TVNZ announces four Olympic channels

TVNZ will broadcast more than 800 hours of free-to-air Olympics action to New Zealanders this August, delivering LIVE coverage of the world’s biggest television event on TV ONE, TVNZ Sport Extra (Freeview Channel 20) and two dedicated on-line ‘channels’.

When the world’s elite athletes gather in Beijing, Kiwi viewers can expect expanded coverage, and new technologies that bring them closer to the drama and excitement than ever before. A library of Olympics highlights will be updated daily at tvnz.co.nz.

Beijing 2008 will also be the first Olympics broadcast in high definition. TV ONE’s coverage of the Games will be available in HD via the DTT Freeview platform, so that viewers with HD-capable televisions can get closer to the action than ever before.

TVNZ Head of Television Jeff Latch says delivery of the Games on multiple platforms is the most compelling example possible of TVNZ’s new guiding strategy – Inspiring New Zealanders on Every Screen.

“Nothing compares to the power and excitement of an Olympic Games,” he said.

“It is the world’s largest stage, and the world’s biggest television event – and I’m delighted that TVNZ can bring New Zealanders the whole dramatic spectacle Live, Free-to-Air, and on a choice of screens.”

TV ONE is the home of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, covering the Games as a whole, and moving between individual events to take Kiwi viewers to the best action as it happens. The three temporary Olympic Channels at TVNZ Sport Extra and tvnz.co.nz will be programmed by ONE Sport and will complement the coverage on TV ONE.

“To truly experience the Olympics as an event, watch TV ONE,” advises TVNZ Head of Sport, Murray Needham.

“TV ONE’s coverage is designed to capture the drama and competition of the Games as a total event. TV ONE will have all the big Olympic moments, and will follow the Kiwi competitors, but will also keep viewers up to date with the many different events taking place simultaneously in Beijing.”

“The digital and on-line channels are where viewers will be able spend extended periods of time watching individual sports, including some of the Games’ most popular events, as well as spectacular sports that rarely screen in New Zealand. TVNZ Sport Extra is going to be running 24 hours a day with full competition sessions, supplemented online by additional and alternative coverage.”

The Olympics is the world’s biggest television event. In 2004, the Athens Olympics broke all global TV viewing records, with nearly four billion people tuning in to Olympic broadcasts at least once during the games. In New Zealand, 85% of everyone aged five and over tuned into the Games on TV ONE at least once during primetime.

With Beijing a viewer-friendly four hours behind New Zealand, TVNZ’s coverage of the morning sessions will kick off at around 12.30pm and continue through the afternoon and evening. The afternoon session will be anchored by experienced TVNZ sports presenter Geoff Bryan. After a break at 6pm for ONE News and Close Up, the evening session will begin at 7.30pm, anchored by ONE News sports presenter Tony Veitch.

Sports broadcasters Toni Street and Lavina Good will work alongside Tony and Geoff as roving reporters, providing background stories and coverage from the sidelines.

TVNZ is the official rights holder and will have a full production team on the ground in Beijing, including a strong news and current affairs contingent, dedicated new media producers, and more than 20 expert commentators sourced from New Zealand, Australia, Africa, The United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe.

The Beijing Olympics will be broadcast via satellite to 18 stations in the Pacific region on the TVNZ Pacific Service, and TVNZ will also be producing Olympic coverage for delivery to South Africa, Asia, and North Africa, including the Arab States.

BEIJING 2008
Games of the XXIX Olympiad
8-24 August on TV ONE, TVNZ Sport Extra, and tvnz.co.nz
A full television schedule for the Games will be released in July.

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  • SimTV

    What a classic PR bullshit press release hype. 4 channels – but only 2 on the tv. A channel via online ? Isn’t that called a website ?

    HD, but no details on the HD specifications, nor if all of the games will be in HD.

    There’s a rumour floating around that TVNZ haven’t booked enough bandwidth on the satellites for HD for the entire games.

    Overall, a worth 2/10 – “could be better if tried harder” report card.

  • tvnewser

    Online “channels”…?

    That is the one of the more rediculous press releases I have seen.

  • openmedia

    A little bit shoddy. They have enough spare capacity to run more channels on freeview.

    Also a little sad that only TV One’s coverage will be in HD.

  • gone

    whine whine whine no matter what they did they’d never be able to satisfy you would they tvnewser at least they’re giving us more than before! and a channel only being available online doesn’t make it a website simtv when the only way we could watch alt tv for free was online, did that make alt tv a website?

  • openmedia

    Oh TVNZ had already confirmed that their coverage on TV One will be 720p. Sports Extra is likely to only air SD coverage.

  • SimTV

    lol, if you want to call a website a channel, go for it Gone. There’s millions of channels out here for one and all.

  • tvnewser

    I would be satisfied if the “four channels” were actual channels available on Freeview. That’s what the title led me to believe.

  • Tui

    Online channels? Grow up TVNZ, that’s called streaming, and with our broadband it would be pointless.
    Calling something that it isn’t, to sound clever is just dumb. I thought there were going to be extra channels ON FREEVIEW like how Sky will have extra channels for the games.

  • not again

    A you tell us ” would be satisfied if the “four channels” ”

    New Zealand has a lot more than four channels,
    There is three on the VHF low band,
    Eight on the VHF high band,
    and sexty nine on the UHF.

    TV station, TV station, TV station, TV station, TV station, TV station,
    GOT IT TV station.

  • Jack Frost

    Well I dont know about anybody else here but this year I have no intentions of watching any of the Olympic games I am just not interested in this communist sh’t,

    I wonder how many naughty Chinese citizens they will kill in the shooting event? and flog off there body parts to people who replacement organs.

    and I am sure if free to air TV lives up to it’s standards, I will have save up to purchase something worth watching on DVD from Amazon or some other lucky DVD retailer.

  • tvnewser

    All TVNZ are proving with this is that SKY can in fact provide a better service for screening the Olympic games when it gets the rights from 2010.

    SKY have said they will provide mobile coverage on Vodafone and have content on their website and in their two magazines. However SKY is also planning a number of dedicated Olympic channels, because when it comes down to it this is what people really want to see – more access to the games on television. Mobile and internet content is always of a poor quality, and while it is good to have the option there, extra TV channels are always a better service.

    With all the unused space on Freeview at the moment, I don’t see why they cannot have more than just one dedicated Olympic channel, and I don’t see why only TV ONE’s coverage can be in HD.

  • nanisnap

    Well now I’m glad that Sky will be handling the Olympics from now on.

    That’s pretty pathetic, TVNZ.

  • stanley pointen

    Folks, just wait for the 2012 Olympics coverage from Sky TV and prepare to take out a mortgage! At least the TVNZ’s offering is ‘free’. Hands up those who think Sky will not use 2012 to rort their subscribers, just like their MySky HD offering?

  • tvnewser

    There will be 22 hours a day on PRIME in 2012 apparently, which is free to air as well is it not?

  • bobscoffee

    exactly, stanley. those of us who can’t afford sky will be restricted to one channel while at least this year we’ll have two channels with the option to watch a further two more on the net without paying any extra. of course sky would make you pay for the full subscription to watch just a few extra channels too wouldn’t they

  • tvnewser

    In 2008 47% of New Zealanders already have supscriptions to SKY, while only 6% have access to Freeview.

    So not very many people are going to be watching TVNZ Sport Extra.

  • nanisnap

    Those wanting to watch TVNZ Sport Extra have to buy Freeview first anyway, the cost of which is more expensive than one month’s Sky subscription. Plus you only get HD on TV ONE. I’m sure by the time the 2010 Olympics come around, Sky will be offering HD on all it’s Olympic channels.

    And as tvnewser said “In 2008 47% of New Zealanders already have supscriptions to SKY, while only 6% have access to Freeview.” Which makes a huge difference when people are trying to set themselves up to watch the Olympics.

    Comparison:
    TVNZ: $399 for Freeview HD box
    -HD on TV ONE only
    -SD Sport Extra channel
    -Plus some content on a streaming webpage.

    Sky: $65.50 for one month’s subscription to Start Up + Sports packages.
    - Highlights on the FOUR Sky Sport channels
    - SIX or more dedicated Olympic channels
    - 22 hours of coverage per day FREE TO AIR on Prime
    - Olympic coverage online at the Sky website
    - Live streaming of events on Sky Mobile TV in conjunction with Vodafone

    To me it seems like one of these set ups is a clear winner.

  • MrCynical

    Blah blah, it is still just the olympics. They should be honest and just show the opening ceremony and gymnastic/diving events, all that anyone really watched.

  • bobscoffee

    it’s unlikely freeview will cost that much by then with these new tvs. it’s more likely that the cost of sky will go up rather than the cost of a freeview box too, and who’s to say by 2012 had tvnz won the rights they could provide just as much as sky’s promising to? oh and you forgot to add installation costs

  • shakeynz

    Yeah, it really is a tad premature to be outlining what both providers will/could have done come 2012.
    TVNZ has always had good coverage, keeping in mind that they have the needs to meet of their regular programming. I must admit it doesnt sit comfortably with me that a pay tv network holds primary rights for an Olympic Games – so they best be keeping up their end of the deal with providing ALL base coverage on free to air Prime – however I do think 22 hours a day is a tad overkill.

    I would also be interested to see what they will come up with for Vancouver though. Will they be looking at putting the same amount of coverage on Prime as TV One has. It can be argued there isnt the demand that the Summer Olympics in London will bring. So I really do hope they won’t just put a few hours of highlights on Prime with all the live stuff on Sky Digital in 2010.

    I will definetely miss the TVNZ team, the likes of Keith Quinn, Telf, McBeth etc etc.
    I hope Sky will go down on the Classy TVNZ/BBC style coverage, and not the American angle full of pointless dribble. (lets cut away from the live action to hear a cute little story about joe bloggs track and field star having a terrible car crash 10 years ago)

  • Mike Zeler

    Try http://www.freeviewshop.co.nz for cheaper Freeview boxes.