Paris 2024: International Paralympic Committee Set to Bring Unprecedented Global Coverage to Fans

Paris 2024: International Paralympic Committee set to bring unprecedented global coverage to fans By Heather McLean

Thursday, August 22, 2024 - 12:51

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Regas Woods from Team USA competes in the Men's Long Jump T42 Final at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games

The 2024 Paralympics is set to bring unprecedented coverage to viewers globally, as the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has secured a record number of rights holding broadcasters that will share the 549 medal events with 1,400 hours of live coverage from all 22 Paralympic sports.

With IPC host broadcaster Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) increasing its production for the Paralympics, Paris 2024 is set to be the biggest and best Games yet.

Speaking to SVG Europe, John Lisko, the IPC's managing director of global media rights, says: We're really excited because what we have is coverage across the planet all markets for the first time we will have coverage in every market around the world. It's a combination of linear platforms, and the majority of them I think almost all of them will have a streaming platform as part of it. We have YouTube as an overlay in the markets where it's applicable, because it's not all markets that can stream our platform, but together we have global coverage for the planet; the whole planet has the ability to see the Paralympic Games.

The Paralympics Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony is set to wow global audiences

Every sport live

Compared to Rio 2016, where there were 16 live sports available to rights holders, Paris 2024 marks a rapid growth for coverage of the Games. This Paralympics marks the first time each of the 22 sports will be available to broadcast live. Lisko says: All sports will be live, which we're really excited about. That's also the first time all sport will be live. We have nearly 1,400 hours of live coverage.

We had 19 of the 22 sports live in Tokyo. [This year] we've increased the overall production coverage with OBS.

At Tokyo the IPC had over 150 broadcasters signed up, but Paris 2024 marks the 160-plus figure, and even at this late stage in the game there may be more to come, Lisko says. It's a reshuffling of some broadcasters, and there's still some deals that we're finalising now, so it's great; right up until the end. If there's room, we'll take 'em!

Alongside selling media rights for the Games, the IPC is focused on encouraging broadcasters to see the responsibility they have to help influence changing the way people think about people with disability in general.

On why the Paralympic fan base is growing so quickly, Lisko remarks: I think it's a testament to the growth of the movement overall. The Paralympic movement and the quality of sport, the investment that's been made around the world with the federations and the NPCs in the sport, I think the sport continues to get better. The athletes have the potential to be even better with the resources that they have available to them, and I think the audiences are tuning in, continues Lisko.

I think also the growth of the digital platforms is helping tremendously, especially to engage new fans, younger fans, and bring them into the mix. Television is phenomenal and gives us a great base for the broad coverage that we need, but the digital content is just a great solution for streaming and the on-demand component. So I think the combination of it all is just working right time, right place, and the right momentum.

Team Netherlands' Marlou Van Rhijn finishes first in the Women's 100m T44 Final during the Rio 2016 Paralympic Athletics competition

Live coverage: Nearly 1,400 hours of live coverage from all 22 Paralympic sports will be available, including both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies

Multiview: For the first time YouTube is introducing Multivew globally, enabling viewers to watch up to four streams from the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games simultaneously. Multiview was previously used in events like NFL and Coachella as well as in some regions during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Clips and highlights: Each day of the Games, clips of every single race, contest, and match - more than 1,200 clips in total - will be made available to the Paralympics YouTube channel to ensure audiences can catch-up on the action at their convenience. These will be raised up for users in the search page with Official Cards allowing seamless discovery of Paralympics content

YouTube Shorts: Throughout the Games the IPC will also be producing close to 400 YouTube Shorts focusing on great sporting moments, and up to 40 athlete feature films

Fundamental digital

Digital is fundamental for the IPC in engaging in new audiences. The Paralympic Games' demographics are different to other sports events, attracting a strong family-based audience, and digital coverage attracts that younger family member.

On the digital strategy for Paris 2024, Lisko says: So from the streaming standpoint, our YouTube channel will be our video player for the games. So in markets where it's allowable, where we don't have it geoblocked, we have a distributing platform where a customer can come in and stream the games live on our YouTube channel, which is fantastic. That gives them an opportunity to be on the site, have the experience.

Then in addition, we have a whole content plan of global content that we're putting up, with sports highlights every day focused on different athletes and fun moments, he continues. We have a lot of content that's being created also to help inform customers about the sport. So we have a variety of content from Game time content to the support content around it.

The YouTube channels will enable the IPC to capture new audiences, and to potentially grow broadcasting deals for LA 2028, says Lisko. He exp

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