0/5

Rio Olympics 2016: guide

Three channels, up to 16 hrs Live coverage each day, online & apps -here comes Rio 2016.

2016-07-25_2203

The Opening Ceremony of the XXXI Olympiad will be held in Rio, screening at 9am AEST Saturday August 6th on Seven.

Rio is the first city in South America to host the Games.

An estimated 10,500 competitors will take part in 41 disciplines across 28 sports. There are 306 medal events in Rio. There are 28 sports, two more than London 2012, with Golf and Rugby both returning.

The 37 competition venues are divided into four clusters around Rio; Barra Olympic Park, Deodoro Olympic Park, Copacabana and Maracanã, plus five cities outside Rio which will host some football matches; Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Salvador, São Paulo and Manaus.

Seven will present Live coverage for up to 16 hours each day. NB: Rio is 13hrs behind Sydney (9am AEST = 8pm Rio).

Seven will be undertaking the most extensive coverage of an Olympic Games ever, for the first time across Seven,  7TWO and 7mate. More than 1,000 cameras will capture the action.

HD coverage is available on Channel 70.

Kerry Stokes, Chairman Seven West Media:

“Just as in Melbourne in 1956 and our first Olympic Games coverage, when people crowded around their television sets – and the streets were silent – so it was when this country again stopped for those 17 remarkable days of the Olympic Games in 2000, and as it will be for Rio.
We are committed to the Olympic Games in Rio. It will be an extraordinary event – one we will see unfold live, as it happens, across broadcast television and connected devices. We are also committed to Australian sport. And we are determined to deliver a quality broadcast which embraces these ideals and reflects Australia’s regard for its sportsmen and women.”

Tim Worner, CEO Seven West Media:

“The Olympic Games are undoubtedly the greatest show on earth. They are about a commitment to excellence that has invigorated us as a company.
For 17 days, across broadcast television, all screens, in print and on mobile and social platforms, we will connect with all Australians.
It is a remarkable opportunity for Seven West Media as we march forward as a company, developing new content and building new businesses which will drive our future as Australia’s leading multiple platform media company.
We are expanding our array of online and mobile products and will soon unveil more plans to maximise the delivery of our great television content to more screens.”

Saul Shtein, Head of Sport, Seven:

“The Olympic Games are what television does best. So, how will we cover them? Well, our team of more than 450 knows this: The Olympic Games are the ultimate – the time and place to be our best. And we will be live for every moment.
We recognise that it is the athletes who will tell their own story and it is they who will ultimately determine our television coverage. Our responsibility is to enhance and amplify their performances and their stories – not overwhelm them.
We will have the most extraordinary technology in place. We will have a commentary team led by Bruce McAvaney, the best Olympic Games broadcaster in the business.
We will be there, to take you there. The athletes’ performances and their reactions speak for themselves. You will see coverage that employs some new camera technologies and you will notice our approach to commentary where we will let our vision tell the story.”

7 Olympics_Bruce McAvaney_0291 RT_resize

Seven will draw on more than 1,000 cameras across the 17 days of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad.

Seven will provide more than 5,000 hours of coverage – including 3,000 hours of live event coverage.*

A total of 450 people will be involved in the Australian television coverage with major production and transmission centres in Rio, Sydney and Melbourne, producing Seven’s Olympic Games coverage, Sunrise, Seven News and In Rio Today.

Recognising Seven’s leadership in sports television production, we have a crew of 10 working exclusively for the Rio Olympic Broadcast Organisation responsible for the international television coverage of the Olympic Games. This crew and Seven’s specialty camera technologies will be providing the world, not just Seven, with coverage of events from swimming, diving, water polo and synchronised swimming.

*Available on the Olympics on 7 app’s premium service

Digital

www.seven.com.au/olympics and the Olympics on 7 app ( Android and iOS) will offer three broadcast channels, plus extra content and selected content, free* to Australia.

This will include live simulcast of Channel 7, 7TWO and 7mate, as well as selected curated content from the Olympic Broadcast Service (OBS) live channels not already featured on Seven. VOD highlights, medal tallies, statistics and a photo gallery will also be available, as will the live simulcast of Seven’s channels in PLUS7 (on Telstra TV, Apple TV [4th gen], mobile and web), and existing Seven products 7tennis and 7live.com.au.

Content available through the Olympics on 7 website and apps will include:

  • Up to 900 hours of Seven’s Olympic Games broadcast, live simulcast from 7, 7TWO and 7mate
  • 300 hours of additional live competition streams – not on broadcast television
  • Hundreds of hours of video highlights
  • Official medal tallies, photos and athlete profiles

A Premium upgrade subscription will contain every moment, every event with more than 3,000 hours of Live event coverage and a total of more than 5,000 hours of coverage. Pricing is yet to be announced.

*Data charges apply

Hosts & Commentators

Hosting are Bruce McAvaney, Mel McLaughlin, Todd Woodbridge, Jim Wilson, Kylie Gillies.

Seven’s team features nine Olympic gold medalists: Steve Hooker, Giaan Rooney, Scott McGrory, Rechelle Hawkes, Russell Mark, Debbie Watson, Drew Ginn, Todd Woodbridge and Kerri Pottharst.

Olympians Lauren Jackson, Andrew Gaze, Tamsyn Lewis, Dave Culbert, Kate Bates, Loudy Wiggins and Vicki Roycroft also headline Seven’s coverage.  Seven will also be drawing on international commentators via the BBC and Olympic Broadcasting Service.

7 Olympics_Mel McLaughlin_0031 RT_resize

Snapshot of Daily Schedule

August 6-22, 2016 (All times AEST)

0000-0530
Channel 7
Rio 2016 Overnight – Live:
Overnight action from the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, hosted by Mel McLaughlin and Todd Woodbridge.

0000-0600 7TWO
0000-0600 7mate
Rio 2016 Overnight – Live:
Live Olympic action from Rio de Janeiro featuring Australian athletes and gold medal events across the channels of Seven.

0530-0900 (Mon-Fri) Channel 7
Sunrise:
Australia’s only breakfast television show with live coverage of Olympic Games events as they happen and all the big medal wins. Plus, your full wrap up of the Olympic action while you were sleeping and when Aussies strike gold, their first stop for post-competition interviews in the morning will be Sunrise. Mark Beretta and Edwina Bartholomew are onground in Rio, while Samantha Armytage, David Koch and Natalie Barr are joined in the studio by relatives of our Olympians and a panel of experts including Leisel Jones, Eamon Sullivan, Lisa Curry, Melinda Gainsford- Taylor, Jana Pittman and Robbie McEwen.

0600-0900 7TWO
0600-0900 7mate
Rio 2016 Morning- Live:
Live Olympic action from Rio de Janeiro featuring Australian athletes and gold medal events across the channels of Seven.

0900-1400 (Mon-Fri)
0530-1400 (Sat-Sun)
Channel 7
Rio 2016 Day – Live:
Live competition from the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, including swimming and athletics finals. Hosted by Jim Wilson.

0900-1200 7TWO
0900-1200 7mate
Rio 2016 Day – Live:
Live Olympic action from Rio de Janeiro featuring Australian athletes and gold medal events across the channels of Seven.

1400-1700 (Mon-Fri) Channel 7
1400-1800 (Sat-Sun) Channel 7
Rio 2016 Highlights:
Host Kylie Gillies recaps each day of Olympic competition including plenty of Australians and gold medal moments.

1700-1800 (Mon-Fri) Channel 7
The Chase Australia:
Host Andrew O’Keefe brings you Australia’s biggest general knowledge game show.

1800-1900 Channel 7
Seven News:
Live and comprehensive coverage of breaking news and local, national and international top stories, plus Sport, Finance and Weather updates and all the latest from the Olympic Games.

1900-2100 Channel 7
In Rio Today:
Host Hamish McLachlan shares all the golden moments and Australian performances each day of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games – every Aussie medal, every reaction, every unmissable moment.

1930-2130 7TWO
1930-2200 7mate
Rio 2016 Highlights:
Relive some of the best events from the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro.

2100-2230 Channel 7
Rio 2016 Evening:
Host Hamish McLachlan gears up for a day of Olympic action. 10,500 athletes are chasing 306 gold medals across the 16 days of competition in Rio de Janeiro. Includes some live action.

2230-2400 Channel 7
Rio 2016 Late Night -Live:
As Rio wakes up, Olympic competition kicks straight into gear. Who will be crowned an Olympic champion today? Hosted by Mel McLaughlin.

2130-0000 7TWO
2200-0000 7mate
Rio 2016 Late Night -Live:
Live Olympic action from the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro featuring Australian athletes and gold medal events across the channels of Seven.

* Times will vary slightly each day
** Check EPG/program guides for daily event and medal highlights
*** August 22 features final medal events and the Closing Ceremony (AM), followed by non-Olympic programming (PM)

Download: Broadcast highlights guide PDF

Official website: seven.com.au/olympics
Official hashtag: #7Olympics

24 Responses

  1. For heaven’s sake who cares if the opening ceremony is transmitted in HD or not? The Olympics OC has gotta be the most boring 27 hours of TV ever put to air and having it in HD doesn’t improve it one iota! Synchronised swimming is riveting viewing compared to the opening ceremony — once you’ve seen one OC you’ve seen ’em all, and you should never want to watch another ever again!

    I never watch less Seven than every four years when the Olympics are on, because you can’t watch less than none. Thank God I’ve saved up a bunch of recorded shows and have Netflix, Stan and iTunes to fall back on. This truly will be the greatest Olympics ever, because it’ll be easier to avoid than ever before!

  2. I think it is a shame they’re sticking with The Chase. I get that there’s no live sport happening at the time, and perhaps they want to save the best replays for primetime, but still!?

        1. AFL coverage will continue as per usual, in its usual channels, in its usual times, as per the TV agreement signed by the AFL and 7 for 2012-2016.
          Just means they’re will be one less channel to watch Olympics on at those times.

      1. Shame there is no H&A early years, it’s coming up to some memorable story lines including Ailsa being help up at the diner by a gunman, Bobby’s ghost in the fridge and Marilyn’s return amongst others.
        Thankfully I will be in the USA and can miss the entire Olympic coverage 🙂

  3. HD coverage is available on Channel 70 ?

    Really ? We don’t even have a HD version of 7 in regional Qld . Won’t this be the first Olympics since digital tv began where we won’t see it in HD ?

      1. Yes we do.
        Here on the Sunshine Coast Seven’s channels are 6, 60, 61 (Seven Qld primary signal), 62 (7TWO), 63 (7mate), 66 (7flix) and 68 (racing channel).
        Channel 63 (7mate) is HD, all the rest are SD.
        Olympic coverage on 7mate therefore will be in high definition.
        Brisbane City is different.
        7mate is simulcast on 70 & 73, but only 70 is HD. Seven’s primary channels are 7 and 71, both SD. 72 (7TWO) and 76 (7flix) are SD.

        1. Must be just your area then.
          I’ve lived in Rockhampton, Mackay, Cairns and currently live in Townsville, and in all of those areas Seven use the 7 numbers, not the 6 numbers.
          So here right now, we have Seven on 7, 70, 71, 7Two on 72, 7mate on 73, 7flix on 76 and Racing on 78.

          1. Yes, you are right. Our area has the 6 numbers because we are so close to Brisbane and using 7 numbers here would cause technical issues. You will find your 73 (7mate) is probably HD.

  4. Quick question. The article states “coverage is available on Channel 70.” Does this mean that Brisbane and Sydney will be switching their HD feed during the Olympics only? Currently channel 70 is an HD feed of 7mate in these two markets.

Leave a Reply