Olympics

6 months to Rio: CBC announces programming details for Olympics

The Rio Olympic Games are exactly six months out, and the CBC is revealing the first details of its plans for programming.

Digital-first strategy will deliver more coverage than ever before

The Olympic Rings loom over Rio de Janeiro's Madureira Park, one of the three sites where the public will be able to watch the Games for free on a giant TV screen when the they begin in six months. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images)

We're just six months away from the Rio Olympic Games, and the CBC is revealing the first details of its plans for programming.

From Aug. 5-21, Rio de Janeiro will welcome 10,500 athletes from 206 countries in what will be the first Olympic Games held by a South American city 

Canada's Olympic broadcaster through 2024, the CBC will bring the Games to Canadians across digital, broadcast and radio platforms and will offer more content than ever before.

Digital

The CBC's digital-first strategy allows audiences to watch what they want, when they want, wherever they want. 

Canadian viewers wil have more access to Olympic coverage across all web and mobile platforms. An enhanced Rio 2016 App will provide fans with:

  • more than 2,000 hours of live streaming sports coverage
  • real-time results
  • video highlights
  • interactive medal standings
  • fully accessible on-demand content
  • the ability to choose from a variety of camera angles

An immersive, 360-degree virtual reality experience will allow fans to see Olympic events from inside the stadium and even on the field of play through VR headsets, and iOS and Android devices.

Broadcast

1,275 hours of Olympic coverage will be available to Canadians across CBC TV, ICI Radio-Canada Tele, and broadcast partners TSN, Sportsnet and RDS. English-language viewers can expect to see some familiar faces from a veteran team that has covered a combined 23 Olympic Games as broadcasters for CBC/Radio Canada.

  • Ron MacLean will host Olympic Games Morning , airing 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET (4 a.m. to 9 a.m. PT)
  • Andi Petrillo and David Amber will host Olympic Games Daytime, airing 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT)
  • Scott Russell will host the nightly Olympic Games Primetime block, airing 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET (3 p.m. to 10 p.m. PT)

"What other event can bring people together from around the world of every race, gender, faith and orientation to one place at one time to celebrate humanity? Only the Olympic Games can do that," said Russell. "And we at CBC/Radio-Canada just can't wait."

French-language viewers will receive coverage from a robust team of their own, which includes Olympic diver Alexandre Despatie along with Alexis de Lancer and Marie-José Turcotte

Radio

CBC Radio One and ICI Radio-Canada Premiere will provide special programming, with TSN Radio also carrying Olympic Games broadcasts as the official affiliate radio broadcaster.

Scott Regehr and Andie Bennett will host CBC Radio's network coverage.

Further details of CBC/Radio-Canada's programming and broadcast plans for the 2016 Games will be revealed in the coming months. 

In the meantime, cbcsports.ca/olympics, ICI.Radio-Canada.ca/olympiques and CBC's social media accounts remain Canada's best sources for the latest Canadian Olympic news and information. 

Twitter: @cbcolympics | @RC_Sports

Facebook: facebook.com/cbcolympics | facebook.com/radiocanada.sports

Instagram: @cbcolympics | @rc_sports

Snapchat: CBCSports