Sport for Business’ Coverage of the 2016 Olympic Games is supported by Team Ireland Official Partner Electric Ireland #ThePowerWithin
RTÉ Sport has launched its most comprehensive ever Olympic Games coverage across TV, radio, online and mobile.
A team of 45 presenters, camera crew, technicians and support staff will be travelling to Rio over the next ten days under the team leadership of Deputy Head of TV Sport Cliona O’Leary who will be reprising the role from Beijing 2008 but on a larger scale.
A similar number again will be remaining at Montrose to produce live studio based coverage that will run throughout the day and night to take account of the South American time zones.
After scoring a major success with viewing figures and advertising revenue from the Euros there is a confidence at the station that sport can be a big player in winning audiences. The focus in the football around big matches in primetime meant that it was perfectly suited to attract the national audience and the Olympics will not match those figures that generated the five most watched programmes of the year so far.
That said it provides ‘appointment to view’ television at a time of year in August when schedules are traditionally light and audiences smaller.
It appears unlikely there will be an overall sponsor of the Olympics coverage across all platforms in the same way as their was with Cadbury four years ago as the complexities around IOC global partnerships makes it especially challenging to get big brands on board.
Electric Ireland is the main commercial sponsor of Team Ireland and is activating through TV advertising and online promotion including support for Sport for Business’ online coverage of the Games but it will not be featuring in stings in and out of coverage in the way that would be the case for a broadcast sponsorship.
“It’s hugely exciting for all of us in RTÉ Sport as we prepare to bring our biggest, most comprehensive Olympics coverage ever to Irish viewers,” said Group Head of Sport Ryle Nugent.
“A team of analysts including former Olympic medal winners and competitors will join us to offer their insights across a wide range of sports, as over 70 Irish athletes compete in Rio.”
“Beginning on 5 August, RTÉ Sport will take you there across RTÉ television, radio, online and mobile, focusing on Team Ireland in particular as they take their place alongside the best athletes in the world at the ultimate international sporting event.”
RTÉ2 & RTÉ Player
RTÉ2 will be the home of Rio 2016 on television this year with four daily slots covering early morning through to late night events in our time zone.
Beginning at 1AM each night Daire O’Brien will lead coverage on the overnight events from Brazil in Rio 2016: AM including major Athletics and Swimming finals.
Joanne Cantwell will present Rio 2016: Daytime which will see many of the Irish boxers in action.
Darragh Maloney takes over for Rio 2016: Tonight at 5.00pm each day as the action hots up in Brazil and which will also feature the Irish boxers in action.
Peter Collins picks up the baton then from 11.00pm each evening, primetime in Rio and for the important US audience with Rio 2016: Late Night as the major finals take place on the track and in the pool.
Among the panellists who will be helping bring the games to life will be Derval O’Rourke and Sonia O’Sullivan, Jerry Kiernan and Ailis McSweeney, and David Gillick on the ground in Rio covering the athletics; Andrew Bree, Grainne Murphy and Barry Murphy in Swimming, Bernard Dunne, Michael Carruth and Kelly Harrington in Boxing as well as Gavin Noble for Triathlon, Neville Maxwell for Rowing, Mark Irwin for Hockey which is expected to be one of the main draws for TV viewers with an Irish team present for the first time since 1948, Martyn Irvine in Cycling and David McHugh and Maurice O’Connell covering sailing.
RTÉ News Now
This year RTE Sport’s television coverage will be increased by 200 hours as RTÉ News Now will feature blocks of full key sessions and rounds live from Rio, taking over the channel from early afternoon until late night each day of the games for viewers in the Republic of Ireland.
In addition to its daily television coverage the RTÉ News Now app will have a Rio 2016 news section plus the live video stream with significant Olympics schedule.
Evanne Ní Chuillin and Joe Stack will be among the Sports News reporters feeding back from the mixed zones and around the city.
RTÉ Radio 1 & RTÉ 2fm
RTÉ Radio 1 will have updates and reports throughout the day starting on Morning Ireland and continuing on Today with Sean O’Rourke, the News at One, The Ray D’Arcy Show and Drivetime.
Presenters including Jaqui Hurley, Des Cahill, Damien O’Meara and Hugh Cahill will be on the scene broadcasting live from Rio throughout the day.
The John Creedon Show will be extended to 11pm and become John Creedon’s Olympics On One for the duration of the games and John will have live action from Rio alongside his regular mix of tunes and chat.
Late Date will also feature Olympic action – bringing you live coverage of the key events from 11.00pm to the small hours.
RTÉ 2fm will have Game On live from Rio every night with news, reports and action from the heart of the games.
At weekends RTÉ Radio 1 will have updates on The Marian Finucane Show and all the events and analysis on Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport.
RTÉ Online and Mobile
Across RTÉ’s digital platforms, RTÉ Sport will have coverage of every moment from Rio 2016.
The RTÉ Sport website will offer a definitive guide to RTE’s Olympics experience, curating the station’s TV and radio coverage and directing the user to the day’s up-to-the-minute Olympics news and highlights.
For the duration of the Olympics, the RTÉ Sport website will present a dedicated Olympics site combining news, analysis, previews, commentary, statistics and tables, as well as presenting the best action direct from RTE Player.
RTE.ie readers can also follow Team Ireland’s progress by signing up for a daily Olympics newsletter, mailed directly to your inbox, offering the day’s top stories from Rio, along with highlights from RTE Player.
