Paris 2024: Warner Bros. Discovery makes the most out of flying a drone for uniquely and characteristically Parisian Olympic coverage By Heather McLean
Friday, August 16, 2024 - 10:00
Print This Story
As well as creating a series of studios and standup positions on the roof of Hotel Rapha l at Paris 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery wanted to make sure viewers at home got the best views of Paris, hence its push to operate a drone
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) was the only media rights holding broadcaster at the Olympic Games to fly a drone in the heart off Paris.
Last week at WBD House, located on the rooftop of Hotel Rapha l a five-star luxurious pad a couple of minutes walk from the Arc de Triomphe Scott young, group SVP of content, production and business operations at Warner Bros. Discovery, spoke to SVG Europe about the epic production.
WBD wanted to ensure that all its 47 rights territories 11 of which can create their own programming from start to finish each day which would broadcast in 19 languages, could come together in one location and each get a strong flavour of the city of Paris, the atmosphere of the Games, and connect with the athletes from its territories. All atop the rooftops of Paris looking toward the iconic landmarks playing host to some of the venues
WBD House's many studios gave each of its territories a completely different look to each other, but every view from behind the presenters was uniquely and characteristically Parisian, and the drone was able to emphasise that
Best views of Paris
As well as creating a series of studios and standup positions on the roof of Hotel Rapha l, the broadcaster wanted to make sure viewers at home got the best views of Paris, hence its push to operate a drone.
Comments Young: We are the only broadcaster in the Olympic Games to have a drone.
On how this was possible, Young says: I would say two things. One is a strong working relationship with the Organising Committee in just what our commitment is to delivering the Games. We haven't just booked a spot and put a studio up and broadcast from Paris and talked about the Olympics; we are totally immersed in telling the story of Paris 2024.
I think they've been aware of that commitment, and we've been working very closely with them for a couple of years now on that. Plus, when you're above the rooftops, away from spectators, that's definitely a benefit, continues Young. But just the magnificent shots that we get here, particularly at sunrise when France goes to air first and then Poland, Italy, UK, Norway and Sweden, then what you get here at the end of the day as we start our evening programme, is spectacular. That shows off the city in a magnificent light. I think the organisers were very, very helpful with [talking to] the local police and [helping them] understand why it was so important [for WBD] to have a drone.
Characteristically Parisian
WBD House's many studios gave each of its territories a completely different look to each other, but every view from behind the presenters was uniquely and characteristically Parisian, and the drone was able to emphasise that.
WBD was allowed to fly the drone in the airspace directly above the building
Comments Young: The four studios give you a very different perspective of the city of Paris and off into the different landmarks. Studio three shows off to the distance the Eiffel Tower and I love the shot downwards of these buildings [surrounding WBD House]. For me, it's a very different look and a feel for the city of Paris. You realise that there's a very classic part of this; the Parisian chic nature of events like Roland Garros comes out in our Olympic production.
WBD was allowed to fly the drone in the airspace directly above the building. However, laughs Young: We did get the permission [to use the drone] an hour before the Opening Ceremony. It was close!
Adds Young: NBC fly helicopters and they always have. They have a very different use for aerial shots. Our use of the drone is very different. We were doing a production here earlier this morning and the drone was literally sitting [in the air just off the edge of the roof]. It just flies around (the various studios). There's a drone pointing straight in and watching what all of us are doing, therefore we need to be mindful, there's 23 cameras plus a drone; you're always on television, it doesn't matter where you're standing.
Smile. You're on camera!
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...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
08/05/2026
Liberty University on why broadcast technology isn't just a technical invest...
08/05/2026
COW Jobs: UGC, On-Camera Video Content
Brie Clayton May 7, 2026
0 Comments
UGC, On-Camera Video Content
April 17, 2026Documentary Editor - US,......
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...
07/05/2026
From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production
In the ...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...
07/05/2026
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...
07/05/2026
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...
07/05/2026
Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...
07/05/2026
Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...
07/05/2026
Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...
07/05/2026
The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...
07/05/2026
Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...
07/05/2026
SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...
07/05/2026
UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...
07/05/2026
Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...
07/05/2026
L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...
07/05/2026
Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show
Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing
Cobal...
07/05/2026
Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...
07/05/2026
Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...
07/05/2026
Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...
07/05/2026
Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next.
...
07/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/05/2026
At BroadcastAsia 2026, Interra Systems will demonstrate its latest innovations in automated quality control (QC), real-time monitoring, and captioning. The comp...
07/05/2026
At this year's Broadcast Asia, PlayBox Neo is set to unveil recent innovations across its PlayBox Neo Suite and integrated range of broadcast media solution...
Paris 2024: Warner Bros. Discovery makes the most out of flying a drone for uniquely and characteristically Parisian Olympic coverage By Heather McLean 
