The Olympic Games have always been a gigantic logistical challenge, and the 2024 Games in Paris are no exception. With over 1000 cameras capturing 11,000 hours of content and a host of new technologies, producers are pushing the boundaries more than ever this year.
Modern Games – Modern transmission technology
It’s the end of July 2024 and the Olympic Games in Paris are in full swing. After a soggy opening ceremony, the sporting events are now in full swing. The modern games include a large number of sports that go far beyond the traditional disciplines, such as downhill mountain biking, skateboarding, surfing and kayak cross. These modern disciplines have reinvigorated interest in the Games, despite being opposed by some traditionalists. However, they have added much needed momentum to a competition that could have stagnated in the face of huge costs. An interested audience is key, and attracting a new audience is also crucial.
The sharp increase in the number of events brings new challenges for broadcasting. Whereas in the past two channels would have been enough to cover most main events, there are now so many different live streams, each with their own logistics and challenges, that the modern Olympic Games are made for the digital age. Broadcasters such as Discovery+ in Europe and Peacock in the US are broadcasting up to 55 simultaneous live streams. This not only challenges traditional broadcast logistics, but also brings ground-breaking new camera techniques and methods of capturing the sporting action.
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Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS): broadcasting at a high level
The task of putting together the broadcast of the Olympic Games lies with Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), which was founded in 2001 to ensure that the broadcast of the Games is always at the same high level. The statistics of the event are staggering:
- Camera systems: Over 100 different camera systems, including stabilized boats and more than 200 cell phones on the athletes’ boats, were used at the Opening Ceremony alone. In total, the Games deliver more than 11,000 hours of live footage.
- UHD feeds and production galleries: There are 81 UHD feeds, 70 production galleries and over 1000 camera units. More than 20 multi-camera playback systems and over 3800 microphones are used.
- Cloud-based transmission: As all transmissions are cloud-based this year, the OBS has reserved 4.2 TBit/s of network bandwidth for the international telecommunications network. This technology significantly reduces the environmental impact.
More transmission systems – reduced environmental impact
Interestingly, the increase in the total number of transmission systems has not increased the environmental footprint of production, something that OBS seems to want to improve with every Olympiad. OBS has made great efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the transmissions. Since Tokyo, the power requirements of the broadcast venues have been reduced by 29 percent and the power consumption of the central International Broadcast Center (IBC) by 44 percent. Much of this reduction is due to the increased use of cloud sharing and broadcasting to distribute assets to media rights holders.
Olympics virtual: AI technology and Virtual Studios
In addition, OBS is also responsible for the development of the virtual studios for sports commentators and implements AI-based technologies developed by companies such as Olympus. As official supplier of the event, Panasonic is providing over 150 cameras. However, during the opening ceremony, numerous Insta360 cameras were used privately by the athletes.
- Artificial intelligence: AI-based technologies are used to track athletes and provide real-time statistics. Virtual studios provide an immersive environment for commentators and utilize state-of-the-art graphics and animation technologies.
- Virtual studios: OBS has developed virtual studios that allow commentators to work in an immersive environment. These studios offer state-of-the-art graphics and animation technologies to further enhance coverage.
- Cinema-style lenses and PTZ cameras: For the first time, cinema-style lenses will be used for all sports to enhance production quality. PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) cameras will be used in press areas to ensure flexible and high-quality shots.
- Insta360 cameras: Athletes will use personal Insta360 cameras to share their perspective, giving viewers unique insights.
Training the next generation
OBS is a non-profit organization whose mission includes training the next generation of television professionals. At each Olympics, OBS takes on board graduates and students from the host city and employs them in paid positions while providing them with training and experience in live broadcasting techniques. Paris 2024 is no exception, and OBS has enrolled more than 1,300 students in its broadcast training programs.
Live from Paris 2024: NBC Olympics and the historic Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris was a special event. Instead of taking place in a stadium as usual, the ceremony was held on the Seine. Over 10,000 athletes sailed down the river on board a flotilla and disembarked near the Eiffel Tower, where the Games were officially opened. NBC Olympics aimed to give viewers at home the closest possible experience of the ceremony and Team USA.
“It had the potential to be one of the best events we’ve seen in a long time in terms of the entertainment program and things like that,” said Chris Connolly, VP of Venue Technology and Engineering at NBC Olympics ahead of the opening ceremony.
Broadcast infrastructure and technology
OBS installed a wired camera that reached from the Eiffel Tower to the Place du Trocadéro and could be controlled by NBC Olympics for three hours a day during prime time. In addition to the athletes’ parade, artistic performances, speeches and the lighting of the Olympic flame were among the highlights of the ceremony.
NBC set up a full RF network along the Seine to support the cameras on Team USA’s boat. This network allowed NBC to document the athletes’ entire journey, from the bus ride to boarding the boat to sailing down the Seine.
Eight cameras on bridges and three on boats were used for the broadcast, supported by a reporter on the Team USA boat. The signals were sent via RF, with Broadcast RF and LiveU serving as backup paths. In addition, Starlink antennas were used to ensure a stable connection. Signals were sent to an NEP truck near Trocadéro and from there to the NBC facility in Stamford, CT for final production.
One of the technical highlights was a cable camera that ran from the Eiffel Tower across the Seine to the Palais du Trocadéro. This camera was used during the opening ceremony and primetime coverage. NBC Olympics had three different sets: one for primetime, one for the Today show and a third covered set for bad weather. A small NEP flypack in the Eiffel Tower was connected to an NEP van where the camera shadowing was done. All studio signals were sent via Media Links to Stamford for final editing.
Whether you are interested in sporting events or not, the Olympics have always set a gold standard for live broadcasting. New technologies introduced at the Games will later find their way into the standard broadcast of sporting events. With the advent of cloud computing and streaming, it is possible to broadcast a major event like the Olympics with much less effort and resource consumption. This allows more resources to be focused on providing more entertaining and informative footage of the world’s best athletes at the top of their respective sports.