By A Correspondent
The countdown to the biggest multi-sport event, the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, has begun. Forty-nine days to go. August 5 is the date when all the action begins at Brazil and this time the world will witness the biggest ever Olympic contingent from India.
To make the viewing experience of these games even better, Star India is expanding its coverage by dedicating eight channels on a 24×7 basis, broadcasted in two languages – English and Hindi. Star Sports and Hotstar, together, will broadcast 3000-plus hours of live content from the Olympics, facilitating fans to catch every medal live.
Speaking at a press conference, Nitin Kukreja, CEO, Star Sports, said, “Star Sports has been at the forefront of establishing a multi-sport culture in India. While cricket continues to reach new heights, Indian sports fans have already shown their love for kabaddi and football. The Olympics are the pinnacle of a multi-sport event, and as India prepares to send its largest ever contingent, Star Sports is leaving no stone unturned to provide the most comprehensive access to Indian sports fans.â€
Since, ‘digital’ is the buzzword these, how can Hotstar, Star’s video sharing platform be behind! It will roll out the coverage of Olympics with 14 live feeds consistently and up to 36 concurrent feeds at peak on the Olympics video player, available to users on demand through the event. “While Hotstar is covering Olympics for the first time, we are excited that we are bringing an all-round coverage of the Olympics for the Indian digital user that will be the best in the word. Like in our coverage of other sporting events, our focus will be not just making every moment of the Olympics available to the fans but also provide them the ability to create personalised, interactive experiences that allow them to follow and watch what is of unique interest to them,†said Ajit Mohan, CEO, Hotstar.
Apart from live feeds, it will introduce an interactive, data rich Olympic player on the web where users will have the option to switch between the 14 live feeds, have access to day-wise listing of events and medals tally, and the ability to personalise the experience by following specific countries and sports disciplines.
Star Sports, on the other hand, has set up an elite panel of international and Indian Olympians as well as sports experts who will share analyse and connect with viewers as live action unfolds. The eminent panel includes Ian Thorpe, Prakash Pafukone, Anjali Bhagwat, Viren Rasquinha and Rehan Poncha. Paula Malai Ali will be the presenter in English and Divya Jaitley will be the presenter in Hindi.