South African Olympic Games enthusiasts will have several options to follow the event covering 26 sports and 39 disciplines between 27 July and 12 August.
SuperSport communications manager Clinton van der Berg explains that the broadcaster – part of the DStv pay-TV bouquet – will subscribe to various satellite feeds from the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Broadcast Services. This will be broadcast on four dedicated channels called SuperSport Gold, Silver, Bronze and Spirit in high definition (HD) and in standard definition (SD).
SuperSport Blitz will air rolling coverage and live updates and the Gold channel will stream on SuperSport’s online and mobile platforms daily.
“We will also have news crews and presenters in and around London, totalling two dozen people,’ notes Van der Berg.
The news teams will be headed by presenters Carol Tshabalala, James Wokabi, Nicole Flint and Udo Carelse. Additionally, Olympic champions Ryk Neethling, Dame Kelly Holmes, Carl Lewis and Wilfred Bungei will provide Olympic updates from famous London venues. SuperSport will also air two Olympics magazine shows called London Calling and Mind the Gap.
According to SuperSport head of Channels Tex Texeira it promises to be the biggest Olympics ever in terms of broadcast, online and social media content. “And, of course, London is in a fantastic time zone for broadcast in Africa. Our viewers will get a full day of Olympics broadcast every day for 17 days,’ notes Texeira
According to the head of commercial free-to-air channel e.tv, Monde Twala, e.tv and eNews Channel do not have rights to broadcast the London 2012 Olympic Games. “The eNews Channel will set up a two-man team, reporter Peter Stemmet and camera man Neil Raath, in central London. They will package stories about South Africans participating in the Games and produce a daily Olympic report called London Calling.’
Twala notes that eNews will also use Olympics news clips from the Reuters news agency for broadcast in their news bulletins.
“Both e.tv and eNews will focus on events related to the Games and South African athletes taking part. e.tv has acquired vignettes and will broadcast these across the schedule as part of the Olympics theme,’ says Twala.
At the public broadcaster, SABC3 will offer viewers Olympic tennis highlights, as well as the men and women’s tennis semi finals and Gold Medal matches, and an Olympic lifestyle show called The Beat. No additional information was available at the time of going to print.
By Linda Loubser
Screen Africa magazine – July 2012
