Panasonic Wants 3D; GE Eyes Russian Opportunity

Panasonic: Olympics Should Be in 3D

Viewers may see the London 2012 Olympics in three dimensions if TOP Sponsor Panasonic has its way.

Panasonic U.K.'s Managing Director Keith Evans says the London 2012 Olympics should be broadcast in 3D.

"If the Olympic Games are not broadcast in 3D then we miss an opportunity to take viewing of a huge global event to another level because 3D is such another high level of viewing," said Evans.

The decision to broadcast in 3D depends on the official broadcaster. Panasonic would install and manage the 3D equipment.

"We would love for the Games to be broadcast in 3D. We are pushing hard for it to be broadcast in 3D. We have the technology," said Evans.

The Press Association pointed out that while some films like Avatar were successfully broadcast in 3D, most homes do not have the equipment to see the high-quality images.

Manolo Romero, the head of Olympic Broadcasting Services, said 3D images would mean new equipment, new production teams and more cameras, according to the Guardian.

The Beijing 2008 Olympics were the first Games to be broadcasted entirely in high-definition. Evans says 3D technology would be important technology at London 2012, the same way HD technology was at Beijing 2008.

GE Eyes Russian Market With Olympics Sponsorship

A GE spokesperson tells Around the Rings the company hopes its Olympic sponsorship will increase brand awareness in Russia, where GE is already making significant inroads in energy and health care.

"Russia is a high potential growth market for GE, we have recently announced significant [joint venture] agreements that involve both our Healthcare and energy businesses," said Greg Farrett, executive director of communications for GE International.

"We expect sponsorship of the Olympics and our association with Sochi 2014 to significantly raise the profile of the GE brand in Russia. We will also be working with the Sochi 2014 team to identify opportunities where our technologies can support the build-out of the games infrastructure. We have already announced that we will be supplying our aeroderivative gas turbines to support Sochi's power requirements."

GE announced on Wednesday it will extend its Olympic sponsorship through 2020. The agreement gives GE sponsorship rights for the next two summer and winter Olympics. The U.S.-based conglomerate is the exclusive provider of a wide-range of technology, including diagnostic imaging, lighting systems, aircraft engines and energy generation systems.

Farrett says the company will work with Games organizing committees "to identify their needs, use our technical expertise and learning's from previous Games to deliver effective sustainable solutions."

Companies Bid for Advertising Spots on LOCOG’s Website

Sponsorscan now bid on advertising spots on LOCOG’s website in the run up to the actual sale in two weeks.

Since June 27, sponsors have been able to bid for spots on the website, mobile applications and other digital properties, according to Direct Marketing News.

Coca Cola, Adidas, Acer, GE, McDonalds and other top tier sponsors have the chance to purchase spots before the other sponsors.

Non-sponsors will be held to strict regulations that prevent them from ambush marketing or using the Olympics to advertise without paying for rights.

LOCOG Takes Advantage of Foursquare

LOCOG may offer location-based check-ins through the social media site Foursquare to sponsors.

Using Foursquare, people can advertise their location using a mobile phone. This location is then posted to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

According to Marketing Magazine, a LOCOG spokesperson said talks are underway to create officialcheck-in platforms, which will only be available to sponsors.

"We will be working with a range of location-based services at Games-time on a non-exclusive basis. We will announce more details in due course," said a spokesperson in Marketing Magazine.

Foursquare teamed up with the New York Times to offer recommendations on restaurants, night life attractions and shopping during the Vancouver Winter Olympics last year.

Cisco Has Big Plans for London 2012

Neil Crockett, managing director of Cisco London 2012, says that the Games’ network infrastructure will be 30 times greater than the Beijing Olympics.

In an interview with Computing, Crockett talked about the Cisco’s plans for the Games as the official network infrastructure partner.

"The network needs to be different this time, and not just with regard to performance, but it needs to be a lot more intelligent in terms of managing application traffic," said Crockett.

He added the more intelligent system would be needed to deal with the high number of expected videos, both commercial and personal.

Cisco just finished the first testing phase at Wimbledon and will have more than 20,000 hours of testing before the Games, said Crockett.

Crockett also told Computing about the company’s efforts to build the network infrastructure industry in London.

"We are trying to get kids involved in developing interesting skills for our business; this is important, considering we are 60,000 short in our industry of people with the right skills," he said.

To do so, the company is building two innovation centers, one in the Olympic Park and one in the neighborhood of Shoreditch in east London. Cisco will also host a competition where high-tech innovators will vie for financing and mentoring.

Written by Ann Cantrell.