The power point deals with how tv construct the Olympic Games and turn it into a global event. There is a description of the media environment of the Olympic Games too and an example of muti-channel programming of the Olympics. At the same time, there is a proposal on how the Olympic Family could manage their social media presence.

1. Television, social media and the Olympic Games
Prof. Dr. Emilio Fernández Peña
emilio.fernandez@uab.es
Website:ceo.uab.cat
Olympic Studies Centre, CEO-UAB. Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona
http://ceo.uab.cat

2. Introduction
• “ We need spectators at the Games, but the
IOC does not insist on 100,000-seat stadiums.
The Olympics are primarily put on for
Television”.
Jacques Rogge interview (Barney, Wenn & Martyn, 2002:278)

3. Olympic Games Media Environment System
Construction of reality
International Federation
IOC
NOC’s
Radio
Broadcasters
Newspaper
Social Media
Global
Spectacle
TV News
4,700 million people
Top sponsors
Audiences
NBC 214 million people

4. Introduction
• Media construct the reality of the Games
– Media are not interpreters of the sporting events,
but rather their co-authors
– They turn a local event into a global one
• The fund the Olympics and O. Movement

5. Opening Ceremony
Research which feeds the other activities of teaching
and diffusion
Multidisciplinary from two key concepts: culture and
communication
Creativity and observation of the spirit of the times in
order to develop new research lines
Take advantage of the power of Social Networking and
new media
ceo.uab.cat

6. The need for creating a storytelling
• The host city needs presenting a storytelling
– Throughout the audiovisual media
– They have the opportunity to present an image to
the world
– At Barcelona In 1991 tourism represented a 2% of
the gross economic product of the city, currently,
a 12%

7. The role of the broadcasting Olympic System
• OBS: is the official television (Host
broadcaster) of the games which serves the
images to all the TV Stations
• It exists the possibility to personalize in a part
the telecasting with the own means of every
TV network

8. ceo.uab.cat

9. Old Media Vs. New Media
Traditional Media
-Linear
-Not flexible
-The audience is pasive
New Media
-Without centre and periphery
-Flexible
-The audience plays an active role
They together create the global megaevent

10. New Proposal: IOC Communication Flow
New Proposal for an IOC Communication Flow
Static content
New dynamic
content
CROSSPOLLINATION
Blogs, videos, social
marketing content
user’s flow
Recycling video content
Backstage video
New creative short videos
Customised with new
tabs and functions
An informal and direct
but rigorous language
1000 million people
300 million people
Going where the users are

12. Participation percentage: London 2012 Olympic Games

13. The Internet Evolution
• The website is a Sanctuary
–Only visit them the true believers
•The Social Networking websites are a party
–You go to meet your friends

14. Traditional Webpages vs. Social Media Websites
• Traditional websites: static content,
repository or store for the institution’s whole
virtual presence.
• The internauts generally only visit websites
when they are interested in an organisation’s
content.
• Facebook and Twitter can help them become
more dynamic

15. Pros and Cons of the IOC Social Media Policy Proposal
Pros and Cons of the New Social Media Policy Proposal on Sport field
CONS
•
IOC would require greater transparency and sincerity
in relationships with its fans and followers.
•
A friendlier, more direct and more sincere
communicative register.
•
IOC would need allocating more financial and human
resources to produce specific content means higher
costs to:
₋
distribute videos on social networking sites, create
new re-edited versions of archive footage and new
educational and social marketing videos.
₋
broadcast event highlights similar to those offered to
television operators that do not buy broadcast rights
during the Games.
•
Sporting organizations would get greater loyalty
among fans and followers, who will influence
others and attract them to the cause
•
Sporting organizations would get an intelligent fan
and follower base that works in favour of the cause
by putting forward ideas
•
Sporting organizations would recount more things,
but it is still in control of what it recounts and of
how and where it does so. It controls the
information flow.
•
Sporting organizations would continue to safeguard
the interests of television broadcast rights holders.
•
This would help Sporting organizations continue to
grow on social networking sites in between-Games
periods.
IOC would recount things that were not recounted in
the old media environment (e.g. new projects).
•
PROS

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