Paris 2024: International Paralympic Committee set to bring unprecedented global coverage to fans

Regas Woods from Team USA competes in the Men’s Long Jump T42 Final at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games

The 2024 Paralympics is set to bring unprecedented coverage to viewers globally, as the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has secured a record number of rights holding broadcasters that will share the 549 medal events with 1,400 hours of live coverage from all 22 Paralympic sports.

With IPC host broadcaster Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) increasing its production for the Paralympics, Paris 2024 is set to be the biggest and best Games yet.

Speaking to SVG Europe, John Lisko, the IPC’s managing director of global media rights, says: “We’re really excited because what we have is coverage across the planet – all markets – for the first time we will have coverage in every market around the world. It’s a combination of linear platforms, and the majority of them – I think almost all of them – will have a streaming platform as part of it. We have YouTube as an overlay in the markets where it’s applicable, because it’s not all markets that can stream our platform, but together we have global coverage for the planet; the whole planet has the ability to see the Paralympic Games.”

The Paralympics Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony is set to wow global audiences

Every sport live

Compared to Rio 2016, where there were 16 live sports available to rights holders, Paris 2024 marks a rapid growth for coverage of the Games. This Paralympics marks the first time each of the 22 sports will be available to broadcast live. Lisko says: “All sports will be live, which we’re really excited about. That’s also the first time all sport will be live. We have nearly 1,400 hours of live coverage.

“We had 19 of the 22 sports live in Tokyo. [This year] we’ve increased the overall production coverage with OBS.”

At Tokyo the IPC had over 150 broadcasters signed up, but Paris 2024 marks the 160-plus figure, and even at this late stage in the game there may be more to come, Lisko says. “It’s a reshuffling of some broadcasters, and there’s still some deals that we’re finalising now, so it’s great; right up until the end. If there’s room, we’ll take ’em!”

Alongside selling media rights for the Games, the IPC is focused on encouraging broadcasters to see the responsibility they have to help influence changing the way people think about people with disability in general.

On why the Paralympic fan base is growing so quickly, Lisko remarks: “I think it’s a testament to the growth of the movement overall. The Paralympic movement and the quality of sport, the investment that’s been made around the world with the federations and the NPCs in the sport, I think the sport continues to get better. The athletes have the potential to be even better with the resources that they have available to them, and I think the audiences are tuning in,” continues Lisko.

“I think also the growth of the digital platforms is helping tremendously, especially to engage new fans, younger fans, and bring them into the mix. Television is phenomenal and gives us a great base for the broad coverage that we need, but the digital content is just a great solution for streaming and the on-demand component. So I think the combination of it all is just working right time, right place, and the right momentum.”

Team Netherlands’ Marlou Van Rhijn finishes first in the Women’s 100m T44 Final during the Rio 2016 Paralympic Athletics competition

• Live coverage: Nearly 1,400 hours of live coverage from all 22 Paralympic sports will be available, including both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies
• Multiview: For the first time YouTube is introducing Multivew globally, enabling viewers to watch up to four streams from the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games simultaneously. Multiview was previously used in events like NFL and Coachella as well as in some regions during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
• Clips and highlights: Each day of the Games, clips of every single race, contest, and match – more than 1,200 clips in total – will be made available to the Paralympics YouTube channel to ensure audiences can catch-up on the action at their convenience. These will be raised up for users in the search page with Official Cards allowing seamless discovery of Paralympics content
• YouTube Shorts: Throughout the Games the IPC will also be producing close to 400 YouTube Shorts focusing on great sporting moments, and up to 40 athlete feature films

Fundamental digital

Digital is fundamental for the IPC in engaging in new audiences. The Paralympic Games’ demographics are different to other sports events, attracting a strong family-based audience, and digital coverage attracts that younger family member.

On the digital strategy for Paris 2024, Lisko says: “So from the streaming standpoint, our YouTube channel will be our video player for the games. So in markets where it’s allowable, where we don’t have it geoblocked, we have a distributing platform where a customer can come in and stream the games live on our YouTube channel, which is fantastic. That gives them an opportunity to be on the site, have the experience.

“Then in addition, we have a whole content plan of global content that we’re putting up, with sports highlights every day focused on different athletes and fun moments,” he continues. “We have a lot of content that’s being created also to help inform customers about the sport. So we have a variety of content from Game time content to the support content around it.”

The YouTube channels will enable the IPC to capture new audiences, and to potentially grow broadcasting deals for LA 2028, says Lisko. He explains: “In a market, like Channel 4 in the UK where they have exclusive rights and they’re able to bring all the resources together to give us full coverage, and the US with NBC would be a market like that as well, [the YouTube channel is geoblocked]. But in other markets where [broadcasters are] able to provide the linear coverage, but it might be limited to just daily highlights and one or two sports that they could focus on, [YouTube] adds another opportunity so that viewers can also see the Games on a free platform.”

Place de la Concorde will light up the world at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

Growing commitment

The IPC is pleased with the commitment that global broadcasters are now showing the Paralympics. Previously Channel 4 in the UK was the flagship broadcaster globally for the Games, but now others are giving the Paralympics the coverage it deserves.

When SVG Europe caught up with Lisko last year to discuss the planning for Paris 2024, it was noted that the US is a target market for the Paralympics as the profile of Games in the US is a lot lower than in Europe. However, NBC in the US has now taken the Paralympics and run with it.

Lisko comments: “We’ve had a variety of rights holders who have really stepped up,” continues Lisko. “I think NBC’s done a great job with a variety of different ways that they are advancing the platform. They’ve added some really nice additions to the coverage consistently to expand it, but also create new opportunities for viewership, and I think that’s important because the next games will be in Los Angeles. So to make sure that the US audience is fully engaged in the Paralympic Games now will help us lay a really strong foundation for the next four years leading up to and including the LA Games.”

As to whether the IPC is ready or not, Lisko says: “Yes, we’re ready! We’re excited. I think the Olympic Games were magnificent and a great warmup act for what’s to starting on the 28th.”

Lisko concludes: “This is the first time that we will have coverage across the planet for, well, for everybody on the planet, able to engage with the Paralympic Games. And we’re excited about that. They can view it live, they can view it on their terms, which is absolutely fantastic.”

France is hosting its first-ever Summer Paralympic Games which will take place from 28 August to 8 September 2024

Paris 2024 Paralympics facts:

• 4,400 athletes
• 169 delegations
• 549 medal events
• Record 235 medal events for women
• 55%/45% gender balance male to female – the highest yet
• 22 sports
• 3 new NPCs – Eritrea, Kiribati and Kosovo
• Record 165 MRH
• Record 2,000 Press
• Refugee Paralympic Team featuring 8 athletes
• 1,200 torchbearers taking part in the Paralympic Torch Relay

At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Opening Ceremony, athletes will parade around Place de la Concorde