Olympic Channel celebrates one-year anniversary
The Olympic Channel celebrates its one-year anniversary with more than 6,000 videos representing all Olympic sport disciplines and 206 countries, 30 original series, partnerships with 54 international sport federations and organisations, and availability in 11 languages.
The multi-platform global media destination launched following the Closing Ceremony of Rio 2016 in support of the IOC’s goal, set out in Olympic Agenda 2020, of providing a new way to engage younger generations, fans and new audiences with the Olympic Movement all year round.
IOC president Thomas Bach said: “The launch of the Olympic Channel was a significant milestone for the entire Olympic Family creating a legacy for years to come. It provides us with a new way to engage younger generations and fans with the Olympic Movement, and to get the couch potatoes off the couch. The Olympic Channel’s impact is key to reaching our target audiences through compelling and entertaining content 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
Offering original programming, news, live sports events, social media and interactive content, the Olympic Channel provides additional exposure for sports and athletes outside of the Olympic Games themselves. The scope of the Channel’s programming covers a diverse array of subjects including training, educational and youth-oriented topics, sustainability, sports science and nutrition, healthy and active lifestyles, historical footage and official films from the IOC’s archives.
The Olympic Channel has also provided an additional distribution platform for its 54 federation partnerships which includes collaboration on more than 500 live events in 2017.
Also in its first year, the Olympic Channel began partnerships with NBCUniversal and the USOC and Eurosport to bring an Olympic Channel linear experience to the U.S. and Europe, respectively.
Using a feature-rich product, the Olympic Channel attracts and engages with a new generation of sport fans including the highly sought-after and targeted 16 to 35-year-old audience with more than 77% of those engaging with Olympic Channel content on its social media platforms below the age of 35 since its launch.
Looking forward to what lies ahead for the Olympic Channel, general manager Mark Parkman said: “We anticipate more localisation and more partnerships with our rights holding broadcasters in our efforts to expand our footprint and create more local and relevant experiences. Our programming will continue to feature athletes in their quest for success, and as the global media platform of the Olympic Movement, we are well positioned to tell the stories of these athletes and to deliver all the news as we approach PyeongChang 2018 and beyond.”