Olympic sets from around the world

We’ve all seen Nine, and many have seen Foxtel’s, but what kind of sets do other broadcasters have for their Olympics coverage?

They range from high-tech, shiny floors to hints of Greek history. Some have windows and others have rear projections.

CCTV in China has four sets in London and another three in Beijing, all designed in Australia by ZSPACE.

CCTV enjoys a modern studio using the city of London as its hero, a casual interview set designed to create the cosy atmosphere of a London clubhouse, a studio designed especially for the internet, and a small, chic set that overlooks the Olympic Stadium.

ZSPACE’s Jean-Christophe Danoy and Mark Dyson also designed Foxtel’s two co-joined sets with a view from one to the other through clear glass creating a sense of activity. The larger set features a curved wall of 6 x 3 frameless plasma screens, enabling Foxtel to break up the screen into the eight channels, or use it as one or more screens. One of the BBC’s producers even told Danoy he preferred the Foxtel set to his own.

Danoy said, “The sets were very well received on an international stage. We had a lot of interest from other country’s networks, one even asking for us to send drawings on our return to Oz.”

As host broadcaster, BBC has several sets, including its centrepiece with windows and a hard-wood floor. Olympic rings semicircle the anchor area with LED lighting running throughout.

NBC has several sets, one using rear-projection screens to give a “window on London” feel and another that draws upon an English manor house, where athletes are interviewed.

Canada’s CTV combines old world design with new world technology and features views of Trafalgar Square. There are even Greek pillars in its set.

Nine uses a central desk with a huge cyclorama backdrop and Olympic rings atop its host desk, also designed by Mark Dyson.

ESPN had to find a site that would double as as both a rights holder South America, as well as a non-rights holder in the U.S. and other regions -and settled on a car park.

Additional source: newscast.com, ESPN