2012 Olympics Sports Technology Blog

London 2012 Photo Gallery: The Cameras

If there was one thing the 2012 London Games were not short of, it was cameras. Hundreds of cameras were deployed across more than a dozen venues throughout London and the UK by OBS and rights-holding broadcasters. Whether they were 2D, 3D, Ultra HD, super slo-mo, ultra slo-mo, robotic, RF steadi cameras or just a [...]

SBS Reaps Rewards of South Korea’s Medal Take at London Games

South Korea finished fifth in the total medal count at the London Games, the highest the nation has finished since hosting the Games in Seoul in 1988. Thanks to a triumvirate of broadcasters led by SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System) at the IBC in London, South Koreans were able to watch the majority of these medal-winning [...]

SuperSport, SABC Send Olympics Home to South Africa

Despite being located more than 10,000 miles south of London, satellite-TV provider SuperSport and South African Broadcast Company (SABC) reveled in the fact that they were able to deliver the Olympic Games live to South Africa during normal viewing hours, thanks to an almost nonexistent time difference.
In order to serve this primetime audience back home, [...]

Titans of Olympic Production: OBS’s Romero, BBC’s Davies, and NBC’s Mazza

The London Olympics will be remembered not only for massive viewership numbers and breathtaking storylines, but also for the technical and production advancements made during the Games, many of which were provided by OBS (Olympic Broadcast Services), the BCC, and NBC.

Last week at the IBC in London, SVG sat down with production and engineering leaders [...]

NBC’s Olympics Coverage Hauls in Massive Ratings Numbers

As the NBC Olympics production teams begin to work their way back to the States, the network is getting its Nielsen reports in and, as expected, the numbers are huge.

According to The Nielsen Company, 219.4 million Americans watched the London Olympics on NBCUniversal’s family of networks, setting the record as the most-watched event in U.S. television [...]

London Olympics IBC: Gateway to the Games — and to the New Digital Era of Production

The International Broadcast Centre at events like the Olympics and World Cup tends to look fairly similar from event to event. It’s usually in a rather large building (convention centres are always a nice option). Inside, there is an abundance of sheetrock and plaster board (hopefully painted, but not always). And wide corridors are complete [...]

London Olympics IBC: Gateway to the Games — and to the New Digital Era of Production

The International Broadcast Centre at events like the Olympics and World Cup tends to look fairly similar from event to event. It’s usually in a rather large building (convention centres are always a nice option). Inside, there is an abundance of sheetrock and plaster board (hopefully painted, but not always). And wide corridors are complete [...]

London Olympics IBC: Gateway to the Games — and to a New Digital Era of Production

The International Broadcast Center at events like the Olympics and World Cup tends to look fairly similar from event to event. It’s usually in a rather large building (convention centers are always a nice option). Inside, there is an abundance of sheetrock and plaster board (hopefully painted, but not always). And wide corridors are complete [...]

How SIS LIVE got a full studio into a double-decker bus

For a morning magazine programme hosted by English TV presenter Louise Ekland, France Télévisions commissioned SIS LIVE to equip a double-decker bus with broadcasting facilities. Its technical team can produce and broadcast a 50-minute live studio programme while the bus travels around the best-known London streets. In addition to the broadcasting facility, the bus also [...]

Live From London: Sky New Zealand Delivers Nine Channels 24½ Hours a Day With Small Staff

Kiwis are getting a massive dose of Olympic action, courtesy of an “@home” effort by Sky New Zealand that requires minimal staff in London and ultimately delivers viewers eight pay channels of action and a free-to-air channel that takes only a half-hour break from Olympic coverage for a 30-minute newscast. And they’re pulling it off [...]