An Olympic Affair

Source: http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/EJCYExWQypb/Giant+Olympic+Rings+Launched+River+Thames

Everywhere you look at the moment there is something about the Olympics. This is especially true in the online world. Take Brisbanetimes.com.au today for example. In the top section alone there is a medal tally and nine stories about the Olympics.  This is then immediately followed by a whole Olympics section before any local news. 

Source: Brisbanetimes.com.au screen print 10.08.2012 2:30pm

 

When I saw that Australia had won their 6^th gold medal, it took me a total of 10 seconds on my phone to find out who won it, in what sport and what the race circumstances were. Even as a Gen Y who has grown up with the internet, the speed and shere amount of imformation available never ceases to amaze me.

So how has the internet changed the way that people are sourcing their news about the Olympics compared to 4 years ago? During the last Olympics I was backpacking through Eastern Europe and virtually missed the whole Games. I didn’t watch any coverage because I wasn’t near TVs and the coverage on the internet was nowhere near as comprehensive. Wow what a difference four years makes!

As a Foxtel subscriber I could download a free Olympics iPad app which allows me to stream eight chanels on  my iPad 24 hours a day. I can sit at my desk with the Olympics on in the background all from a small device that fits in my handbag. Compare this with the fact that when I was backpacking in 2008 I didn’t even have a smartphone. Now you see people in every airport with an iPad, smartphones have become a staple in the Western world and a Macbook air weighs so little that there’s no reason not to take it all over the world with you.

 

Channel 9 has received a huge amount of flack about their coverage of the Olympics and I think that this is in part becuase people are now used to getting information/coverage that is tailored to suit them.

 

Source: http://www.facebook.com/#!/ch9fail

 A facebook page titled "Channel 9 Olympics Coverage sucks" (you can view the page here http://www.facebook.com/#!/ch9fail) has almost 27,000 likes. After all this backlash against the channel I can't wait to see how things change in the next 4 years and how Rio's Olympics are shown to the world.