WBD unveils Paris studio and production plans
April 17, 2024
Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has unveiled a first look at its Paris studios from which it says it will deliver “the most immersive Olympic Games ever seen” this summer.
To mark the ;100 Days to Go’ landmark until Olympic Summer Games Paris 2024, WBD has also:
· unveiled a host of content as the Road to Paris 2024 gets closer and closer
· detailed how the broadcaster will use the breadth of its portfolio to reach new audiences
· teased some of its production plans with Games-time on the horizon
Viewers watching on Eurosport, Max or discovery+ across Europe will have a front row seat to the sights and sounds of Paris, with the main studios located at the Hotel Raphael – aka Warner Bros Discovery House – overlooking the iconic Eiffel Tower and stand-up positions with the Arc de Triomphe in the background. WBD House will be home to Olympics programming and analysis and is set to welcome some of the highest profile competing athletes and dignitaries to its studios throughout the Games.
In total, WBD House will have four studios, used by production teams from the UK, Sweden, France, Poland, Italy and Germany as well as three stand-up positions, one of which will be utilised by WBD’s global news network CNN, and live broadcasts for Spain, Finland and Denmark. The technology used will connect its hubs across Europe and the US with content being managed and curated across the global WBD network.
Eurosport will mark the ‘100 Days to Go’ milestone with a series of live links on-the-ground from Paris. As part of its mission to unlock the power of sport, an evening of Olympic-themed programming will be available to watch on [Max, discovery+, Eurosport App) and Eurosport. The Power of the Olympics will go to air weekly from today [April 17th] until Games-time and will include interviews with some of the biggest names going for gold in Paris this summer, the latest action from across the globe, while also featuring some of the human stories relating to the Games.
The Road to Paris will see WBD harness the breadth of its network and brands, taking the Games to brand new and younger audiences. In March, it was announced that WBD was collaborating with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for a consumer products programme to be released internationally featuring the Looney Tunes characters. Starting this April and in the lead-up to Games-time, Eurosport will broadcast a series of episodes of Sports Made Simple, presented by Bugs Bunny, who will help explain some of the finer details the 4 x 100m relay, tennis, breaking, volleyball and gymnastics.
Guaranteeing an ‘always-on’ approach for sports fans wanting to watch the latest highlights from Paris regardless of the time of day, WBD Sports Europe will leverage its network to utilise the resources of its WBD counterparts in Atlanta, Georgia – producing hundreds of hours of content throughout the Games that can be accessed by viewers and users of Eurosport’s social media platforms across Europe. Also a new microsite dedicated to Paris 2024 has gone live on Eurosport.com, offering users the complete and localised Olympic experience across Europe in 12 languages. From features to the latest qualifying events and interviews with national heroes to video highlights, the site will be the go-to digital destination for fans of the Olympic Games. WBD is the Home of the Olympics in Europe and its streaming platforms – Max and discovery+ – will be the only place to watch every moment of the Olympics – all 3,800 hours of live action – this summer. In addition, Eurosport’s channels will provide wall-to-wall live coverage for sports fans across the 19 days of competition.
Scott Young, Group SVP Content, Production and Business Operations at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “Today marks the momentous milestone of 100 Days to Go until the Olympics return to Europe and the final countdown to Paris 2024 begins, as well as the launch of our Summer of Sport. This year, we will have even more live hours of action from the greatest variety of events, more original content and non-live programming to keep fans engaged, and the greatest storytelling engine anywhere to continue serving sports fans with round-the-clock action, news and entertainment as sporting history is set to be made this summer. We will be at the world’s greatest sporting stages including live from Wembley for the Champions League final as host broadcaster, courtside at Roland-Garros and the US Open where we will cover every point from every court, on the road for every stage of the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes, and at all 38 competition venues across Paris and France covering every moment of the Summer Olympic Games. Our coverage will be truly immersive and our storytelling will be captivating.”
WBD recently reported 1 billion minutes streamed across discovery+ and the Eurosport App during Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 with new digital subscribers exceeding that of its previous Winter Games by 50 per cent. For Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, more than 372 million people in Europe watched through WBD’s channel and platforms together with its 45 sublicense partners as part of its strategy to scale coverage of the Olympics to the widest possible audience.