Eurosport Case Study: “Don’t Blink – Eurosport & the London 2012 Olympic Games”.

Sporting expertise

For many of the Olympic sports Eurosport is a trusted and long-term partner. Many sports enjoy a moment in the spotlight during an Olympic Games, but the spotlight is soon dimmed. It’s a reality after an Olympic Games many sports do not enjoy similar exposure. Eurosport is one of a few places to support, promote and broadcast sports such as canoeing, weightlifting, gymnastics, swimming and handball throughout the four-year Olympic cycle.

Indeed Eurosport broadcasts 21 of the 26 Olympic disciplines each year and has expert commentators and reporters covering sports on an annual basis.

The highest rating programming slots on Eurosport during the Olympics came from weightlifting, artistic gymnastics, athletics and swimming. Sports with long Olympic traditions which provide great drama, athletic excellence, and which some of the national broadcasters may have overlooked.

Technical delivery

The progress within the broadcast and media industry since the Beijing Olympics in 2008 meant the sports fans across Europe were able to view the Games in a wide variety of ways.

Their priority would be access to live coverage, Eurosport’s forté, which it delivered with 250 hours of live action, 14 hours per day, during the Games, all in HD.

London 2012 also became the first Olympic Games to make its content available in 3D. Eurosport seized this opportunity, broadcasting over 100 hours of 3D content from the Opening Ceremony to the 100m Final alongside gymnastics, basketball, swimming and athletics.

Sports fans also wanted to follow the London Olympics on their PC’s, mobile phones or tablets to not miss a second of the action. Eurosport was able to provide live action throughout the Games via the Eurosport Player, the streaming simulcast service of the Eurosport Channel. This meant Eurosport delivered London 2012 as truly multi-screen experience, especially when combined with the sports news content available on Eurosport.com and the channel’s Facebook page and Twitter accounts.

Special Cover Wrap in the Daily Mail