Olympic Channel to launch on 21 August 2016

New digital-first platform will be available anytime, anywhere and on any device, at the conclusion of the Olympic Games Rio 2016

Official Olympic Channel social media handles and olympicchannel.com pre-launch site now live

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced the launch date for its ground-breaking new media destination, the Olympic Channel, where fans can experience the power of sport and the Olympic Movement all year round. Starting Sunday 21 August, after the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games Rio 2016, the Olympic Channel platform will be available worldwide via a mobile app for Android and iOS devices and at olympicchannel.com In addition, athletes and fans can follow the Olympic Channel on its newly launched social media handles on Facebook Twitter and YouTube , and sign up for Olympic Channel updates at olympicchannel.com IOC President Thomas Bach said: “The launch of the Olympic Channel on 21st August is the start of an exciting new journey to connect the worldwide audience with the Olympic Movement all year round. Fans will be able to follow sports, athletes and the stories behind the Olympic Games. The Olympic Channel will inspire us all and reach out to new generations of athletes and fans.”With the goal of providing a new way to engage young people, fans and new audiences in the Olympic Movement, the Olympic Channel is a free platform that will present original programming, live sports events, news and highlights offering additional exposure for sports and athletes all year round. Olympic Channel original programming will include both short-form and long-form content, focusing on elite athletes, their quest for success and sport around the world.Designed for a global audience, the Olympic Channel digital platform will showcase content from around the world, and will initially be offered in English. Additional features at launch will include fantastic content as video on demand, as well as individual sport pages within a user-friendly and mobile-responsive interface, subtitled in nine different languages.The Olympic Channel includes an option to register for a richer and more personalised experience, where users can follow their favourite athletes, teams, sports and countries to receive an individually-tailored content selection. The dynamic environment also allows videos to be easily shared across social media, and encourages users to regularly interact with the Olympic Movement.After the launch of the global digital product in August, the Olympic Channel intends to foster partnerships with other Olympic stakeholders, including rights-holding broadcasters and National Olympic Committees to develop localised versions of the Olympic Channel. Localised versions will offer language-specific user experiences on digital platforms, and will also include linear television programming options.

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The Olympic Channel is a digital-first, multiplatform global Olympic media entity, which aims to broadcast the Olympic Movement and its inherent values all year round, especially in the periods between the Olympic Games.The primary objectives of the Olympic Channel are the following:• Provide a platform for the continuous exposure of Olympic sports and athletes beyond the Olympic Games period and help create anticipation while providing opportunities to "re-live the experience" after the Games• Continuously highlight the relevance of the Olympic Movement's ideals to the challenges of today's world• Provide a platform for sharing the IOC's very rich patrimonial assets and archives with the world and create additional value and content for the IOC archives• As a matter of priority, engage the young generations around the world using methods that are relevant to them, building understanding, entertainment and education.At launch, the Olympic Channel will be a digital platform, with on-demand content available across the web, mobile, tablet and other connected devices, where fans can experience the power of sport and Olympism 24 hours per day, 365 days a year. Audiences will also be able to access content and engage through a variety of social media platforms as part of the Olympic Channel network.The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 3.25 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

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For more information, please contact Catherine Philbin, Olympic Channel communications manager at catherine.philbin@olympicchannel.com.

YouTube: www.youtube.com/iocmedia



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