Rio 2016 on the BBC

The BBC will bring audiences comprehensive coverage of this year’s Summer Olympics, with more than 3,000 hours of live sporting action from Rio 2016.

Published: 26 May 2016
The BBC’s coverage of London 2012 was the most watched TV event in UK broadcasting history and we are committed to bringing the same high quality, in-depth coverage to Rio 2016.
— Barbara Slater, Director of BBC Sport
  • More than 3,000 hours of Olympics coverage across all BBC platforms
  • 550 hours of coverage on BBC One and BBC Four
  • Full coverage on BBC Radio 5 live, plus the Paralympics on 5 live and 5 live Sports Extra
  • Olympic legends Sir Steve Redgrave, Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Michael Johnson also part of stellar line-up
  • IBF world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua joins BBC team
  • Up to 24 live HD video streams deliver every single moment of Rio 2016
  • Personalise BBC Sport’s digital Olympics service with the BBC Sport website and app

The BBC will bring audiences comprehensive coverage of this year’s Summer Olympics with more than 3,000 hours of live sporting action from Rio 2016.

Following its award-winning coverage of London 2012, which saw over 90 per cent of the UK population watch its output, the BBC will once again be right at the heart of the world’s biggest sporting spectacle, delivering blanket coverage from the 17 days of action across TV, radio, online and digital. 

BBC One and BBC Four will broadcast 550 hours of action alongside extensive coverage on BBC Radio 5 live and the BBC Sport website. In a repeat of the 2012 digital offering, up to 24 HD streams will also deliver every moment to fans whenever they want, wherever they are across mobile, tablet, desktop, connected TV and gaming devices.

Providing a backdrop of expert opinion and insight into each of the 28 sports that make up Rio 2016 are some of Britain’s most decorated athletes and Olympic legends.

The stellar line-up across radio and TV also includes Sir Steve Redgrave, Sir Chris Hoy, Michael Johnson, Denise Lewis, Sir Clive Woodward, Victoria Pendleton, Beth Tweddle, Rebecca Adlington and Darren Campbell. Fresh from his IBF world heavyweight title win, boxing champion Anthony Joshua will also join the BBC team out in Rio this year.

Hazel Irvine, Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan, Clare Balding and Jason Mohammad will be at the helm of BBC One's coverage, which kicks off with the much-anticipated Opening Ceremony on 5 August. They will steer audiences through the live action each day from 13.00 to 04.00 until the Closing Ceremony on 21 August. Over on BBC Four, Dan Walker and Ore Oduba will present the live action daily from 13.00 to 04.00**.

On Radio 5 live, presenters Eleanor Oldroyd, Mark Chapman, Mark Pougatch, Russell Fuller, Caroline Barker and former Olympic Champion Jonathan Edwards will lead listeners through all the drama from Rio. Starting at noon every day, the station will bring live action, latest news and all the magical moments of the 2016 Games.

Beginning 7 September, Radio 5 live and Radio 5 live sports extra will also have over 80 hours of live coverage of the 2016 Paralympics with a team including Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Gigi Salmon, Jonathan Overend, London 2012 gold-medal-winning cyclist Mark Colbourne, and swimmer Graham Edmunds.

BBC Sport’s digital service in 2016 will bring every moment of the Olympics to audiences, with over 2,500 hours of live action across 24 live HD video streams available on the BBC Sport website, app and on Red Button+. Up to eight live streams will also be available via the ever-popular Red Button too - meaning fans will be able to watch their favourite sports wherever they are, on whatever device they like.

Alongside the latest news and live pages, the BBC Sport website will also have highlights and replays of those not-to-be-missed moments. The Olympics Playlist, a downloadable catch-up programme will also be available to view every morning on BBC iPlayer. On the iPlayer radio app, fans will be able to listen again to 5 live’s Olympic Breakfast 30-minute round-up, which will be available as a DRM download.

Fans will also be able to personalise their Rio 2016 experience within the BBC Sport website and app. ‘My Sport’ will enable audiences to follow the sports they like most, signing up for the latest news alerts, setting event reminders and sharing their favourite moments across social media.

Across its range of social media accounts BBC Sport will give fans a chance to get even closer to the BBC’s coverage, presenters and special guests, with exclusive behind-the-scenes access. 

Director of BBC Sport, Barbara Slater, says: “The BBC’s coverage of London 2012 was the most watched TV event in UK broadcasting history and we are committed to bringing the same high quality, in-depth coverage to Rio 2016. The incredible offering across all our platforms will deliver every moment of the Games through a truly interactive, personalised experience, while at the same time fully immersing audiences in this iconic sporting event just as we were so proud to do four years ago.” 

The BBC will also be producing a myriad of additional programmes and content to coincide with Rio 2016, including Mo, a one-hour BBC One special on Mo Farah giving a personal insight into the double Olympic champion. This is as well as One Night In 2012 - an Imagine special in which Danny Boyle explains the thinking, ambition and challenges that went into creating the London 2012 Opening Ceremony; and a series of BBC Sport specials on the 2016 Team GB hopefuls. 

Throughout the duration of the Games the BBC Breakfast sofa will be moved into the home of BBC Sport to ensure that early morning audiences don’t have to miss any of Rio. This special partnership between BBC Sport and BBC News will celebrate the occasion of the Games and offer extended highlights of the action from Rio each day from 6am. 

Encouraging participation is an important part of what BBC Sport does. Through its Get Inspired initiative, BBC Sport will be helping encourage audiences to get involved via its handy guides to sports and activities throughout the Games. It will be promoted on the BBC Get Inspired website, through the Get Inspired Facebook and Twitter accounts, and in our broadcast output.

The build up to Rio 2016 kicks off with the much-anticipated Olympics Games marketing campaign. This year, the trail and title sequence will be part of an animated campaign which will transpose the human world of sport to the animal world.  The animation will show a world of stunning forest stadiums, inspired by Rio’s Tijuca Forest, while the skills and strength of the athletes will be brought to life by Brazilian animals.  The trail makes its TV debut on 10 July during the Euro 2016 final on BBC One.

GS

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