BBC Unveils Extensive Digital Olympics Plans

The 2012 London Olympics could be dubbed the first-ever “Digital Olympic Games,” thanks to the extensive digital coverage across platforms and devices announced by the BBC on Wednesday. All told, the BBC will eclipse NBC's digital Olympics coverage in America by streaming more than 2,500 hours of content via 24 channels.

Key to the BBC’s digital coverage is a new browser-based online video player that offers -- among other things -- pause and rewind options, and clickable alerts that take users to other streaming events when key moments are happening elsewhere. The new player will stream at up to 3.5Mbps, up from BBC iPlayer’s much-slower maximum stream rate of 1.5 Mbps. Other interesting features include profiles of the athletes that pull in their Twitter feeds next to public reactions.

The BBC will also distribute its coverage across multiple devices, including a free 2012 Olympics app for both iOS and Android devices, in addition to a mobile version of its video site for use on these platforms. It is even creating apps for over-the-top and smart TVs that will offer some live and lots of “catch-up” video content. The new apps will be offered on Virgin Media TiVo, PlayStation 3 and Sony smart TVs, in addition to “other platforms yet to be announced.” 

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