Beijing Winter Olympics Games to Be Broadcast Globally through Alibaba Cloud

The International Olympic Committee chose Alibaba Cloud on Thursday as its exclusive provider of cloud services at the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, bringing more than 6,000 hours of exciting broadcasting to several billion viewers around the world.

Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of Olympic Broadcasting Service, said in an interview that the Beijing Winter Olympics Games will last about 1,000 hours and will be broadcast in 4K ultra-high-definition format for the first time. Some of the most important events will even be broadcast in the new 8K format.

This broadcast availability will also make it much more convenient for reporters who cannot attend sports events in person due to the epidemic. Traditional broadcasting requires TV stations to prepare satellite broadcasting vans and to set up special network lines on site. Broadcasting through the cloud enables global TV stations to receive live-streaming signals in the cloud itself. Broadcasters and short video processing platforms will make the whole process much more convenient for the media to live-stream remotely and make their own highlights portfolios.

This cloud broadcasting platform has been undergoing preparation for four years. Olympic Broadcasting Services and Alibaba Cloud announced the launch of OBS Cloud in 2018 and was first put into use at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. Since then the system has been upgraded in order to implement the simultaneous broadcasting of live-streaming HDTV channels and online live-streaming on the cloud.

In addition, broadcasting on the cloud will offer a global feed of compelling, immersive experiences and content on more screens. Alibaba will offer real-time insights and overlay visualizations while also offering live-streamed 360-degree instant replays.

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Alibaba Cloud has only recently completed its last round of global network tests. In addition, Alibaba Cloud has added exclusive cloud network channels for TV stations in Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Japan and other places to ensure long-distance high-quality transmission of 4K/8K content and reduce any delay by 30%.