Digital 2012 Olympics

The BBC has delivered its most successful online event ever, attracting a record-breaking 55m global browsers to BBC Sport online (cumulative reach) throughout the course of the Games, and marking London 2012 as the first truly digital Games. This has mirrored the BBC’s record Olympic TV reach, across both linear TV channels and Red Button, with over 51.9m viewers in the UK - the largest TV audience reach for a major event for at least 10 years.

Record breaking browsers to BBC Sport online – with 55m (global) and 37m (UK) browsers to the BBC Sport site in total across the Games, and an average of 9.5m (global) and 7.1m (UK) browsers per day, easily breaking all previous records (previous record for a single day was 7.4m global and 5.7m UK)
Video drives viewing across all online platforms – with 106m requests for BBC Olympic video content across all online platforms, more than double seen for any previous events
First truly mobile games – with 9.2m UK mobile browsers to the BBC’s Olympics coverage, making up 34% of all daily browsers to BBC’s Olympic coverage, and 12m requests from mobiles for video throughout the Games
Opening up the breadth of the Games via BBC Red Button – with 23.7m viewers to the 24 SD, HD and Freeview streams throughout the Games, and every single stream seeing at least 100,000 viewers
Over a 24 hour period on the busiest Olympic days, total traffic to bbc.co.uk exceeded that for the entire BBC coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2010 (matches) – on the busiest day, the BBC delivered 2.8 petabytes, with the peak traffic moment occurring when Bradley Wiggins won Gold with over 700 Gb/s

BBC Sport online delivered comprehensive, quality coverage including a page for every athlete, country, sport and venue; 2,500 hours of coverage; and up to 24 HD live streams, ensuring audiences never missed a moment of the action. And, by making every sport available across PC, mobile, tablet and connected TV, viewers could keep up to date with the action, whenever and wherever they were.

Putting live and catch-up video at the heart of the BBC’s online coverage, BBC Sport launched its new live interactive video player. This enabled viewers to watch and switch between live HD video coverage, navigate to key moments within a session, and discover more with live data, statistics and information, while watching the action.

And video proved hugely popular, with 106m requests for video throughout the Games (62m for live streams, 8m for on-demand streams and 35m for clips), smashing the previous highs of 32m for the Beijing Games and 38m for the 2010 World Cup. New features such as chapter markings received an average 1.5 million clicks per day, with people using them to navigate instantly to key moments.

The top five most-requested events from Olympic live video streams on BBC Sport online included: Andy Murray and Serena Williams winning the Tennis Singles Finals, Bradley Wiggins winning the Men’s Cycling Time-Trial and Athletics Heats including Jessica Ennis in the Heptathlon. And the Opening Ceremony has continued to be one of the most popular programmes on BBC Online, with 3.9 million requests to view on either BBC iPlayer or the BBC Sport website to date.

Popular video clips included German diver, Steven Feck’s nightmare ‘zero point’ dive with over 830,000 requests, Cuban pole vaulter, Lazaro Borges’ pole snapping mid-vault with 420,000 requests, and Usain Bolt storming to victory in the 100m final with over 429,000 requests.

The London 2012 Olympics were the first truly mobile Games. Audiences accessed BBC’s content in ground-breaking numbers on mobile devices, continuing the trend to watch video on-the-go with:

1.9m download of BBC’s Olympics mobile app for iOS and Android smartphones
40% of browsers accessing BBC’s Olympics coverage were from a mobile at weekends (30% during the week) – averaging 34% per day
9.2m UK mobile browsers throughout the Games, with 2.8m UK mobile browsers on the peak day
On TV, the BBC’s Red-Button service opened up the breadth of Olympic content to audiences with the simple press of a button.
23.7m people viewed the 24 live SD, HD & Freeview streams throughout the Games for at least 15 minutes
Audiences viewed specialist sports such as Judo and Weightlifting in considerable numbers
Every single Red Button stream received 100,000 viewers at some point during the Games

Phil Fearnley, General Manager - News and Knowledge, BBC Future Media, said: “Our aspiration was that just as the Coronation did for TV in 1953, the Olympics would do for digital in 2012. The demand and astonishing feedback we’ve seen from audiences accessing our Olympics content online, whenever they want, on the devices they choose, has exceeded our expectations and helped fulfil this aspiration. We promised audiences would never miss a moment of the Games. We delivered on our promise and will build on this to leave a lasting digital legacy for audiences in years to come.”

Ben Gallop, Head of Interactive for BBC Sport, said: “Our home Olympics was a special time for the whole UK and it’s been really pleasing for BBC Sport to have given our audience the chance to enjoy all that amazing action. There have been some great stories of people following Team GB’s rowing success at the shopping centre or watching Usain Bolt when they’re on the beach. We like to think it was the ultimate Olympic choice: on-demand and on-the-move.”

Traffic to bbc.co.uk rocketed throughout the Games, with the BBC delivering 2.8 petabytes on the busiest day. Streaming quality was the highest the BBC has ever delivered online, averaging over 1 megabit per second. The peak traffic moment was on 1 August 2012, at over 700 gigabits per second – the day Bradley Wiggins stormed to victory.

Please note: Stats are up to and including Saturday 11 August 2012

More information on the trends for BBC’s Olympic content across all online platforms, including daily peaks in video consumption around specific events can be found here.

The top ten most-requested events from Olympic live video streams on BBC Sport online:

Live stream day requests

1. Tennis Singles Finals - Serena Williams and Andy Murray golds, Sun 05 Aug - 820,000

2. Bradley Wiggins winning gold in the Men’s Cycling Road Time-Trial, Wed 01 Aug - 729,000

3. Tennis Singles Semi-Finals - Serena Williams and Andy Murray, Fri 03 Aug - 610,000

4. Mark Cavendish competing in the Men's Cycling Road Race, Sat 28 Jul - 531,000

5. Athletics Heats including Jessica Ennis in the Heptathlon, Fri 03 Aug - 468,000

6. Rowing gold for Glover and Stanning in Women’s Quadruple Sculls, Wed 01 Aug - 411,000

7. Team GB winning gold in the Men's Team Pursuit and Victoria Pendleton winning the Women's Keirin Cycling Final, Fri 03 Aug - 407,000

8. Cycling golds for Chris Hoy (Keirin) and Laura Trott (Onmium), Tue 07 Aug - 348,000

9. Athletics Heats including Usain Bolt winning the Men's 100m Final, Sun 05 Aug - 344,000

10. The Brownlee Brothers winning gold and bronze in the Men's Triathlon, Tue 07 Aug - 336,000

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TEN TRACKS Eric?

I really, really can't answer that - it is for ever changing.
I do have a thing about See Emily Play and I'm well known for having a thing about Cher.
But then it changes, I had a thing for Oasis, then Global Deejays and even Enya.
I can say what I don't like as that's based on the past and my top ten will hopefully continue to change in the future.
I don't like wet or soft productions - I don't see the point in the next re-vamp of a Greatest Hits collection - I never understood why people rushed out to buy all the re-released Elvis tracks a few years back. It would have been cheaper to buy them in a petrol station than buy the new ones.
However, returning to the present - I'm like a kid with a new toy everytime pre-release CDs arrive. I can't wait to find out if there are good tracks about to be released.
That kind of says it all really.

The CD sleeve really says it all. It's the cover of the single Elton John recorded when Princess Diana was killed in the car crash in Paris. I had to anchor the first live show for a station in London as the country began to re-start broadcasting after three of being in obit-mode for the Peoples' Princess. I had a great team with me that night, including Dave and Chris. Couldn't have done it without them. And to this day I have not played that CD again - I still have it my collection, but it stays un-played.

The logo on the Live At Abbey Road CD from Tom Robinson has the MNO logo on it for a very good reason - it was broadcast LIVE on the very first MNO special, before the station was officially launched. Tom Woodford made contact with the young Mr Robinson and the rest as they say was history. Two versions of the CD were made and if you have the green sleeved version there were only 1,000 made. The one shown to the left was placed on general release. Tom was great to work with and to be honest he didn't really need me being the Executive Producer. He took the brief and just did what was asked of him - a pro!

This picture dates back to the early experimental satellite radio station called Euronet. Another outstanding idea killed off for one simple reason. Most people there understood being in the media is job like any other job, it isn't an automatic road to social ladder climbing. Mixing up the reality with the fantasy is a route doomed to failure. I'm pleased to say, most of those that understood the "job" they were there to do are in or around the media today - says a lot really. There were some ground breaking ideas used at Euronet and I confess I've enhanced them and re-used them at RTI. It's true to say, I doubt that Euronet could ever be recreated - er by the way that is me sitting in the studio waiting to do something, but I can't say what or ever why.

What Qualifications Do You Have Eric?

I think the biggest one is that of experiencing life. There's no greater degree than that.

The issue I have with many qualifications is they are often of no value unless you can apply them.

I mean let's take radio training - how on earth can you train a Howard Stern, Alan Freeman, Wolfman, Chris Moyles - they are born to be radio DJs. Anyone who thinks they can train people to be as these guys on radio is totally stupid.

The best business, radio, TV, media tool I've ever been given is the word S.P.I.N. It works in all areas:

S - Situation

P - Problem

I - Implication

N - Need

And that is followed up with my "So What" test. If you can place "SO WHAT" behind a sentence then it has no value.

The above two tips are better than any qualifications. Sure it was nice to go to the IBM business school and take a course in finance up to Finance Director level - my children have the certificate somewhere.

Being able to place FInstSMM, Fellow of the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management, behind your name on a business card I guess is OK, but surely what you are doing now TODAY is of higher value. So I don't bother with the initials even though I have a piece of paper that claims I can.

In the UK we have all sorts of qualifications and the names are a little different to those used in other countries - the ones I have more of are City & Guilds, taken when I worked for B.T.

My late Father would often be heard saying they will help you in later life and he was right, Dad's often are.

Having seven City & Guilds is again fun, but if you don't apply them it's pointless taking them, they mean nothing.

I'll share another good thing to do with certificates, DITCH THEM! By all mean take the glory on the day you receive them and afterwards HIDE THEM. Don't place them all over your office and become a "WHEN I" person - meaning the sentence ' When I did this in........".

Your future isn't based on certificates, its based on what you do next and how you do it!

Returning to the media, my present Chairman, tells me he has taken a big lesson from radio :-)

He claims that accountants should never be in charge of radio. No comment from me. However, I do believe the following:

1. Do technicians make radio? No.

2. Do accountancts make radio? No

3. Do DJs make radio? No

4. Do sponsors make radio? No

5. Do listeners make radio? No

6. Do sales people make radio? No

There are many more 'no' answers I could give. However, the truth is it is a team effort. The clever people in radio are team players, they also understand the phrase which is 'Be Everyone’s Servant'.

Also if you are going into radio, or any media for that matter, because you think it gives you position - FORGET IT!

If you ever get to the position of thinking you control a media outlet - LEAVE QUICKLY! You don't. I've watched many people suffer after getting into the control freak position.

I guess another thing I would advise is that you study the media in the real world before trying to work within it. Again a quote from a friend. He says "This ruddy business is full of smoke and mirrors". And to some degree that is true, after all it is show business.

Unlike many business areas there is one major thing in radio you simple cannot hide and that's what the listener hears - I mean you can show a picture of a property you are building and people can buy from that; if you have a new piece of software under development you can pre-sell it because of that which it can do; if you are a lawyer you can explain which areas you specialise in and advertise; get the point?

The media isn't a black-art. However it does have it's own way of working. Even taking in all of Europe it is still only a small business - make a mistake in one corner of Europe and people in the opposite area will know in seconds. And the media business isn't forgiving like many other business sectors.

Returning to the original question, sort of, - if you want to work within a media group first go out and research the industry you want to work in. Then question, question and question again everything you are told. Gain as much knowledge you can from the experienced people in the industry and then QUESTION THAT! Some will claim to be experts and are nothing more than guys/gals who can write pretty business books.

Also, if you want to be a ‘TOP OF THE POPS’ player you MUST be able to get your hands dirty and do anything asked of you within the industry. How on earth can you decide if a DJ is qualified unless you can do his/her job – you won’t know if he has good techniques or is just full of ………

If you don’t understand sales how do you know if the sales people are telling you the truth? If you don’t understand what your financial support team are telling you then you’ll have huge problems. If you don’t understand the legal framework, you’ll have MAJOR problems. And if ever there was a place of Smoke and Mirrors it will be within the transmission areas. There are hundreds of so-called experts in Europe that I would probably narrow down to 20.

Still want to work in radio – well get off your backside and go out into the real world. Put on a thick skin and remember radio only works if people (LOTS OF THEM) can hear the programmes they want to hear – NOT what you want to hear as the boss of a station, well not unless you several million pounds, sterling, in the bank that you want to throw away.

OK lecture over for now

Eric Wiltsher - Welcome to my Blog

Postcard from Poprad, last four bits

Digital 2012 Olympics

AquaCity Carbon Neutral Rally

RTI NEWS