The 2012 London Olympics will be the most wired yet but, true to its modest ambitions relative to Beijing, will focus on mass viewer appeal over cutting-edge online media, organisers say.
“We don’t necessarily see this as, first and foremost, an opportunity to innovate,” Alex Balfour, new media head for the Olympic games organising committee, told the Mobile Entertainment Market ’09. “We’re focusing very much on mass-engagement possibilities – some of our innovation will come through how we deal meet the challenges of scale, not of bleeding-edge technology.”
2012 communications director Jackie Brock-Doyle said new tech may be showcased by sponsors but: “There’s a perception that everyone will be walking down Oxford Street watching the 100 metres final on their mobile phone … Lots of people get very excited about bleeding-edge technology and what can be used … bleeding-edge doesn’t have an opportunity in the core games because the media has to be reliable, tested and tried…”