Despite Video Usage Restrictions, ESPN Will Have Robust Coverage of Summer Olympic Games from Paris
ESPN will have 10 reporters on location in Paris, with many others working remotely to cover the games; learn how ESPN works within video rights restrictions
With the Summer Olympic Games in Paris set to commence on July 24, ESPN’s domestic news and information platforms will provide robust coverage on multiple platforms, working within restrictions on usage of video.
With a special section dedicated to the Olympics, ESPN.com provided global coverage throughout the trials and exhibition games in the weeks leading up to the start of the Games and has plans for daily news, features, and reported trend stories that will continue to roll out over all days of competition. ESPN.com and the ESPN App will also feature scoreboards, medal counts, and other statistics that are constantly updated in real-time.
In addition, SportsCenter will be reporting on results and presenting Olympics information and features while working within video usage restrictions. ESPN shares a television report location overlooking the Eiffel Tower in Paris with ABC News.
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ESPN will have 10 reporters on location in Paris, with many others working remotely to cover the games. Reporter assignments are subject to change due to breaking news. ESPN reporters who will be in Paris and their assignments include:
Sam Borden, men’s and women’s soccer; Coley Harvey, track and field; Emily Kaplan, daily news and features; D’Arcy Maine, swimming and tennis; and Connor O’Halloran, International news and features.
Also William C. Rhoden, Andscape news and features; Alyssa Roenigk, gymnastics, action sports, and breaking news; Jeremy Schaap, news and features for television; Marc Spears, Andscape news and features; and Brian Windhorst, men’s and women’s basketball.
ESPN’s international news platforms will also have 15 reporters on location in France, serving ESPN viewers in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.
The Games conclude on Aug. 11.
With NBCUniversal being the U.S. rights holder for the Olympics, ESPN, as has been the case for past Olympics, is operating within restrictions on the usage of video. The restrictions begin on July 24 and continue through the Games’ conclusion on August 11. All other non-NBCU U.S. news outlets are following the News Access Guidelines distributed by NBCU.
Restrictions that non-rights holders follow include delayed availability for the use of highlights, a limitation on how many minutes of highlights may be shown, and limited access to interview U.S. or International athletes directly. Such limits are common in the industry for many significant sports events.
ESPN and NBCU work amicably to discuss opportunities for ESPN to secure the most complete coverage possible for SportsCenter and news platforms, particularly with the regularly scheduled SportsCenters starting at 6 p.m. ET. Still, ESPN does not have the ability to produce and show its own Olympic highlights on its digital platforms in the U.S., and SportsCenter has limited use of Olympic highlights before the conclusion of NBC’s prime-time telecast window each night. – Andy Hall
