The media coverage of this year’s Olympics in China looks set to ignite a new media provider battle.
s the Olympians entered into opening ceremony, amongst the flags and banners, athletes brandished their smart phones, personally relaying their experience to fans and friends as the event took place via microblogs and SNS platforms.
[quote align=”center” color=”#b64736″]Chinese new media providers are tussling to take the monopoly of this glut of coverage as the athletes wrestle the event reporting away from second-person sources.[/quote]
Compared to Beijing 2008, the amount of people using cell phones to access online content has increased by nearly five times to 350 million.Capitalising on this soaring demand, Korean electronics giant Samsung presented each Chinese athlete with a Galaxy S3 smartphone, prominently displayed as excited participants snapped pictures as the entered the stadium.Organizers were forced to ask smart phone users in the stadium to refrain from sharing the event via mobile, as the sheer numbers of users risked interfering with the live television broadcast.
Since 1984 when the Olympic Organizing Committee went into financial partnership with global television stations, offering broadcast rights to the highest bidders, the commercialism of the Olympics has risen exponentially. Television companies were able to charge high fees for advertising space, and businesses were more than willing to pay for the monster audience that this international event attracts.
[quote align=”center” color=”#b64736″]However the power of television as an advertising medium may now be dimming.[/quote]
In 2011, when platforms such as Twitter were a powerful force behind political upheaval in the Middle East and closer to home the rioting which blazed through UK cities, the power of new media was recognized by the world.
Platforms such as mobile phones and social networking sites allow for the first time in many nations such as China an instantaneous, democratic relay of content. New media is also less tethered by the logistical issues dictated by international time differences during the Olympics. Although China is seven hours ahead, the accessibility of new media means that fans can follow their teams even if they are commuting home from work as the morning events begin.
According to Wang Yongzhi, vice editor-in-chief of Chinese digital giant Tencent, the official company strategy will be based around the idea of a Chinese teahouse, with emphasis on cross-line terminals and multi-platform content, allowing customers flexibility and freedom to share information as it happens. Tencent is clearly a strategic leader in its field and with daily traffic that reaches one billion it has the kind of user information access that other companies could only dream of.
Tencent’s rival Sina is responding with the creation of a dedicated Olympics application in a bid to woo hard core fans, however smaller companies are resorting to more Machiavellian tactics. Some have designed server-push programs to broadcast London evening results, in what will be the early hours of the morning in China. The programs will cause phones to send out a message alert, thoughtfully rousing sleeping fans so they don’t miss a second of the action.
Image: Reuters
