CABLE AND Wireless Communications (CWC) will be the official broadcast sponsor and telecommunications network for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
This announcement was made at a media conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port-of-Spain yesterday.
The rights for Cable and Wireless to air the Games was made by CANOC Broadcasting Incorporated (CBI), which is a subsidiary of CANOC (Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees). CANOC acts as the umbrella body for all Olympic Committees in the Caribbean region.
Steve Stoute, president and chairman of CANOC and CBI, told the gathering, “CWC will also be the first regional telecommunications partner to broadcast the Olympic Games on mobile devices. Each CANOC member will get the opportunity to partner with CWC if they so desire.
“This partnership will allow CANOC to bring the Games to the Caribbean audiences on cutting-edge technology,” added Stoute.
Elaborating on this point was John Reid, president of the CWC Consumer Group.
“Instead of taking a traditional linear approach to broadcasting, which limits our customers’ viewing choices, CWC will adopt a multi-platform approach to transmitting a wide variety of content,” Reid said.
“For our customers, this experience will be nothing short of spectacular,” he added. “They will have access to a unique variety of live video feeds, offered across a number of media platforms, including radio, ESPN’s live television coverage, video on demand, as well as mobile and Internet streams — all of which can be accessed from each customer’s preferred device.
“The best part is that we will do so at no additional cost to our customers.”
Reid noted, “from historical features to contemporary stories, our customers will have more than 12 hours each day of extra Olympic programming.
Much of this content is going to focus on our local and regional athletes because we want to showcase material that is relevant to our customers. We are proud to enable our viewers to see their hometown heroes in real time.”
He revealed that CWC will offer its commitment to the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) drive for “10 Olympic gold medals by the 2024 Games” Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund. The fund is to garner financial support for TT athletes as they seek to amass 10 or more gold medals by the 2024 Olympics.
“While we’ve already made a donation to this important initiative, we plan to deepen our involvement and will actively look for other similar opportunities to nurture and develop our region’s youth and talent,” Reid pointed out. The agreement was endorsed by TTOC president Brian Lewis, who stated, “(yesterday’s) announcement represents an important step for the Olympic movement in the Caribbean.”