By Danielle Frazzetto

2014 is going to be a year filled with huge events. From the Russian Winter Olympics to the FIFA World Cup in Brazil and the Commonwealth Games in Scotland, all year round major sporting events will be engaging audiences worldwide through the use of video.

Sochi will stage Russia’s first Winter Olympics in 2014 as Australia aims to make a statement by sending more than 50 athletes to compete. Since 2008 broadcast networks have been competing to carry more live events to viewers globally. ESPN and ABC are planning to carry the greatest live events as opposed to delayed telecasts in order to win over NBC’s viewers. NBC, FOX and partners CBS and Turner Sports, who were major players in the bidding for televising the Games in the United States, agreed to a four billion dollar contract aimed to broadcast 50 hours of television coverage. It is the most expensive television rights deal in Olympic history, benefitting viewers, advertisers and affiliates with the International Olympic Committee to broadcast the 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020 Olympics.

Keeping up to date with the latest trends in technology, 149 hours of live streaming is expected to reach over three billion viewers who are expected to tune in. In Australia, Network Ten achieved an agreement for the 2014 Winter Games spending 20 million dollars on marketing and broadcast incentives. With tickets in high demand for the winter and Paralympic games, with over 66% of tickets purchased already, it is anticipated that the most popular events will be the opening and closing ceremonies, ice hockey and Alpine skiing.

In 2014 Brazil will host the greatest show on a field, the Rio FIFA World Cup. The 20th World Cup, which will see 32 countries take part, is expected to see tourists spend around 25 billion dollars. Most of this spending is predicted to come from three million domestic tourists who are forecast to spend $18.3 billion during the competition. Based on historical figures it is expected that 600,000 foreigners will visit Brazil for the 2014 World Cup bringing $6.8 billion into the economy.

In 2014 the FIFA World Cup is likely to see more innovative multimedia than 2010 which saw over 2000 hours of coverage involving 29-32 cameras sending HDTV signals to over 20 billion viewers. In 2014, 4K & 8K ultra high definition coverage offers resolution that is four to eight times the pixel size of current HD formats. Remarkable 3D images were first shared in 2010 which led to over 600 cinemas in more than 30 countries showing live 3d matches, which is likely to become more apparent in 2014. The white label FIFA World Cup™ App and the FIFA World Cup™ Web Player will also be available and will include: 
Live streaming, live coverage in multiple angles, Video-on-demand (VOD) elements and comprehensive statistics.

The Commonwealth Games will take place in one of Scotland’s most famous cities, Glasgow, in 2014 marking the 20th Commonwealth Games. Encouraging public participation a minimum of 70% of tickets for every sport session will go to the general public unlike most sporting events that use a general average as low as 30%.

Tourism bosses planning to spend £2.5m on marketing the 2014 Commonwealth Games at home and abroad, have seen the initial four-week window for ticket purchasing reach 2.3 million requests for up to one million tickets, with delays of more than 60 minutes for online booking in the second round. The Host Broadcasters contracted for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games are international sports newscasters Sunset Vine and Global Television who will share the games with a worldwide audience of more than one billion people. As one of the largest Australian-based companies, Glasgow 2014 will be Global Television’s third consecutive Commonwealth Games. They facilitate more than 2000 hours of television each year including live sport and entertainment, the legendary Australian soap Neighbours is just one of their popular programs.

As the predicted statistics suggest, 2014 is going to be a great year of sport worldwide with the help of TV broadcasters sharing hours of footage alongside live streaming, ultra high definition, VOD elements, App technology and public incentives to present the best of the best in the way tech savvy viewers hope to see them.

Do you have big events coming up in 2014 that you need video coverage of? Speak to us at Visual Culture about tailoring a package to suit your needs.

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