LONDON—In a notable landmark for the use of cloud-based services at the Olympics, Alibaba Cloud and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), has today announced the launch of OBS Cloud 3.0 for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. 

During the games, a key component of OBS Cloud 3.0, OBS Live Cloud, has become the main method of remote distribution to Media Rights-Holders (MRHs) for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, taking over from satellite which was launched during the Olympics Games Tokyo 1964. 

For Paris 2024, two-thirds of booked remote services (across 54 broadcasters) are now using OBS Live Cloud including 2 Ultra High Definition (UHD) broadcasters. 379 video (11 UHD, 368 HD) and 100 audio feeds will be transmitted via the Live Cloud. With the benefits of low latency and high resilience, content transmission via cloud has outperformed other methods of distribution when it comes to scalability, flexibility and cost while increasing the stability and agility of worldwide broadcasting of the largest sports event.  

Using a combination of cloud technologies powered by AI, OBS Cloud 3.0 will serve as the backbone infrastructure supporting several critical functions, fully utilizing the benefits of cloud technologies including operational scalability and cost-efficiency, improved sustainability with enhanced remote working capabilities, effective real-time workflow collaboration, and more.

Debuted at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 with an UHD broadcaster, OBS Live Cloud was offered as a standard service for the first time during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 with 22 subscribed broadcasters. Prior to this technology breakthrough, broadcasters had to rely on dedicated and more costly international telecommunication optical circuits and spend a considerable amount of time to set up the equipment, in order to send live footage halfway across the globe back to their home countries.  

At the launch of the OBS Cloud 3.0 during the Alibaba Cloud International Broadcasting Centre (IBC) showcase opening, Yiannis Exarchos, OBS CEO said, “With approximately half of the world’s population watching the Games, technologies like Alibaba Cloud help us tell the stories of the best athletes in the world, but also bring the world together in ways which are more exciting and inspirational. Broadcasting the Games is fundamental in trying to do that, and having partners like Alibaba that help us bring this dream to life are very valuable for us!”

A record-breaking 11,000 hours of Olympic Games content available via Content+ on the cloud 

Content+, OBS' content delivery platform remains fully hosted on Alibaba Cloud, and continues to simplify remote production workflows and ensures seamless content delivery including live sessions, athlete interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and social media content, the companies said. 

For Paris 2024, OBS will produce more than 11,000 hours of content – a 15% increase from Tokyo 2020. The streamlined approach of this cloud-based portal simplifies remote production workflows and ensures seamless content delivering without disruption during the Games.

New functionalities in Content+ allow MRHs to create their own highlights from any location in the world in far shorter turnaround time. Content can be downloaded in three different resolutions facilitating usage including linear, digital and/or social.

Offering worldwide MRHs access to the wealth of Games content produced by OBS, Content+ will deliver content in UHD for the first time through Alibaba Cloud’s robust global infrastructure. This empowers broadcasters to produce even more engaging and refined content, with new features like vertical screen compatibility for optimal viewing on mobiles or other devices.

"We are very excited to see the evolution of Olympic broadcasting from Tokyo 2020 to Paris 2024, enabled by Alibaba Cloud's extensive global infrastructure and proven AI technologies.” explained Selina Yuan, president of international business at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence. “The partnership between Alibaba Cloud and OBS amplifies our commitment to help transform the viewer experience at the Olympic Games, turning technology innovations into practical applications for tangible results. We are honored to support Paris 2024 as the most digitally compelling Olympics ever.”

Albaba Cloud also announced that during the Olympics, AI-enhanced replay systems will be used to elevate viewing experience. During Paris 2024, the OBS Multi-Camera Replay Systems will provide frame-freeze slow-motion replays of athletes’ performances, allowing hardcore sports fans to access detailed information for deeper analysis of the athlete movements. For new viewers, these replays can serve as educational tools for better understanding of the Games at key moments.  

All the multi-camera replay systems used at Paris 2024 will be provided by Alibaba Cloud. These include 17 systems across 14 venues covering 21 sports and disciplines. Those include: rugby sevens; badminton; athletics track and field; basketball; beach volleyball; table tennis; wrestling; tennis; judo; breaking; BMX freestyle; and skateboarding. The footage will be sent to the cloud, where Alibaba Cloud’s AI-driven computing capabilities enable live spatial reconstruction and real-time 3D rendering, before the chosen moments are shared as a replay through live or non-live feeds. The seamless reconstruction of the most exciting moments only takes seconds to get ready in the cloud and integrated as part of the live coverage.

Additionally, OBS Olympic Video Player (OVP), an advanced multi-platform video player service, will also leverage Alibaba Cloud's infrastructure to support UHD live streaming for the first time. The OVP service provides MRHs, especially small and medium-sized organizations, with a turnkey solution to deliver high-quality videos to their audiences without complex in-house development.

Joined as an Olympic Worldwide Partner in January 2017, Alibaba Cloud and OBS launched OBS Cloud in 2018. The leading cloud company supported Tokyo 2020 as the first Olympic Games to be broadcasted via the cloud and has been working with OBS since to help maintain the highest Olympic broadcasting standards with its proven cloud technologies.

Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) has announced its founder and former CEO Manolo Romero passed away at the end of December.

Romero started his career with Spanish broadcaster TVE in 1965. His first Olympics were Mexico City 1968, but it was Los Angeles 1984 where he had the full oversight of the host broadcast operation, a role he would take on again for Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and then for all Games from Sydney 2000 until London 2012.

According to OBS, Romero was renowned for his high standards and constant drive to achieve more with each Games. It was due to his vision toward the future that so many broadcasters from around the world were able to see what technology could do and experience the next generation of the industry’s tools, sometimes many years before they may have been able to do so in their own countries, said the organization.

Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of OBS said: “His mentorship and leadership were instrumental in my life and his wisdom and work ethic transcended our work together. The legacy of his guidance still resonates with me every single day of my professional life. Words can’t begin to express how much I will miss him. There was no greater champion of the Olympic movement, nor anyone whose impact was greater on the world being able to come together and unite through the power of sport.

This article originally appeared on TVBEurope.






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TOKYO—A rise in Covid-19 cases means that there won’t be fans in the stands at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, but the games will be offering up a host of tech milestones that the organizers and broadcasters hope will keep audiences cheering at home. 

The Olympics have long been known for innovation in sports tech production and TV Tech has been providing extensive coverage of the new technologies that will take center stage at the Games, with dozens of articles that can be accessed here.

We have an inside look at NBC’s tech plans and articles on UHD, immersive sound, HDR,  IP infrastructures and a lot more. 

But this week, the Olympic Broadcasting Services, which will be producing a record amount of content for rights holders, came out with its own list of the top ten tech innovations for the Summer Games. 

Some of the top ten will be easily seen, such as its 4K productions or the new data graphics that will accompany coverage of some sports. 

Others in this top ten will be operating behind the scenes, such as the move to cloud-based workflows, that will provide OBS with the flexibility and technology to deliver a much wider array of formats and experiences for broadcast, streaming and social media. 

And in one case, a top ten innovation will reduce some activities so that Games will have less of an impact on the planet with a reduced carbon footprint. 

Here are the top ten: 

1. OBS will have a full native UHD HDR production, with 5.1.4 immersive audio (only the coverage of the seven outside Tennis courts will remain in HD). OBS has transitioned its contribution and distribution networks to an all-IP  infrastructure to support the UHD HDR production workflow.
2. The games will see more content in more formats than ever before. OBS will produce additional Multi Clip Feeds (MCFs), as well as fast-turnaround sports highlights, short-form content and mobile-generated clips. 
3. As part of its efforts to provide more content in more formats, OBS will also deliver a record 9,500+ hours of content in support of the rights holders’ multi-platform strategies.
4. New technologies being deployed include: Multi-camera replay systems (several sports); 3D Athlete Tracking (Athletics 100m) in partnership with Intel and Alibaba; True View (Basketball) in partnership with Intel; Biometric data (Archery) in partnership with Panasonic; Live and on-demand immersive 180° stereoscopic and 360° panoramic coverage (several sports); Virtual 3D graphics (Sport Climbing); 2D image tracking (several sports). 
5. Remote production, both to ensure safety and to provide more coverage, is a big part of the tech game plan. OBS will cover the seven outside tennis courts, as well as certain press conferences, via remote production. The remote production gallery will be set up at the IBC.
6. Behind the scenes, in an effort to provide more flexible workflows that will allow it to deliver a much wider array of content in more formats to more platforms, OBS has rolled out a set of cloud-based solutions specifically designed for high-demanding broadcast workflows, called OBS Cloud, which allows for greater flexibility and remote production in partnership with Alibaba. 
7. As part of its embrace of cloud and IP technologies, OBS has transitioned part of its broadcast workflows in the cloud. The OBS video server will be extended to the cloud with increased capacity and worldwide accessibility.
8. Amid growing concerns about climate change and carbon footprints, OBS has been looking for efficiencies in the design of the IBC, notably introducing mini data centres known as Centralized Technical Areas (CTAs).
9. OBS has introduced new positions close to the field of play and in back-of house areas at selected venues to help rights holders to engage their audience on social media.
10. OBS has created an innovative digital fan engagement suite, which allows remote viewers to interact with live events in Tokyo and right holders to connect athletes with their fans.

For an even deeper dive into OBS’s tech plans, take a look at its 62 page description of the innovations being used at this year’s games. 

HANGZHOU, China--Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), the broadcast arm of the International Olympic Committee, has teamed up with Alibaba Cloud, the public cloud service division of e-commerce company Alibaba Group, to develop a cloud-based broadcasting platform to be in place in time for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The partnership between Alibaba and the International Olympic Committee began in January 2017 when the two parties signed a long-term strategic agreement that the two parties say will help transform the Olympic Games for the digital era. Alibaba now serves as the official “Cloud Services” and “E-Commerce Platform Services” partner.

In the past, distributors and content creators have kept the use of cloud-based platforms for broadcasting live sporting events to a minimum due to concerns over latency, speed and volume. To address those quality concerns, Alibaba and OBS have also partnered with Intel to deliver higher quality volumetric content over the cloud. Intel expects to also use its virtual reality solution to enhance the Olympic viewing experience.

“We are very pleased that Alibaba Cloud has come up with this innovative and powerful approach to Olympic broadcasting. As the host broadcaster of the Olympic Games, we at OBS see ourselves as a leader in transforming the media industry,” said Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of OBS. “Tokyo 2020 will be an opportunity for the International Olympic Committee to champion digital transformation in the media industry, as well as empowering broadcasters around the world with a cloud platform that delivers new possibilities for how the Games are enjoyed by fans around the world.”

MADRID—As the host broadcaster, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) is responsible for providing the images and sound of the Olympic Games as a service to all organizations, including the rights holding broadcasters (RHBs), who have purchased the television and radio rights. OBS will also act as Host Broadcaster for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

OBS produces and distributes unbiased live radio and television coverage of every sport from every venue and provides RHBs with the international signals, also known as the world feed.

In addition to developing a multilateral production plan for the International Signals, OBS provides additional services, equipment, facilities and supplies to the RHBs in order to help them produce their own unilateral production coverage.

Yiannis Exarchos

According to Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of OBS, broadcasting the events represents an innovative and exciting enterprise, with each Games providing its own set of production challenges. “This year, golf and rugby sevens have taken OBS into new territories. OBS has been working diligently to develop an efficient broadcast plan to deliver live action as it happens and engage audiences around the world—from the core fans to the newcomers—in the drama of the tournament.”

Exarchos says that OBS will rely on the expertise of NBC and Sky TV New Zealand to execute its production plan for golf and rugby sevens respectively.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

Alongside the challenges of developing the production for the two new sports, OBS has found it necessary to address a potentially difficult situation, which could have impacted production in the sport of sailing. This event will take place in Guanabara Bay, the most iconic inlet in Rio de Janeiro. Unfortunately, this is also located on the direct flight path to Santos Dumont airport. “Modern broadcast coverage of the Sailing events requires extensive use of aerial cameras. Rio 2016 managed to coordinate with the federal and regional governments and reschedule flights to and from Santos Dumont airport during the competition, thus allowing OBS’s helicopters and fixed wing aircraft to fly over the courses and properly cover the event during the Games.”

THE HUB

OBS is also responsible for designing, building, installing and operating the International Broadcast Centre (IBC). Located in a new, purpose-built structure in Barra Olympic Park, the IBC is close to nine Olympic competition venues and is adjacent to the Main Press Centre (MPC).

The 85,400sqm IBC houses the technical and administrative facilities for both OBS and the RHBs including edit suites, control rooms, studios and offices. More than 100 RHB organizations, including sub-licensees, will have a working space inside the IBC, while in excess of 12,000 personnel will be accredited to cover the Games. OBS itself will have 7,100 personnel on site.

“The IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 has reinforced the idea of a more sustainable Games plan,” says Exarchos. “OBS is continually striving to reduce the impact on the host city and country, while at the same time optimizing operations. For instance, by implementing reusable IBC construction modules, OBS has reduced waste by the equivalent of 2,800 trucks. So good news for the environment.”

NEW TECHNOLOGY

He goes on, “As part of its mission, OBS endeavours to make use of the latest state-of-the-art broadcasting technology and services to relay the most memorable celebration of sport to billions of viewers around the world. While tradition and precedent from previous Games is a guiding principle for the host broadcaster’s work, in its pursuit of excellence, OBS also recognizes the importance of emerging digital media and the evolving requirements of the RHBs.”

He cites two examples to prove his point; the Olympic Video Player (OVP) and the multi-channel distribution service (MDS).

 “The OVP offers RHBs their own fully produced platform containing one of the best live video and on-demand players for the internet, tablets and mobiles, currently available. Launched for Sochi 2014, the OVP helped drive the record digital offerings for those Games. In Sochi, for the first time in Olympic history, the amount of digital coverage exceeded traditional television broadcasts with 60,000 hours available on digital platforms, compared with 42,000 hours on television. We expect the growth of digital will continue in Rio.”

Currently, 11 Rights Holding Broadcasters, representing more than 60 territories from around the globe will be subscribed to the OVP service for the Rio Games. As a result of the increased digital distribution and together with traditional television coverage, the Games in Rio will reach more global territories than ever before. 

He continues, “The MDS has become one of the prime ways for the television coverage of the Olympic Games to be distributed to the world. In London, there were 13 subscribers distributing coverage from the MDS. For Sochi 2014, that number grew to 80 RHB companies from 70 different countries using the MDS to fully produce their entire coverage of the Games with little or no staff or facilities within the host city. There will be 52 takers in Rio, broadcasting the Games to 198 territories.”

Meanwhile, the OBS archive team will be responsible for ingesting in the Central Video Archive System all live venue feeds, multi clips feeds, and all output broadcast on the Olympic News Channel (ONC), as well as press conferences produced by OBS. All content will be video logged and tagged.

While this service will not be new, for the first time all mixed zones interviews from the ONC teams in the various venues will be ingested and made available to RHBs and distributed to a number of services. Another ‘first’ means the entire archive operation will be tapeless and completely file based. Dedicated lines and file acceleration services will be used to transfer content from Rio to the IOC Archive in Lausanne, Switzerland.

PLANNING PRODUCTION

OBS has secured 52 mobile units for the coverage of the Games, including four units from Brazilian suppliers and 48 units from others located in other countries. Additionally, 12 flyaway systems and seven independent audio production units have been secured. There will be another 31 support vans making a total fleet of 83 vehicles and 19 production kits.

The venue coverage will be transmitted to the IBC via the on-site Technical Operations Centre (TOC).

“OBS will utilize an extensive fibre optic contribution network that connects the venues and the IBC; a combination of dark fibre for venues in the metropolitan area of Rio and Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) for distant venues,” states Exarchos.

For the majority of installations OBS will be using standard RF communications at the venues, with diverse reception points cabled from the OB van. At specific venues such as golf, OBS will install an in-depth network that will support transmission and reception of all of the various RF sources including OBS RF cameras and the communications network.

RHBs receive ‘dirty’ feeds from OBS multilateral coverage. Specifically, the International Television Signal includes the live camera cut; all replays (including the Olympic Replay Transition to open and close the replay sequence), all start lists, athlete IDs, scorecards and results, result lists, crunch scoreboards without clocks, all timing graphics and all production enhancements including virtual graphics such as flags on the field of play, world record lines, best throw/jump lines, course maps and GPS positioning graphics.

TRAINING FOR THE FUTURE

Following its previous successes, OBS is continuing with its training program. “Forming an integral part of OBS’s legacy strategy, the Broadcast Training Program (BTP) aims to train the next generation of media and television professionals,” explains Exarchos. “In collaboration with selected universities in the host city, the training program gives students practical experience in how the largest broadcasting operation in the world will be assembled and function. Approximately 1,200 successful students have been offered paid roles during the Rio 2016 Games, such as audio assistant, camera assistant, commentary system operator and liaison officer and utility.”

UPPING THE QUALITY

Following a lead from London, OBS and NHK will be working together to produce some coverage in UHD. Beyond that, 8K will be used for the opening and closing ceremonies and some selected sports with the output being made available to interested RHBs. The 8K experience will also include an immersive 3D 22.2 multi-channel surround system.

“We will also be looking closely at another first in Olympic Broadcasting history,” declares Exarchos. “Viewers from around the world will be able to enjoy a truly unique viewing experience with high-definition virtual reality (VR). This follows a first successful test of a 180-degree VR experience at the Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games.”

Using a compatible headset, viewers will be virtually transported to the heart of the Olympic action with VR coverage including the opening and closing ceremonies and one key event per day. Olympic content will be available live through VR technologies, but also as video on-demand. Highlights of 360-degree video content will also be available, without the need for VR headsets.

OBS is also exploring the possibility of a limited experimental production in WCG/HDR (wide colour gamut/high dynamic range).

Exarchos concludes, “As in every aspect of the Olympic Games, it is about excellence, but the Games in Rio provide us with two unique opportunities. First, on the digital front, to showcase to the world the first Games in South America, taking place in one of the most spectacular cities of the world; and second, to align the broadcast of these Games with the ongoing revolution in digital media.”