IPC to Feature New Video Player for London 2012

“It will revolutionize the online viewing experience of sport and provide those viewing the Games on our website with an experience from which TV viewers cannot benefit."

The International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) website www.paralympic.org will feature a groundbreaking new video player for the London 2012 Paralympic Games which integrates live footage and results in a single unified and synchronized view.

Developed by the IPC’s worldwide IT partner Atos, and integrated with cloud streaming media innovator Octoshape, the new Sport Media Application in Real Time (SMART) Player is the first of its kind and is set to revolutionize online streaming.

The SMART player uses innovative technology that will enable those watching live swimming and wheelchair basketball on www.paralympic.org to view real-time results tickers, statistics, biographies, news and social media - all in one integrated and synchronized window. It also simplifies the user’s interests and gives specific and relevant results per sport, similar to the ones available to commentators inside the venues.

Viewers will also be able to enjoy a significantly improved user experience without buffering for high quality video and advanced features like Digital Video Recording (DVR), allowing viewers to pause and rewind live sporting action.

During London 2012 the IPC will live stream more than 780 hours of sporting action via five channels, two of which – streaming swimming and wheelchair basketball – will benefit from the SMART Player. As with previous Games, the IPC’s online action will be sponsored by worldwide partners Samsung and Visa.

Craig Spence, the IPC’s Director of Media and Communications, said: “We are delighted that www.paralympic.org will be the first website in the world to benefit from Atos’ SMART Player.

“It will revolutionize the online viewing experience of sport and provide those viewing the Games on our website with an experience from which TV viewers cannot benefit.

“Sport fans have an endless thirst for information, and during London 2012 we aim to quench that thirst by providing viewers of swimming and wheelchair basketball with vast amounts of relevant and interesting information that will further enhance the viewing experience.

Patrick Adiba, Chief Executive Officer for Atos for Iberia, Olympics & Paralympics and Major Events, said: “With an estimated 8.5 billion devices connected to the internet, the London 2012 Games are set to be the most connected Games yet. Our new on-line application, Smart Player, enables all those watching the London 2012 Paralympic Games on-line to see the action live while simultaneously reading statistics and checking and contributing to the latest news in on-line forums and Twitter.”

The SMART player will also create Videos on Demand (VoD) of all swimming races and wheelchair basketball matches within seconds of the events finishing. All Videos on Demand will again benefit from an integrated results service.

In addition the IPC expects to upload more than 1,000 hours of Video on Demand to www.paralympic.org of other sports during the Games. A team of 22 writers will also produce around 750 stories - including previews, reviews and features - and thousands of images will be available to view. All content will be made readily available via www.facebook.com/paralympicgames and www.twitter.com/paralympic in addition to some exclusive material.

The IPC’s online offering during the Games will complement the official London 2012 website www.london2012.com and both the London 2012 Organizing Committee (LOCOG) and the IPC are working a number of innovative projects that will be announced shortly.

For the Paralympic Games, LOCOG has launched two free official apps. The Join In app is the essential companion to the Games and includes comprehensive listings for thousands of events across the UK, spectator information, photos and interactive maps.

The companion official London 2012 Results app provides all the latest news, schedules and results across every Paralympic sport.

For further information about the IPC or the Paralympic Games, please visit www.paralympic.org.