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AS PROGRESS BUILDS TOWARDS THE LAUNCH OF THE OLYMPIC CHANNEL, OLYMPIC REVIEW EXAMINES HOW THE PLATFORM WILL COMMUNICATE, CONNECT AND ENGAGE WITH THE WORLDWIDE OLYMPIC COMMUNITY AND ITS FANSA CHANNEL FOR THE FANSIn December 2014, IOC President Thomas Bach announced that one of the key recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020 – the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement – would be the creation of the Olympic Channel. The new digital platform will serve as a primary means for the IOC to promote the Olympic Movement and values, engaging fans and, in particular, young people in sports participation.Yiannis Exarchos, CEO, Olympic Broadcasting Services, said: “The Olympic Channel will raise the profile, relevance and touchpoints of the Olympic brand very broadly in between the Games. It will also raise awareness of Olympic sports, creating more distribution for the sports and the Olympic Movement.”INNOVATIVE, ENGAGING, INSPIRINGOnce launched, the Olympic Channel will allow fans to experience and enjoy the power of sport, not just during the Olympic Games, but for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. As an always-on digital multimedia platform, the Channel will broadcast live sports events, news and athlete stories, as well as historical Olympic footage and official films from the IOC’s archives. There will also be a focus on educational and youth-oriented programming, sustainability, sports science and nutrition, and promoting a healthy and active lifestyle.The Channel will offer a broad appeal to a wide-ranging audience, with coverage presented in a variety of ways and programmes, and viewers even able to customise and personalise content.“We are asking content creation companies to submit everything from digital programming as short as 10 seconds to ideas for half-hour, hour-long and 90-minute programmes,” explained Mark Parkman, General Manager of Olympic Channel Services.54 OLYMPIC REVIEW OLYMPIC CHANNEL