hours per day in French
• All French-language content and programming on V, as well as RIS Info Sports and APTN, are produced independently by RDS, thus ensuring fluid, complementary and high-quality programming across all French services. Content will focus on events and athletes of specific interest to Francophone viewers

• The Consortium will deliver Vancouver 2010 coverage in a record 22 languages. Broadcast partners APTN, ATN, OMNI.1 and OMNI.2 will air a combined total of 421 hours of multilingual coverage. Languages in alphabetical order are as follows:
• Bangla, Cantonese, Cree, Dene, English, French, Gujarati, Hindi, Inuktitut, Italian, Mandarin, Mechif, Mi’Kmaq, Mohawk, Ojibway, Oji-Cree, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Tamil, Ukrainian, Urdu

• In addition to the 4,800 hours of coverage, the IOC has commissioned the Consortium to provide the world broadcast feed for men’s and women’s hockey, figure skating, curling and short track speed skating, offering video coverage of these four sports to all international rights-holders

• CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca will provide a record 2,350 hours of live Vancouver 2010 coverage, representing the most comprehensive Olympic Winter Games web offering ever. With up to 14 concurrent live streams available, the websites are the only online destinations in Canada to feature live streaming Games coverage. In addition to live feeds from five networks (CTV, TSN, Rogers Sportsnet, V and RDS), the websites will also provide world feed broadcast streams of every sport and discipline. The websites’ video player, powered by Microsoft’s Silverlight, streams video in High Definition and has PVR-like functionality allowing viewers to pause, rewind and view key moments with one click while viewing results, statistics and a live chat simultaneously on the video screen. The websites also include 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

• Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be available live on all Consortium television channels, CTVOlympics.ca, RDSolympiques.ca and select Rogers Radio and Corus Québec radio stations. Coverage will air in 13 languages with the Opening Ceremony on February 12 at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET and Closing Ceremony on February 28 at 5 p.m. PT /8 p.m. ET

• Men’s hockey gold medal game will be available live on seven Consortium television channels, CTVOlympics.ca, RDSolympiques.ca and select Rogers Radio and Corus Québec radio stations on February 28 at 12 noon PT/3 p.m. ET

• The Consortium will host coverage from both Vancouver and Whistler, marking the first time a North American broadcaster will anchor from two different locations at a single Games. The Consortium will have six sets at the International Broadcast Centre in Vancouver (CTV, Rogers Sportsnet, TSN, V and two for RDS) and two sets in Whistler – one at the recently renamed CTV Mountain Square and one at the Garibaldi Lift Co. Bar & Grill at the base of the mountain. There will also be an interactive set at the Digital Lounge in the IBC

• Rogers Radio and Corus Québec will provide a total of 200 hours of Olympic Games content in English and French on 20 official radio stations within the Consortium. Highlights include live coverage of Team Canada’s men’s and women’s hockey, Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Olympic Prime Time S
  ports – a three-hour daily show with Bob McCown, Stephen Brunt and John Shannon live from Vancouver, and a daily wrap-up show

• The Globe and Mail will publish a stand-alone Vancouver 2010 section every day of the Games, including for the first time ever, a special Sunday edition of the paper in British Columbia. The official national print partner of the Consortium and the 2010 Winter Games, The Globe and Mail includes a special dedicated Olympic Games sections every Monday leading up to the Games. In addition, the paper will run a special edition Viewers’ Guide on February 13.

Vancouver 2010 marks the ninth time CTV has been an official broadcaster of the Olympic Games.  CTV previously hosted coverage of Innsbruck 1964, Grenoble 1968, Innsbruck 1976, Lake Placid 1980, Sarajevo 1984, Calgary 1988, Barcelona 1992, and Lillehammer 1994.

About Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium

Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium is a unique relationship between leading media conglomerates CTV Inc. and Rogers Media Inc., which together will provide unprecedented coverage and consumer choice in English, French and multi-languages on multiple platforms for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and the London 2012 Games of the Olympiad.  Official brands include CTV, TSN, RDS, RIS Info Sports, Rogers Sportsnet, OMNI, OLN, V, APTN, ATN, CTVOlympics.ca, RDSolympiques.ca, The Globe and Mail, Corus Québec and select Rogers radio stations across the country.

And here is the breakdown of coverage for every network involved in the consortium.

Vancouver 2010 Coverage By Network

CTV
Canada’s Olympic Network will provide a total of 374 hours of live coverage of Vancouver 2010, averaging 22 hours per day, all in HD, breaking only for live news.

Coverage is divided into four day-parts:
 
o Olympic Morning – 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. PT / 6 a.m. to 12 noon ET
– Hosted by Beverly Thomson and Jay Onrait from Vancouver, and Seamus O’Regan and Melissa Grelo from Whistler
 
o Olympic Daytime – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT / 12 noon to 6 p.m. ET
– Hosted by James Duthie and Lisa LaFlamme (Vancouver) and Michael Landsberg (Whistler)
 
o Olympic Prime Time – 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. ET
– Hosted by Brian Williams (Vancouver) and Jennifer Hedger (Whistler)
 
o Olympic Late Night – 12 midnight to 3 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. ET

CTV will televise the premier event each day, as well as all the highlights and medal performances from each of the sports and disciplines. With a strong focus on storytelling, coverage also includes on-set interviews with medallists and newsmakers, action from the nightly medal ceremonies, reaction from friends and family, in-depth profiles, unique features and human interest stories of courage, heart, pride and determination. With the first position in all the venue mixed zones/interview areas, CTV will also have instant (and first) live reaction from the athletes after competition.

V
V will televise 284 hours of coverage from Vancouver 2010, all live and in HD, with a strong focus on French Canadian athletes and stories. Averaging 16.5 hours of daily coverage, V will deliver the premier event each day, as well as medal performances, key highlights, evening medal ceremonies and on-set interviews with medallists and newsmakers.

Together, V, RDS, RIS Info Sports and APTN will provide a record amount of French-language Olympic Games content with more than 800 total hours of coverage of Vancouver 2010. This is nearly double the French-language coverage in Canada of Beijing 2008 (463 hours) and more than twice the amount of coverage of Turin 2006 (375 hours).

Coverage is divided into three day-parts:
o Le réveil olympique – 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. PT / 7 a.m. to 12 noon ET
– Hosted by Claude Mailhot
 
o Jeux olympiques en journée – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT / 12 noon to 6 p.m. ET
– Hosted by Chantal Machabée
 
o Jeux olympiques aux heures de grande écoute – 3 p.m. to 10/11 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. to 1/2 a.m. ET
– Hosted by Jean Pagé

All French-language content and programming on V, as well as RIS Info Sports and APTN, are produced independently by RDS, thus ensuring fluid, complementary and high-quality programming across all French services. Content will focus on events and athletes of specific interest to Francophone viewers.

TSN
TSN has been at the forefront of every major sporting event in the world, and the tradition continues with 296 hours of live coverage of Vancouver 2010. With an average of 17.5 hours per day over the 17-day event, TSN will deliver full event/game coverage from all the sports and disciplines, all in HD, including hockey, figure skating, curling, alpine skiing, long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and the sliding sports.

Coverage is divided into four day-parts:
o Olympic Morning – 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. to 12 noon ET
o Olympic Daytime – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT / 12 noon to 6 p.m. ET
– Hosted by Dave Randorf
o Olympic Prime Time – 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. ET
– Hosted by Darren Dutchyshen
o Olympic Late Night – 12 midnight to 2 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. ET

SportsCentre, TSN’s flagship news program, will be anchored live during the Games from TSN’s set at the IBC in Vancouver, airing at 11 p.m. PT / 2 a.m. ET and from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. PT / 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET.

Rogers Sportsnet
For the first time in network history, Rogers Sportsnet is televising the Olympic Games. Sportsnet will deliver 306 hours from Vancouver 2010, all in HD, averaging 18 hours of coverage per day. Coverage includes full-length event/game action from all the key sports and disciplines.

Coverage is divided into four day-parts:
o Olympic Morning – 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. to 12 noon ET
o Olympic Daytime – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT / 12 noon to 6 p.m. ET
– Hosted by Don Taylor and Evanka Osmak
o Olympic Prime Time – 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. ET
– Hosted by Brad Fay and Martine Gaillard
o Olympic Late Night – 12 midnight to 2 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. ET

Sportsnet Connected, the network’s flagship news program, will be anchored live during the Games from Sportsnet’s set at the IBC in Vancouver, airing at 11 p.m. PT / 2 a.m. ET and from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. PT / 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET.

RDS
As Canada’s undisputed French-language sports leader, RDS continues to tell the sports stories that matter most to French Canadians with 354 hours of live HD coverage of Vancouver 2010, with a strong focus on Francophone athletes. RDS will average 21 hours per day, del
ivering full event/game coverage of all the premier sports, including short track speed skating in which French Canadians are expected to dominate.

With a dedicated French production team of more than 240 people, editorial independence and an established French bureau in Vancouver, RDS’s coverage of Vancouver 2010 offers Francophones more choice and access like never before to the biggest event ever held on Canadian soil.

Coverage is divided into four day-parts:
o Le réveil olympique – 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. PT / 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET
– Hosted by Claude Mailhot
o Jeux olympiques en journée – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT / 12 noon to 6 p.m. ET
– Hosted by Yanick Bouchard
o Jeux olympiques aux heures de grande écoute – 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. ET
– Hosted by Denis Casavant
o Le Canada en action – 12 midnight to 3:30 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. ET

Together, RDS, RIS Info Sports, V and APTN will provide a record amount of French-language Olympic Games content with more than 800 total hours of coverage of Vancouver 2010. This is nearly double the French-language coverage in Canada of Beijing 2008 (463 hours) and more than twice the amount of coverage of Turin 2006 (375 hours).

Vancouver 2010 marks the sixth time RDS has televised the Olympic Games. RDS previously hosted coverage of Sydney 2000, Salt Lake City 2002, Athens 2004, Turin 2006, Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010.

Sports 30, RDS’s flagship news program, will be anchored live during the Games from the network’s set at the IBC in Vancouver.

RIS Info Sports
RIS Info Sports will deliver 101 hours of live Vancouver 2010 coverage, with a strong focus on the athletes and stories that matter most to French Canadians. With an average of six hours per day, coverage includes event/game action from start to finish.

Together, RIS Info Sports, RDS, V and APTN will provide a record amount of French-language Olympic Games content with more than 800 total hours of coverage of Vancouver 2010. This is nearly double the French-language coverage in Canada of Beijing 2008 (463 hours) and more than twice the amount of coverage of Turin 2006 (375 hours).

OMNI Television – OMNI.1 and OMNI.2
OMNI Television, Canada’s broadcast leader in multilingual and multicultural programming, will deliver 100 hours of Vancouver 2010 coverage in a total of seven languages, for an average of six hours per day. Ninety-five hours will air in prime time. The Games will be televised in the following languages: Cantonese (on OMNI.2 Ontario, OMNI Calgary, OMNI Edmonton, OMNI BC), Italian (on OMNI.1 Ontario), Mandarin (on OMNI.2 Ontario, OMNI Calgary, OMNI Edmonton, OMNI BC), Polish (on OMNI.1 Ontario), Portuguese (on OMNI.1 Ontario), Punjabi (on OMNI BC), and Ukrainian (on OMNI.1 Ontario).

OLN
OLN takes Canadians on an outdoor journey to the 2010 Winter Games with 75 hours of live coverage, for an average of 4.5 hours of coverage per day. OLN’s lineup includes full event/game coverage and offers Canadians a unique television destination for adventure and entertainment coverage of the Games.

Asian Television Network (ATN)
ATN, Canada’s largest South Asian broadcaster, will deliver 107 hours of live Vancouver 2010 coverage in six languages across seven channels, for an average of 6.5 hours per day. The Games will be televised in the following languages: Bangla (on ATN Bangla), Gujarati (on ATN Gujarati), Hindi (on ATN), Punjabi (on ATN-Alpha Punjabi and ATN-MH1), Tamil (on ATN-Jaya TV) and Urdu (on ATN-ARY Digital).

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN)
APTN, the first ever Aboriginal network worldwide to broadcast live coverage of the Games, will deliver 214 hours of coverage of Vancouver 2010 in a mix of English, French and eight Aboriginal languages. APTN will air an average of 13 hours of coverage per day on its standard definition channel and in High Definition on APTN HD. The Games will be televised in the following languages: Cree, Dene, English, French, Inuktitut, Mechif, Mi’Kmaq, Mohawk, Ojibway and Oji-Cree.

MuchMusic
MuchMusic heads west for exclusive coverage of the star-studded concerts from the Vancouver and Whistler Victory Ceremonies with the hottest performances of the year, including Nelly Furtado, Barenaked Ladies, Hedley, and Billy Talent. Much VJs are also smack-dab in the middle of the action of the biggest and wildest parties, with MOD Live @ The Base airing twice daily from Whistler at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET in front of thousands of screaming fans.

That’s it. I hope to have NBC’s coverage soon.