Invictus Games hits harder than ever with ramped up global coverage for rights holders on International Sports Broadcasting's watch By Heather McLean Monday, September 11, 2023 - 13:21
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In previous years only three or four broadcasters took the rights to the Invictus Games, but this year there is practically global coverage of the Games thanks to ISB's efforts as host broadcaster and head of global distribution rights
This year, the Invictus Games will be seen on television by more people than ever before as International Sports Broadcasting (ISB), the Madrid based company headed up by Ursula Romero, takes up the reigns as host broadcaster for the Invictus Games for the first time.
The foundation started out in 2014 by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, and this year the Games are being held in Germany for the first time. The German Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) and the City of D sseldorf are jointly hosting the 6th iteration of this unique international sports festival, which takes place from 9 to 16 September 2023.
The goal of the Games is to give soldiers who are wounded, injured or ill in body and soul a greater awareness and recognition in society and to support their path in rehabilitation. Around 500 competitors from 21 nations competing in ten disciplines, as well as around 1,000 family members and friends, have descended on D sseldorf to celebrate the unconquered human spirit, and shine a spotlight on these men and women who served.
Invictus Games Park: Merkur Spiel-Arena in D sseldorf is the main arena for the Invictus Games 2023, which hosts all the indoor and team sports in a specially curated area. All the way around the Merkur Spiel-Arena in the surrounding grounds, the athletics, archery, swimming, and cycling are taking place
Rights holder bonanza
This Games makes for spectacular TV in terms of the competitions and the stories behind the athletes taking part. However, German armed forces Bundeswehr were not properly equipped to manage distribution rights for the Games, so ISB stepped into help offer those rights, for free to all takers.
In previous years only three or four broadcasters took the rights to this event, but this year there is practically global coverage of the Games with 28 rights holding broadcasters, thanks to ISB's efforts, with content providers including the BBC which is taking everything live CBC Sports in Canada, DAZN, and others in Germany, France and more taking both live and highlights content.
In line with the ethics of the foundation, all the rights have been offered for free to maximise the number of viewers globally. Comments David Taunton, head of production at ISB: The decision from IG23, which is German, has always been about non-exclusivity. So if you want to pick it up, that's fine, but it won't be exclusive rights, which I think is the way, if you want to get for the event as Greg [Breakell, ISB director for the Games] always says more eyeballs on it . I'm fairly confident these might be one of the most viewed Invictus Games. I don't have numbers to support that claim [at this point], but we're very happy that we have coverage pretty much from all over the world.
Taunton adds: So we are now dealing with a problem which is a good problem to have but we're dealing with having to distribute to various countries live, which is really great. I feel this will be one of the most viewed Invictus Games to date.
Additionally, all the content from the Games can be watched for free on Invictus Games TV 23, or IGTV 23. You'll see the live sport, you'll also see live studio segments, says Taunton. And in these studio segments is also where we want to bring these athletes or team leaders or family members or people who work the games in, so in those moments they can tell their stories or give us a little more insight.
Storytelling focus
In its broadcast the Invictus Games has a strong focus on telling the stories of the competitors, as well as covering the sport. Greg Breakell, the ISB director who is bringing the images of the Games to viewers around the world this year, explains: What's different from the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships and the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships [that ISB was host broadcaster of earlier this year] is before we were only discussing athletics and swimming; now we've got multiple other sports, which does pose challenges, particularly if you're thinking about, for example, seated volleyball; it's a lot of people sitting on a floor.
So yes, of course we will be wide enough to see coverage, but we want to be making sure that we get lenses into positions that we can see the faces of all the athletes and their characters.
One thing that's very different about the Invictus Games is it is more of a sense of one'; that we are competing against, but more with each other, there's more camaraderie, continues Breakell: So one of the important things for us to make sure to capture is not just the competition, but the relationships and the respect that these athletes have for each other, and particularly keeping in mind the background they're coming from.
Coming from military and service lives, which is all about team' and being one and family on the same path, the same goals, we're very aware that it's actually much more about the story than who wins a given event. So yeah, it's a competition, but there's a lot more going on than even say a normal games, be it an Olympics, Commonwealth or Asian games, whatever it might be, Breakell states.
Taunton adds it is about creating a balance between how the athletes got to the Games, and what they achieve on the day as well: It is still a sporting event, but we also want to showcase the work that these athletes put i
