
Paris 2024: Inside Look at OBS Plans for 11,000 Hours of Games Coverage The effort ranges from the largest live-TV effort ever to personal Athlete Moments By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Wednesday, July 17, 2024 - 8:00 am
Print This Story
The Paris Olympics are less than 10 days away, and, for the team at OBS and the thousands of sports-production professionals descending on Paris, it's time to make sure all systems are go for everything from the Opening Ceremony, which will be the largest live-TV effort ever (with more than 1,000 cameras expected to be capturing it), to the 329 events to be played in Paris and beyond.
The Paris 2024 Summer Games Opening Ceremony on July 26 promises to be a showstopper.
OBS expects to produce more than 11,000 hours of content around the Games, with upwards of 4,000 hours of sports and ceremony coverage and 2,350 hours of additional content available to rightsholders via the multi-clip feed (MCF). With 72 native UHD contribution multilateral feeds, 28 MCF feeds, 81 UHD distribution feeds (and 82 HD feeds) produced via 47 production units out of 70 production galleries, the effort is immense and the largest Olympics effort ever.
OBS has three distinct goals for the Paris Games. To capture the distinct city feel of Paris, with iconic locations and landmarks providing a scenic backdrop for broadcast. To use technology for the benefit of storytelling, with increased access to data enabling more-immersive coverage for all distribution platforms and all ways of consuming media. To further push to achieve gender-balanced coverage: for the first time ever, an equal number of men and women will be participating.
At the core of OBS's efforts is an internal staff of approximately 160 representing 28 nationalities. The group will oversee an army of 8,300 OBS games-time personnel from more than 110 countries. The team has relocated from its Madrid headquarters to Paris and has been hard at work setting up the 40,000-sq.-meter International Broadcast Centre in four halls at Paris Le Bourget Exhibition Centre and the 36 venue compounds. The IBC is the center of production efforts and signal acquisition and distribution not only for OBS but also for more than 30 media-rights holders (MRHs) and 100 broadcast organizations, who took possession of spaces there in May. The IBC was operational as of June 26.
OBS continues efforts to reduce the footprint of IBC and venue operations. The Tokyo 2020 footprint, for example, was 23% smaller than the Rio 2016 footprint, and this year's IBC is 13% smaller than Tokyo (space across 36 venue compounds is down 11%). Deployment of OBS Cloud has enabled significant reductions in physical-space and power requirements. As a result, Paris 2024 saves space and infrastructure and, with certain venue optimizations, offers additional opportunities for ticket sales.
Numbering 160 people, the internal OBS team will be at the center of production and technical operations for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
In addition, new workflows, along with the introduction of more remote-production options, have helped MRHs reduce resources and personnel requirements without lessening the quality of the OBS coverage or services to the MRHs.
Efforts to reduce power demand have also worked. Olympic Committee-provided power will be down 44% from Tokyo, and venue broadcast power will be down 29%.
While OBS has been hard at work building out the IBC and other facilities around Paris, it has been gathering plenty of pre-Games content, including aerial footage and Paris landmarks. This footage was made available for the MRHs to use in their promotional programming.
A Historic Opening Ceremony Four customized camera boats will help cover a unique Opening Ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Next week's Opening Ceremony will be the first ever to be held outside of a stadium. The parade of athletes will take place on the Seine, with 200 Olympic teams transported more than 3.5 miles on more than 80 boats. It will be the largest broadcast production at an Olympic Games in terms of broadcast equipment and resources, and new technology and camera systems have been developed (OBS participated in an operational test, organized by Paris 2024, last July). Four custom-made stabilized boats, fitted with specifically designed camera systems will be at the center of the efforts, and 100-plus camera systems (three times the number of cameras used at Tokyo 2020) will include drones, robos, cranes, and cable cams. Also, look for more than 200 mobile phones to be deployed on the athletes' boats.
Extending beyond the IBC, the OBS presence comprises TV-studio facilities in the Place du Trocad ro and stand-up positions across the city. Also, in collaboration with Paris 2024 and French authorities, OBS has developed a provisional production plan for aerial coverage of the Games: up to 12 beauty cameras, highlighting the most iconic images of Paris, are planned to be installed.
Production Philosophy OBS's production efforts are based on the goal of delivering clear, objective coverage of all Olympic sports. International TV and radio signals or world feeds are delivered to rightsholders via the Multi-channel Distribution Service (MDS). At that point, rightsholders complement the feed with their own images, interviews, data, analysis, and commentary.
These guiding principles drive OBS coverage: improve the quality of the production and the level of service to broadcasters; use technology for the benefit of storytelling with more athlete-centric coverage and immersive solutions; make content more accessible and scalable (supporting remote operations and digital production); and increase efficiencies in workflows and tools, allowing OBS to do more with less and in smarter, more cost-efficient ways.
On the delivery and technology side, OBS will
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
28/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/04/2026
Introducing Nx 3-Strip v2 - A Physics-Based Technicolor Reconstruction for DaVin...
28/04/2026
RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of Sean Whelan as its new London Correspondent.
Sean has held the role of Washington Correspondent for the last...
28/04/2026
Joseph O'Connor, Eileen Walsh, Louise Duffy, Mick Lynch, Gormfhlaith N Thuairisg and Dermot Bannon take a personal look at life 100yrs ago in new TV docume...
27/04/2026
CES Power, a provider of infrastructure for live events, has announced the acquisition of three Ireland-based businesses: GH Energy Rental Ltd, Event Power, and...
27/04/2026
FuboTV Inc. has announced it is developing its Multiview feature for the Fubo streaming service on select LG TVs, including 2024, 2025, and newer 4K and 8K mode...
27/04/2026
Shade, a file management platform for creative teams, has announced a $14 million funding round led by Khosla Ventures, Construct Capital, and Bling Capital, br...
27/04/2026
The Audio Engineering Society (AES) will present the Immersive Audio Academy 12th Edition - Immersive Audio in All Flavors - on April 30, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. ...
27/04/2026
DAZN has announced DAZN48, a creator program for the FIFA World Cup 2026 that will recruit 48 creators - one representing each of the 48 qualified nations - to ...
27/04/2026
FloSports has announced exclusive streaming rights to four CrossFit competitions: Legends Del Mar: CrossFit Semi-Finals, Magic City Games, NorCal Classic, and t...
27/04/2026
Telestream has announced that Pulse, its software-defined test and measurement p...
27/04/2026
Shade has announced it is a Cloud Computing and Storage winner in the 2026 NAB Show Product of the Year Awards. Winners were selected by a panel of industry exp...
27/04/2026
Leading the NBA's video-ads platform, this Penn State grad is at the forefro...
27/04/2026
DAZN has expanded its international broadcast rights for the T100 Triathlon World Tour to include Africa. All races from the T100 calendar will be available for...
27/04/2026
NAB Show has announced the recipients of its 2026 Project of the Year and Product of the Year Awards at a ceremony at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Each wi...
27/04/2026
DIRECTV has launched on Meta Quest headsets, becoming the first MVPD to offer live TV through the platform. The timing coincides with the stretch run of the MLB...
27/04/2026
TBL Team Boxing League has announced a broadcast agreement with MSG Networks to air all remaining Season 4 fights live across MSG's television and digital p...
27/04/2026
IP integration, interoperability, growth of intercommunications were key concerns for vendors and visitors alike
Attendees at the recently concluded 2026 NAB S...
27/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
27/04/2026
A pro-audio emphasis, spectrum changes, and on-field audio mark the new products and enhancements to existing offerings
Microphones remain the primary point of...
27/04/2026
The Sports Video Group team was all over the NAB Show floor out in Las Vegas las...
27/04/2026
N r Spotify grundades f r 20 r sedan dominerades musikmarknaden av illegal nedladdning. Sedan dess har streaming bidragit till att teruppr tta betalningsvilja...
27/04/2026
Time on Spotify should feel meaningful and intentional, not something that slips...
27/04/2026
New modular multi-effects plug-in revealed
The latest plug-in from Brainworx delivers a modular set of effects designed to offer a convenient alternative to...
27/04/2026
Kit includes supercardioid & shotgun capsules
High-end mic manufacturer Schoeps have recently introduced another member of their Desert Island Set family. O...
27/04/2026
LA2A-inspired 500-series module arrives
Sound Skulptor have announced the upcoming launch of a new 500-series module that aims to recreate one of the most p...
27/04/2026
SSL-inspired compressor unit upgraded
Stam Audio are well known for their painstaking recreations of vintage audio gear, with their extensive product range ...
27/04/2026
Available for current Nielsen ONE Ads customers, this new capability predicts sa...
27/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/04/2026
Nippon TV's In-House Proprietary AI Solution AiDi Wins Product of the Year A...
27/04/2026
Outpost Introduces Unlimited Collaboration Model for Review and Approval Workflo...
27/04/2026
Ikegami Announces VFE-P07D Monocular OLED Viewfinder with Tiltable 3.5-inch LCD ...
27/04/2026
Custom Consoles announces the completion of a large Module-R desk and MediaWall monitor display mount for an expanded master control room at Gravity Medias West...
27/04/2026
Other World Computing Launches OWC Express 4M2 Ultra - Thunderbolt 5 Four-Slot N...
27/04/2026
Back to All News
Netflix announces El sobrino, the new film by Dami n Szifron s...
27/04/2026
Red Seat Ventures Announces Exclusive Multiyear Partnership with Kill Tony The Company is the New Monetization and Distribution Home for the Globally Popula...
27/04/2026
RT 2FM is calling on aspiring DJs across Ireland to take their shot at the spot...
27/04/2026
RT continues to champion Ireland's creative life this May, supporting a broad range of festivals, exhibitions and performances across music, theatre, liter...
26/04/2026
Back to All News
Director Yoon Jong-bin Returns with The Generals' (WT), A...