IOC President excited by broadcast innovations as IBC and MPC enter full operational mode
The International Broadcast Centre (IBC) and Main Press Centre (MPC), both located within the Tokyo Big Sight building, moved into full operational mode today. To mark this milestone, IOC President Thomas Bach took the opportunity to visit the IBC and address the Olympic Broadcast Services (OBS) team ahead of the Games.
He said: “We are very grateful to OBS and the broadcasters around the globe that they're very creative and innovative in this. We will see some very good innovations and surprises and we are looking forward to this, together with the athletes, who will enjoy some support, even without spectators.”
He continued: “OBS will make sure that these athletes and TV spectators can contribute - that they can communicate. There, we will have virtual cheer maps, which will allow spectators around the globe to clap, not only for their athletes but for all the Olympic athletes. There will be opportunities for a number of athletes to communicate with their families and friends immediately after a competition. And then, in the stadiums, we can look forward to a really great innovation with an immersive audio system, which will create a new atmosphere by recreating the atmosphere of previous Olympic Games. It will set a benchmark for the whole TV industry.”
The IBC, which soft opened in June, is home to a variety of state-of-the-art technical and administrative facilities for both OBS and the Rights-Holding Broadcasters (RHBs). A total of 21 RHBs will have a presence at the IBC, representing more than 80 broadcaster organisations, when their sublicensees are included.
From the IBC, more than 9,000 hours of Olympic content will be distributed to the RHBs, who will share the excitement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 with billions of viewers around the globe.
During the Games, the IBC will become the busiest sports broadcast hub in the world, providing facilities and services for anything up to 8,500 broadcast personnel. It will be operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week, guaranteeing that every moment of the action can be seen around the globe.
Situated right next to the IBC is the MPC, which provides facilities for the world’s press and photographers. It covers 30,000 square metres, and around 5,400 people from over 200 countries and regions are expected to attend, representing more than 2,000 media outlets that will share all the latest news from the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
The IBC and MPC benefit from a central location right at the heart of the Tokyo Bay Zone, one of the two Games clusters. This places them in the immediate vicinity of six competition venues – Ariake Arena, Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Ariake Urban Sports Park, Ariake Tennis Park, Odaiba Marine Park and Shiokaze Park – and also close to the Olympic and Paralympic Village, and the Sea Forest and Dream Island precincts.