Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium is taking advantage of the latest online video tools, social media networks and portable digital devices to surround its audience with Olympic content from Vancouver.
Calling Vancouver 2010 “Canada’s digital Games”, the Consortium has released new software tools for optimizing and customizing the digital media experience, which will present every second of the competition live, with on demand access to more than 2,350 hours of exclusive Web programming.
Calling it the ”only way to enjoy Olympic Games video online in Canada” the Consortium says the exclusive content on CTVOlympics.ca and RDSolympiques.ca, for example, will be made available through the Microsoft Silverlight software plug-in.
Its online video capabilities are cross-platform, operating on Mac, Windows and Linux-based PCs.
As well, online video viewers are being encouraged to use Microsoft’s Windows Internet Explorer 8, called the custom Web browser of the Consortium.
The latest version of the popular web browser offers bookmarking and shortcut tools to locate preferred sports and Games content at the two Consortium sites.
Called Web Slices, the browser tools can be programmed to organize Olympic Games favourites on a user’s navigation bar, automatically highlighting new information when a ‘sliced’ page is updated.
As well, plug-in software widgets are offered in English and French, allowing users to have Olympic content - including news, photos, athlete profiles and event schedules - sent straight to their desktops or social media applications.
For portable media consumption, the CTVOlympics.ca mobile app is now available for download on the iTunes App Store.
The app is used to deliver instant updates and notifications, video, medal results, Viewers’ Guide and access to Vancouver 2010 content to users on the go.
As the official guide to the Consortium’s Olympic Games television broadcast schedule, the Viewers’ Guide, presented by Bell, also offers Canadians a map to their Vancouver 2010 experience on the web, with complete up-to-date programming for online coverage.
Special Twitter accounts have been launched for fans and for media, again offering instant updates, results and feature interaction between the Consortium’s online team and Tweeters during key events at the Games
Facebook pages and YouTube channels will also be used, with photo galleries and archived video among the online media assets being offered.
Once the 2010 Winter Games are in full swing, other items will be available to consumers to further expand upon their online experience. First, Xbox Live users can purchase and download specialized video content including Team Canada men’s hockey games and Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
Never before has Xbox Live provided Canadians with the experience of the Games. Beginning on February 12 after the Opening Ceremony, short and long form video clips are available to download for free from iTunes Canada. Also available for purchase are hockey features, short form features, daily updates, Team Canada men’s hockey games and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, all from Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium.
Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium is a unique relationship between leading media conglomerates CTV Inc. and Rogers Media Inc., which together will provide unprecedented coverage and consumer choice in English, French and multi-languages on multiple platforms for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and the London 2012 Games of the Olympiad. Official brands include CTV, TSN, RDS, RIS Info Sports, Rogers Sportsnet, OMNI, OLN, V, APTN, ATN, CTVOlympics.ca, RDSolympiques.ca, The Globe and Mail, Corus Québec and select Rogers radio stations across the country.