For those who've asked about BBC web coverage of the Olympics, the rules are:
BBC News and Sport Online can use wire copy and photos on the Olympics freely since they subscribe to the services provided by these news agencies.
The problem comes with the TV material. Because News and Sport Online can be accessed anywhere in the world, there are extremely strict restrictions over what can be put Online.
The rules are laid out by the IOC are incredibly complicated but they're basically designed to ensure that broadcasters can only transmit footage filmed inside Olympic venues within their own country.
You'll notice, therefore, if you watch BBC World that there's very little actual footage from the sporting events themselves. As an international channel, BBC World is restricted to what's called "News Access" -- just a couple of minutes a day.
The rest of the coverage has to be filmed around the city -- outside the Olympic venues.
BBC News and Sport Online can use wire copy and photos on the Olympics freely since they subscribe to the services provided by these news agencies.
The problem comes with the TV material. Because News and Sport Online can be accessed anywhere in the world, there are extremely strict restrictions over what can be put Online.
The rules are laid out by the IOC are incredibly complicated but they're basically designed to ensure that broadcasters can only transmit footage filmed inside Olympic venues within their own country.
You'll notice, therefore, if you watch BBC World that there's very little actual footage from the sporting events themselves. As an international channel, BBC World is restricted to what's called "News Access" -- just a couple of minutes a day.
The rest of the coverage has to be filmed around the city -- outside the Olympic venues.
posted by Stuart at 00:08
1 Comments:
I know you're not in a position to talk about IOC politics, Stuart -- and thanks for an excellent behind-the-scenes blog -- but from a technical perspective, can you imagine the same kind of territorial restrictions being in place by Beijing in 2008? I can only guess at the money that's being spent by the BBC to ensure that Online coverage showing photos of venues doesn't get seen by non-UK visitors; it's harder nowadays not to be global. The 2000 IOC regulation on territorial broadcasting is going to have to be revised, just because the media climate is evolving so rapidly that a ten-year embargo will hurt the Games rather than help them.
(And from inside the IBC, do you get a sense of how different countries are covering the Games? It'd be good to get some impressions -- again, with a technical slant -- on how the other English-language production teams are doing the coverage.)
As a UK expat in the States, I miss the BBC ;) Keep up the great work, nonetheless, for the folks back home.
Nick
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