YouTube to Live Stream HD Olympic Video in Asia, Africa

[Chief]

The 2012 Olympics will soon be upon us, broadcast from the historic confines of London, England. But while many around the world will need to access broadcast television to see the games, Google has announced that viewers in parts of Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa will be able to watch HD streams of the events live on YouTube.​

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Hardcore fans of the Olympics are probably already aware that highlights of the games will be available on the official YouTube page maintained by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). But the new streaming option will be welcome news for fans in areas with spotty television signals and infrequent access to high-definition broadcasts.​

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The stream will include over 2,200 hours of live Olympic video broadcasts to 64 territories in the Asia and regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, including Singapore, Nigeria, India, Kenya, Malaysia, and Uganda. In addition to the 10 live HD streams, the IOC YouTube channel will also feature a 24-hour Olympic News Channel, offering general updates, event reports, and results.​

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Although the streaming option is indeed a nod toward the increasing importance of Internet video versus old school television broadcasts, traditional networks aren't planning on being left behind. NBC, the U.S. 2012 Olympics broadcaster, announced just last month that it plans to stream the games via its NBCOlympics.com website, offering roughly 3,500 hours of programming, as well as on its associated networks and via mobile and tablet apps. However, the major caveat is that if you want to watch the games live on the network's Olympics site, you'll need to be able to prove that you're a cable television subscriber.​

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The issues surrounding the rights to broadcast the Olympics, as well as how to broadcast the games in this new age of cord cutting viewers, has turned out to be about as complicated and full of obscure details as a nation securing the winning bid to host the actual games themselves. So while U.S. viewers will need to jump through a few hoops to get their games live on the Internet, viewers in Asia and Africa will get a taste of the future of seamless, live multi-national event streaming thanks to YouTube.​

 

[Chief]

YouTube to broadcast the Olympic Games live in HD

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ith the Olympics just around the corner, we are sure most of you do not want to miss all the action as it happens. But what happens if you happen to be at work or for that matter if your significant other is glued to the television watching something else? Fear not, because YouTube has come up with an ideal solution for you by offering live streaming of the Olympic Games in HD.

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Now no need to miss the action​

The post by YouTube states that during the Olympics Games that will run from 27 July to 12 August, sports fans in 64 territories, across Asia and Africa will be able to enjoy live coverage of the events as well as highlight clips on this digital platform, free-of-charge. Viewers from these territories will be able to watch the streams on the IOC's YouTube channel accessible online or on Internet-enabled devices, like smart/mobile phones and other YouTube-enabled devices.

The live-streaming on the IOC's YouTube channel will provide exclusive digital access to the London 2012 Olympic Games in territories where digital broadcast rights have not already been acquired by the IOC's broadcast partners. The countries included are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brunei, Bhutan, Cambodia, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

It will also be streamed live in 42 Sub-Saharan African territories on a non-exclusive basis, including Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The IOC's live streaming on its YouTube channel will consist of 11 different simultaneous high-definition broadcasts, all with English language commentary. There will be 10 live feeds from London 2012, running 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. (London time) (on some days, these will start earlier or finish later based on the competition schedule), plus a 24-hour broadcast of the Olympic News Channel, which includes summaries of the latest results, general reports on different events, and interviews with athletes.

Fans will also be able to catch up on highlights and full events - all organized by the day, medal event or the sport. The IOC channel will also continue to feature historic content from past Olympic Games. In total, the IOC's YouTube channel will offer over 2,200 hours of sporting event coverage from London 2012, including all the medals finals.

Timo Lumme, Managing Director, IOC Television and Marketing, said, "We are delighted to be able to offer live online coverage of London 2012 to sports fans free of charge across these 64 markets. We first provided clips on our channel on YouTube during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games across the region, and since then have continued to provide footage of past Olympic Games across the world on our YouTube channel. Now we will also be able to offer live coverage during London 2012, complementing the excellent coverage provided by our broadcast partners across the world across all media platforms."

Let us know your thoughts on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) live streaming the Olympics in these countries in the comments section below. To view the content in HD, click the link here.