Australia’s Global Television is part of the joint venture company that has won the host broadcaster gig for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
The news was made known on Thursday morning Scottish time at a breakfast event hosted by games organising committee Glasgow 2014, by the First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond and the Glasgow 2014 chair Lord Smith.
The host broadcaster contract is the largest associated with the games, Salmond said during the announcement, and the games are expected to reach an estimated one billion people worldwide.
This is the third time Global Television has covered the Commonwealth Games on behalf of broadcasters around the world but the first time it has formally worked with sports broadcasters Sunset+Vine.
Global Television and Sunset+Vine (SVGTV) will provide multi-camera high definition coverage of 17 sports from 19 venues, plus the opening and closing ceremonies, after designing and setting up a broadcast centre at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. A team of more than 1000 technical experts will be on the SVGTV payroll, working with the news reporters, commentators and others sent by rights holders.
“The Commonwealth Games host broadcaster role is a big responsibility encompassing every aspect of the production and technical delivery of the international television and radio signals,” said Global Television chief executive Keith Andrews in a statement. “Around the world, perceptions of the Games will depend on flawless, timely international distribution of material.”
Global worked on the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006 and again on the event in Delhi two years ago. It facilitates more than 2000 hours of television each year, including live sport and a range of productions. The Voice and Neighbours are among its recent credits and it also facilitated US celebrity Oprah Winfrey’s Australian tour.
Sunset+Vine is London based. It claims to be the only independent production company selected by UK home broadcaster — the BBC — to assist with the Olympic Games, which kick off in London in three weeks.
Olympic Broadcasting Services is the host broadcaster for this upcoming sporting extravaganza and the Australian coverage will be provided by the Nine Network, which is expected to broadcast the event for at least 18 hours per day for 16 days.
The opening ceremony is on July 27.