bbc
enabling millions
2012 olympics player
For the London 2012 Olympics, the BBC developed and launched a groundbreaking digital portfolio, including an innovative interactive video player. This initiative aimed to deliver the most comprehensive, multi-platform Olympic coverage in history, allowing audiences to access every moment of the Games across PC, mobile, tablet, and internet-connected TV. As a senior designer, my focus was developing the visual and interaction language for the Olympic IVP accessible via the BBC's web pages.
The overall approach marked a significant leap forward in digital broadcasting, providing 2,500 hours of live and on-demand content, and empowering users to control their viewing experience through features like time-shifting and multi-stream navigation.
Challenges
Scale and Complexity of Coverage: The BBC had to deliver 2,500 hours of live Olympic action-1,000 hours more than in Beijing 2008-across 24 simultaneous HD streams, a technical and logistical feat unprecedented in digital sports broadcasting.
Multi-Platform Delivery: Ensuring seamless access and consistent user experience across PCs, smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and IPTV platforms required extensive development, testing, and optimization.
User Navigation and Control: With so many concurrent events, the BBC needed to design an interface that allowed users to easily switch between streams, find events of interest, and time-shift within live broadcasts.
Audience Engagement and Accessibility: The BBC sought to make the Olympics accessible to as many people as possible, including those using traditional TV, digital “Red Button” services, and new digital platforms
Solutions
Interactive Video Player: The BBC’s new player allowed users to watch any of the 24 live streams, jump between events, and chapters through coverage-making navigation as intuitive as browsing a DVD. Key moments, especially those featuring British athletes, were highlighted for quick access.
Four-Screen Strategy: The BBC delivered content optimized for PC, mobile, tablet, and internet-connected TV, ensuring viewers could watch wherever and whenever they wanted. This included a dedicated smartphone app and integration with smart TVs and gaming consoles via IPTV and the Red Button service.
User-Centric Design: The interface was built for ease of use, allowing quick switching between sports, easy time-shifting, and clear event navigation. The platform was extensively tested to ensure reliability and user satisfaction.
Comprehensive Coverage: Every Olympic event was available live and on-demand, with short-form clips for highlights and catch-up viewing, making the Olympics accessible to both casual and dedicated fans
Observations and learnings
Digital Transformation: The BBC’s digital Olympics set a new standard for multi-platform sports broadcasting, demonstrating the power and necessity of comprehensive digital strategies in major live events.
User Empowerment: By giving audiences control over what, when, and how they watched, the BBC transformed passive viewers into active participants, increasing engagement and satisfaction.
Changing Consumption Habits: The success of mobile and tablet streaming highlighted the importance of supporting diverse devices and adapting to evolving viewer habits.
Inclusivity and Accessibility: Making all events available, including niche sports, broadened the Olympics’ appeal and set a benchmark for future digital coverage.
“Our aspiration was to do for digital what the Coronation did for TV in 1953… The demand and astonishing feedback we’ve seen from audiences accessing our Olympics content online, whenever they want on the devices they choose, has helped fulfill this aspiration.” Phil Fearnley, BBC Future Media
