Special award for TV broadcasts covering London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics

Sept. 18, 2012 - PRLog -- CRANBROOK, UK 18 SEP 2012 – A new category has been added this year to the Association for International Broadcasting’s annual international media excellence awards, the AIBs.  The “Best Coverage of London 2012” reflects the coming together of the global impact of the Olympic & Paralympic games and the new technology that has become a mainstream part of the coverage.

Entries are required by 20 September 2012 to allow time for the AIB’s international panel of judges to review them and then select the winner and any highly commended entries.  The awards themselves are announced and presented at a gala dinner in London on Wednesday 7 November.

The Olympic Games are the most watched sporting event in the world and this year’s worldwide audience is expected to have been around 5 billion people; and the second most watched sporting event is the Paralympics whose 2012 audience is estimated at over 4 billion.  With 204 countries competing in the Olympics and 164 in the Paralympics, the games engender passionate support all round the globe.

“These games, and the events that have happened alongside them, have been the ideal showcase for broadcasters to engage audiences with amazing breaking news and fascinating detail using the power of new technology” explains Roger Stone, AIB Business Development. “HD coverage has been comprehensive, while live 3D broadcasts have available for the first time in Olympic history.  Another important advance has been the choice available to viewers – both in terms of the choice of what to watch, with multiple streams available; and in where and when they watch, with broadcasts and highlights widely available on mobiles and tablets as well as the traditional TV screens.  The use of second and third screens has also fed a vast number of social networking conversations around the events.”

“The best coverage is seen in entries that harness technology for the traditional broadcasting mission of telling great stories and providing clear analysis, whether it is inspiring stories of the athletes themselves, of the diverse cultures of the visitors and the host city or the dramatic sporting achievements.”

The AIBs are in their eighth year and are independent of commercial interest.  They attract entries from throughout the world, representing the best of international factual broadcasting.  The 18 different categories to be judged cover radio, television and trans-media across the broad spectrum from single news events to long-term investigation with special categories for children’s programmes, for sport and for coverage of science.  
The categories also include awards for most innovative production technology and for radio and television personalities of the year.

This year’s sponsors of the AIBs include Eurosport and Russian Travel Guide (RTG) TV.