Overseas streaming platforms revamped in anticipation of Paris Olympics

For overseas streaming platforms, sporting events have always been a driver of subscriber growth, not to mention the global quadrennial sporting event. What technological upgrades have overseas streaming platforms done to maximize the appeal of the Olympics?

On July 18, NBCUniversal raised the monthly fee for two of its streaming Peacock's membership services by $2 (about 14.5 yuan). If the bottom line for Netflix's price hike is that it has become a 'life necessity' for many subscribers, and the bottom line for Max's price hike stems from its summer slate that includes the second season of House of the Dragon, then the bottom line for Peacock is the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, which kicks off on July 26th.

Peacock has upgraded its platform in order to provide a better Olympic viewing experience for existing users and increase its appeal to potential users.

Image source: Peacock

Upgraded Interface for Smooth Experience

The most intuitive is the revamped user interface design. After logging in, users will find that Peacock has introduced a "multi-view" interface for the Olympics, displaying screens of simultaneous elimination matches, medal competitions, first-time Olympians, and Team USA matches. The audio automatically switches when the user moves the mouse over the different panels.

This update will minimize the time viewers spend on 'transitions'. For example, if a viewer is watching a gymnastics competition and the finals of a track and field event are about to begin, a timer will appear on the screen, allowing the viewer to quickly switch to the track and field competition, or they can choose to continue watching the gymnastics competition or switch between multiple events that are going on at the same time.

Image credit: Peacock

The platform previously partnered with gold-medal sporting event commentator Al Michaels to launch AI anchors. Users can set in advance the athletes they want to follow, the sports they are interested in, or the participating countries and regions, and the AI anchor will use a voice similar to Michaels' to broadcast the highlights of the previous day's events, providing a "private and customized" Olympic viewing experience.

Image credit: Peacock

Similar to Peacock's revamp, Warner Bros. Discovery, which is providing live Olympic broadcasts in some European markets, has also upgraded its streaming platforms Max and Discovery+. The platforms have a built-in "Event Axis" that displays multiple simultaneous events, allowing viewers to go to different games without having to return to the homepage. In addition, users can use the "Timeline" function to retrace the exciting moments of 15 sports, including beach volleyball, handball, tennis, swimming, artistic gymnastics and mountain biking, and the "Gold Medal Alert" will remind users of the birth of new medals in real time, allowing viewers to go straight to the scene of the championships.

The Olympics is more than just a competition, with a rich content format

Ron Chakraborty, Head of Editorial Reporting at the BBC, believes that the challenge they now face is how to attract the next generation of viewers. "It's no longer the age of 'sit down with an athlete and talk about their journey', but the age of digital content represented by Instagram and Tik Tok."

The official Olympic website has a behind-the-scenes documentary section. Image credit: Olympics

The BBC has upgraded its 'Olympic product' to provide viewers with comprehensive, in-depth coverage of the Olympics through TV, audio, text and online new media. Throughout the Olympics, the BBC's official website opened a 'Paris 2024 Column', which, in addition to basic information such as real-time medal tables and event schedules, also provided users with live text commentaries on the latest medal winners, in-depth reports on athletes, events, and host cities' 'curiosities and anecdotes', and celebrity columns on Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

TechXplore, a technology and travel crossover program, has curated three special episodes focusing on the technological highlights of the Paris 2024 Games, such as the use of technology to support the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, the impact of innovative technology on the way athletes train and compete, and new technology in the broadcasting of the Games.

Image credit: BBC

In addition to written content and video programs, the BBC also curates audio podcasts, with comedian Eliza Skinner teaming up with athletics commentator Ed Harry to interview Olympic and Paralympic athletes on On the Podium, and host Rana Rahimpour) tells the life stories of legendary athletes from Olympic history on Amazing Sports Stories.