Discovery lines-up improved expert analysis and an updated Cube for Beijing Winter Olympics coverage Additions planned despite distraction' of COVID-19 and back-to-back Olympics By Will Strauss, Editor
Monday, January 24, 2022 - 16:22
Print This Story
Beijing 2022 viewers on Discovery and Eurosport will be treated to improved expert analysis, an updated version of The Cube mixed reality studio and even more athlete stories as part of Discovery's extensive plans for the winter games.
The broadcaster, speaking at an online launch event on Monday 24 January, revealed that it will show 1,200 live hours of coverage across its linear and digital platforms, including Discovery , Eurosport and the Eurosport app, and will place a renewed focus on expert analysis, making use of 107 winter sports experts and presenters in order to make Discovery the natural home for people who want to learn more [about winter sports].
Discovery's The Cube presentation studio has also been remodelled to make it more immersive, with 26 different environments' available to use including a virtual bar area and ski lifts while 3D actors are also being added, rendered using Vizrt graphics technology. The use of Unreal Engine will allow environments to be changed quickly by the Discovery production team.
It should feel like you're in a James Bond lair watching the Winter Games, said Scott Young, senior vice president of content and production for Discovery.
For more information about the updated Cube go to: https://www.svgeurope.org/blog/headlines/discovery-uncovers-its-rapid-technical-evolution-for-complete-decentralised-remote-production-and-the-augmented-cube-for-the-beijing-winter-olympics/
Expert analysis will also be increased and enhanced for Beijing 2022, added Young. We get world-class pictures from [host broadcaster] Olympic Broadcasting Services [OBS] and we know the sport is covered brilliantly. Our role is to unlock the achievement of every athlete, their achievements, their successes, their failures and to understand what they went through to achieve their goals.
It's about having the right athletes to explain [what is going on]. We need the competitors and the experts to help viewers understand what has taken place.
We know fans at home can't travel to China as they couldn't in Japan so even more these days, it's important to bring every part of that story into living rooms and the devices in people's hands who want to enjoy the Games.
This will be done partly through teleporting' experts, coaches and competitors into The Cube.
[We have] green screens all across Europe so we can teleport people in, continued Young. We're going to do that from Beijing too if the COVID environment allows us just so we can give the viewers the best experience.
We know fans at home can't travel to China as they couldn't in Japan so even more these days, it's important to bring every part of that story into living rooms and the devices in people's hands who want to enjoy the Games.
That best experience' will also be about providing a depth of information and coverage that national and public broadcasters are unlikely to be able to match.
What differentiates us, said Andrew Georgiou, president of sport for Discovery (pictured above), is that we are a dedicated sports platform. Free-to-air broadcaster coverage needs to appeal to a more general audience. We provide the real detail. We are the natural home for people who want to learn more [about winter sports].
While the thorny subject of human rights issues in China will be covered, the focus for Discovery will be on the extraordinary feats of human achievement.
There is no doubt that [human rights in China] is a massively important issue, said Georgiou. Discovery is really focussed on social issues and we've made a big commitment to diversity and inclusion within our own organisation, it's not a topic that we want to shy away from, we're going to address it.
But we're also a sports broadcaster and we will also be focussed on athlete performances and what's going on on the big stage and doing the best we can to show those stories. Hopefully, the Olympics should shine a light on that and bring all the Olympics back to a really interesting story for the consumer.
Discovery will look to not only connect fans to the action but also connect athletes to their friends and family, who cannot be present in Beijing, and then relay that emotion on-screen to the viewer.
OBS' Athlete Moment - Family & Friends service will play a role in this, allowing Olympians, at selected venues, to interact live, straight after their competition, with loved ones back home through dedicated Athlete Moment stations.
This was thought up pretty quickly [for Tokyo] when it was clear that spectators and friends and family couldn't attend, said Young (pictured below in conversation with Discovery presenter Radzi Chinyanganya inside The Cube).
We can participate in that and included that [content] in our coverage. I think we will see that for many Olympics to come.
Original athlete-focused content has also been produced by Discovery Eurosport for the Winter Games. This includes One Last Push, which follows Summer Olympic gold medalist Greg Rutherford as he bids to represent Team GB in the four-man bob at Beijing 2022, and Leijonat kohti Pekingi 2022 (Lions Road to Beijing 2022), a behind-the-scenes with the national ice hockey team of Finland as they step up their preparation for the Games.
In addition to the live-action, a daily digital show called Beijing Today will bring fans the latest reaction and analysis from the day's action.
Asked about the overall impact of COVID on production plans, Young acknowledged that it's not been easy for the Discove
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
15/07/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a big deal for DAZN, which has distribution rights in three markets: Italy, Spain, and Japan. Each requires a different editorial app...
15/07/2026
As sports-media organizations manage rapidly growing content libraries and incre...
15/07/2026
HBS director of digital Johannes Franken talks SVG Europe through the operation built to serve FIFA World Cup 2026 rights holders remotely from Stratford, east ...
15/07/2026
IBC has unveiled the conference program for IBC2026, with this year's event ...
15/07/2026
Software-defined wideband RF platform supports 96-kHz monitoring, streamlined fr...
15/07/2026
New AI-powered module enables broadcasters and content owners to extract dialogu...
15/07/2026
Weeklong gathering at EBU headquarters will test new IPMX capabilities and expand certified product ecosystem...
15/07/2026
Force Tech has announced the appointment of Bryan Adams, CTS, as Vice President of Integration. Adams will oversee AV and broadcast integration project delivery...
15/07/2026
USA Sports has announced an exclusive English-language agreement with the Bundes...
15/07/2026
ITV Sport's FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage has been produced from one of the m...
15/07/2026
Program will provide professional camera kits, training, and technical support to participating local newsrooms...
15/07/2026
San Francisco church becomes first U.S. deployment of the 2 M/E production switcher...
15/07/2026
Former ESPN and NFL Network executive to advise startup league on media, distribution, technology, and fan engagement...
15/07/2026
The Houston-based RSN is the live-game home of the Astros and Rockets...
15/07/2026
Launched alongside new FreqSoft installer
Designed to bridge the gap between hardware and software, Freqport's FreqInOut FO1 unit provides a simple way ...
15/07/2026
Save up to 55% on software until 23 July 2026
Expressive E have just launched their Summer Offer sale, with discounts of up to 55% now applied across their ...
15/07/2026
Real-time stem-separation tool updated
zplane have recently released a new and improved version of their real-time stem-separation plug-in which they say ma...
15/07/2026
A new benchmark in bass enhancement
Described as a new benchmark in bass enhancement , Baby Audio's latest release has been designed to augment the lo...
15/07/2026
DMC Production's AR 1 and AR 2 units reverse the conventional OB workflow, keeping all production-critical processing at the venue while operators work remo...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
GigaCloud, a leading Ukrainian cloud service provider, and Cubbit, the first geo-distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced a new Business Alliance Part...
15/07/2026
SMPTE, the global society for media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has announced the launch of the SMPTE 110th Anniversary Campaign, a fundraising...
15/07/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, unveils the new StudioComm Model 762 Stereo Level Control, ...
15/07/2026
COW Jobs: Producer, Virtual Events - Hybrid, Full Time, Salaried
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Producer, Virtual Events (Hybrid | Full-time | ...
15/07/2026
Brazilian media organization builds nationwide CDN with Broadpeak's high-performance software for low-latency streaming and new content distribution service...
15/07/2026
DHD announces a new utility designed to increase the efficiency of its audio mixing systems during initial installation and subsequent configuration.
Anyone w...
15/07/2026
BCNEXXT Brings Next-Generation Vipe to IBC2026, Breaking the 1:1 Channel-to-Server Ratio New innovations liberate broadcasters from legacy playout infrastructur...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Wednesday 15 July 2026
Screeners and press pack now available: Gomorrah: The Or...
15/07/2026
Trinity's Treasures features Ruth Negga, Eleanor McEvoy, and David Norris, a...
15/07/2026
Join geographer Dr Susan Hegarty, Engineer Tim Joyce and Architect Orla Murphy a...
15/07/2026
Home to leading manufacturers, robotics pioneers, infrastructure builders and gaming, of course, Japan is one of the world's centers of AI - building across...
14/07/2026
South end zone videoboard, cloud-based control system will be ready for 2026 football season...
14/07/2026
Redesigned website, enhanced mobile app unify content, ticketing, and personalized fan engagement...
14/07/2026
Agreement spans sponsorship sales, digital monetization, radio production, and new practice facility naming rights...
14/07/2026
Independent league adds 14 regional sports network affiliates, growing distribut...
14/07/2026
New strategy aims to unify competitions, content, fan engagement, and commercial...
14/07/2026
ESPN and Disney+ become exclusive home of PFL events in key international MMA market...
14/07/2026
Gill will oversee engineering, technology, and sports operations across the company's 64 local television stations...
14/07/2026
Submitted by North American Broadcasters Association (NABA)
As broadcasters con...
14/07/2026
Modernized mobile unit combines HOME Apps, mc 56 console, and IP infrastructure ...
14/07/2026
Every match of the 32-team tournament will air across ION and Scripps Sports platforms in English and Spanish...
14/07/2026
FloHockey to stream every game of the annual international tournament under four...
Discovery lines-up improved expert analysis and an updated Cube for Beijing Winter Olympics coverage Additions planned despite distraction' of COVID-19 and back-to-back Olympics By Will Strauss, Editor 
