Warner Bros Discovery‘s 2024 Paris Olympic Games plans are building momentum.
WBD has revealed plans for “wall-to-wall” coverage of the Olympics, which begin later this month in the French capital. Eurosport will show the games across 47 markets in 19 languages through Max and Discovery+ and on most of its television channels.
This will total 3,800 hours, with every moment of the events streamed — including all 329 medal ceremonies, and the opening and closing ceremonies offered in HDR. WBD has owned the international rights to the Olympics since the 2018 Games, and sub-licenses feeds to public and commercial broadcasters in local territories, due to the International Olympic Committee’s insistence they are aired on free-to-air TV around the world.
A presenting line up of TV talent and sports stars includes Germany’s Boris Becker, Fabien Hambüchen and Fanny Rinne; the UK’s Laura Woods, Ugo Moyne, James Cracknell and Tom Daley; and Sweden’s Carolina Klüft. Others include Arnaud Tournant and Alain Bernard from France, Lydia Valentin and Carla Suárez Navarro from Spain, Catalina Ponor from Romania, Ranomi Kromowidjojo from the Netherlands and Italian-Argentinian Hugo Sconochini.
They will be reporting from a WBD House rooftop studio on top of a hotel near the Eiffel Tower, in addition to local market studios. There will be a total of 400 commentators across WBD’s coverage.
On the streaming side, all 32 Olympic sports will have their own dedicated page where specific events can be added through Max. Gold medal alerts will inform viewers of imminent events. Fifteen sports will also get timeline marker features so users ca navigate to key moments quickly, while a curated blend of live-events, highlights and additional coverage will be offered on simulcasts of Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 through the apps.
Snapchat content will take viewers behind the scenes, with a free daily show available to viewers in the UK and France. Looney Tunes characters will offer explainers on what performances will be needed to win in Looney Tunes: Sports Made Simple shorts.
There will also be a Eurosport-produced doc, 4 August – An Olympic Odyssey launching today on Eurosport, Max and Discovery+, which will analyze monumental moments from this date throughout Olympic history, such as Jesse Owens humiliating Hitler in 1936 and the ‘Super Saturday’ that saw Team GB win multiple golds at London 2012.
Scott Young, Group SVP Content, Production and Business Operations at WBD Sports Europe, said: “As the Home of the Olympics and powered by the greatest storytelling engine anywhere, Team Eurosport stands unmatched in terms of Olympic expertise and experience. We have assembled an incredible cast of more than 100 of the greatest Olympians from across Europe to deliver top-class insight, analysis, and entertainment across 19 exciting days of competition. Drawing on their own personal Olympic journeys, they will bring all the moments that matter to life for millions of fans across the continent.
“Taking audiences closer to the action and stories, fans will have access to the ultimate and unmissable Olympic companion experience on Max and discovery+. Boosted by new in-app enhancements, customisable features and exciting original content, these platforms will be the only place to enjoy every moment of the Olympics and are set to drive even greater fandom, entertainment and passion while igniting the Olympics like never before.”
At the last Olympics in Tokyo, more than 175 million people watched Discovery’s Olympics coverage through digital and TV, which WBD claims is 13 times more than the PyeongChang Winter Olympics two years before. Another 200 million watched on channels with sub-license agreements, including 45 national broadcasters in Europe.
The Paris Olympics begin on July 26 and run through until August 11.
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