(CP) - The 2006
Winter Olympics Games will come to you from Turin, Italy, on television, radio and the internet.
You can even catch the luge highlights on your cellphone or watch a replay of that Nordic combined event you were dying to see with video-on-demand. There also will be a couple of hockey games shown.
Between the parade of athletes at the opening ceremonies on Feb. 10 to the Games flame being extinguished Feb. 26, CBC will provide around 1,000 hours of Olympic coverage.
Canadians can tune in on the main CBC network, Newsworld, TSN, RDS, Radio-Canada, the digital cable network Country Canada, listen on the radio or log on at the cbc.ca website. For the first time some hockey, speed skating, figure skating and short-track speed skating will be shown in high definition.
The end of the Turin Olympics will begin the countdown to Vancouver hosting the 2010 Winter Games. A consortium involving Bell Globemedia, CTV and Rogers will have the broadcast rights for 2010 and the 2012 Summer Games in London.
While highlighting Canadian athletes in Turin, CBC will also provide the top international stories, executive producer Terry Ludwick said during a conference call Thursday.
"Canadians will measure our success as a broadcaster by how well we deliver them the story of these Games and we're going to deliver," he said.
Canadian athletes are hoping to win a record number of medals in sports like skiing, snowboarding, speed skating, curling, bobsled and luge. But for many viewers the two hockey finals will be the highlight of the Games, especially if the Canadian men play for gold again.
Terry Leibel, who will host the Games morning program, isn't worried men's hockey will overshadow all the other sports.
"Hockey for sure is an incredible attraction for Canadians, but I also think our audience has an appreciation for sports they wouldn't otherwise watch," she said.
Jim Hughson and Bob Cole will do the play-by-play of the men's hockey with Don Cherry, Harry Neale, Greg Millen and Kelly Hrudey offering analysis.
Bruce Rainnie will announce the women's hockey games along with Kylie Richardson and Geraldine Heaney.
On a global scale, the Turin Olympics are expected to be the most watched Winter Games in history.
The
International Olympic Committee expects more than 3.2 billion people will have access to broadcast coverage of the Games. That's a five-per-cent increase over the global reach of the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
The number of countries television the games will rise from 160 to 200. In addition, 84 per cent of broadcasters will be increasing coverage of the Games, with the largest increase in live programming.
The IOC has hired CBC to be the host broadcaster for curling and hockey.
For the first time ever in Canada, owners of Bell Mobility cellphones will be able to receive hourly three-minute updates. They can even watch live events on their small screens.
One change in CBC's coverage this year is the network is only sending about 75 people to Turin. Another 150, including host Brian Williams, will work back in Toronto.
"It saves us a lot of money, it's a good business decision," said Williams. "We can better control things from here. I don't think you'll notice any real difference."
TSN will provide 125 hours of coverage, with a focus on showing entire curling matches and some hockey games not involving Canada.
"Curling is a well received sport, people want to see it from the beginning to the end," said Rick Chisholm, TSN's vice-president of programming and production.
"With TSN involved they have that opportunity. They probably would not have that opportunity if CBC was going it alone."
During the 2002 Salt Lake City Game's TSN's curling coverage during an average audience of 405,000 viewers.
CBC's list of analysts includes 13 former Olympians, among them Kerrin-Lee-Gartner and Brian Stemmle covering skiing, Joan McCusker at curling, Catriona Le May Doan doing speed skating and
Kurt Browning with figure skating.
A veteran group of play-by-play announcers includes Scott Oake (skiing), Don Wittman (curling), Mark Lee (figure skating), Steve Armitage (long and short-track speed skating) and Scott Russell (cross-country skiing and biathlon).
On the financial front, CBC has signed a record 15 sponsors for the Games, three more than the previous high for Salt Lake, said Rene Bertrand, executive director of media sales.
"There has been a lot of appetite to be part of these Games," said Bertrand.
"They will be the last Games before Vancouver and the last most affordable Winter Games."
For American viewers, NBC has planned 416 hours of coverage (including the broadcast network and cable outlets).
While much of CBC's coverage will be live, NBC will show many events on tape.
Among the Canadians working for NBC will be figure skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, former skiers Todd Brooker and Steve Podborski and curler Don Duguid.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20060127/ca_pr_on_me/oly_tv_coverage_3
Winter Olympics Games will come to you from Turin, Italy, on television, radio and the internet.
You can even catch the luge highlights on your cellphone or watch a replay of that Nordic combined event you were dying to see with video-on-demand. There also will be a couple of hockey games shown.
Between the parade of athletes at the opening ceremonies on Feb. 10 to the Games flame being extinguished Feb. 26, CBC will provide around 1,000 hours of Olympic coverage.
Canadians can tune in on the main CBC network, Newsworld, TSN, RDS, Radio-Canada, the digital cable network Country Canada, listen on the radio or log on at the cbc.ca website. For the first time some hockey, speed skating, figure skating and short-track speed skating will be shown in high definition.
The end of the Turin Olympics will begin the countdown to Vancouver hosting the 2010 Winter Games. A consortium involving Bell Globemedia, CTV and Rogers will have the broadcast rights for 2010 and the 2012 Summer Games in London.
While highlighting Canadian athletes in Turin, CBC will also provide the top international stories, executive producer Terry Ludwick said during a conference call Thursday.
"Canadians will measure our success as a broadcaster by how well we deliver them the story of these Games and we're going to deliver," he said.
Canadian athletes are hoping to win a record number of medals in sports like skiing, snowboarding, speed skating, curling, bobsled and luge. But for many viewers the two hockey finals will be the highlight of the Games, especially if the Canadian men play for gold again.
Terry Leibel, who will host the Games morning program, isn't worried men's hockey will overshadow all the other sports.
"Hockey for sure is an incredible attraction for Canadians, but I also think our audience has an appreciation for sports they wouldn't otherwise watch," she said.
Jim Hughson and Bob Cole will do the play-by-play of the men's hockey with Don Cherry, Harry Neale, Greg Millen and Kelly Hrudey offering analysis.
Bruce Rainnie will announce the women's hockey games along with Kylie Richardson and Geraldine Heaney.
On a global scale, the Turin Olympics are expected to be the most watched Winter Games in history.
The
International Olympic Committee expects more than 3.2 billion people will have access to broadcast coverage of the Games. That's a five-per-cent increase over the global reach of the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
The number of countries television the games will rise from 160 to 200. In addition, 84 per cent of broadcasters will be increasing coverage of the Games, with the largest increase in live programming.
The IOC has hired CBC to be the host broadcaster for curling and hockey.
For the first time ever in Canada, owners of Bell Mobility cellphones will be able to receive hourly three-minute updates. They can even watch live events on their small screens.
One change in CBC's coverage this year is the network is only sending about 75 people to Turin. Another 150, including host Brian Williams, will work back in Toronto.
"It saves us a lot of money, it's a good business decision," said Williams. "We can better control things from here. I don't think you'll notice any real difference."
TSN will provide 125 hours of coverage, with a focus on showing entire curling matches and some hockey games not involving Canada.
"Curling is a well received sport, people want to see it from the beginning to the end," said Rick Chisholm, TSN's vice-president of programming and production.
"With TSN involved they have that opportunity. They probably would not have that opportunity if CBC was going it alone."
During the 2002 Salt Lake City Game's TSN's curling coverage during an average audience of 405,000 viewers.
CBC's list of analysts includes 13 former Olympians, among them Kerrin-Lee-Gartner and Brian Stemmle covering skiing, Joan McCusker at curling, Catriona Le May Doan doing speed skating and
Kurt Browning with figure skating.
A veteran group of play-by-play announcers includes Scott Oake (skiing), Don Wittman (curling), Mark Lee (figure skating), Steve Armitage (long and short-track speed skating) and Scott Russell (cross-country skiing and biathlon).
On the financial front, CBC has signed a record 15 sponsors for the Games, three more than the previous high for Salt Lake, said Rene Bertrand, executive director of media sales.
"There has been a lot of appetite to be part of these Games," said Bertrand.
"They will be the last Games before Vancouver and the last most affordable Winter Games."
For American viewers, NBC has planned 416 hours of coverage (including the broadcast network and cable outlets).
While much of CBC's coverage will be live, NBC will show many events on tape.
Among the Canadians working for NBC will be figure skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, former skiers Todd Brooker and Steve Podborski and curler Don Duguid.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/20060127/ca_pr_on_me/oly_tv_coverage_3
