BBC Project Executive for London 2012 Amanda Farnsworth gave EU officials and stakeholders a fascinating account of the BBC’s pioneering strategy for this summer’s Olympics in London.

Alongside a revamped and user-friendly sports’ website, the BBC will be transmitting 2500 hours of live footage and up to 24 different sports simultaneously via its new online video player, allowing viewers to watch what they want at any time and share their favourite moments via social networking applications. TV audiences will also be able to enjoy continuous Olympics coverage in Super HiVision, a viewing quality 16 times higher than HD, whilst radio listeners can tune into the Paralympics and receive live commentary of the Olympics.

Covering the Olympics is the culmination of a very busy year for the BBC, with coverage of other major events such as Euro 2012, the Wimbledon Open, music festivals and, last but not least, a host of festivities for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, marking a sixty year long reign. The BBC will fully honour its public service broadcasting mission by also catering for the interests of those who are less keen on sport with British drama and comedy, and put focus on youth via its school twinning programme and a “Young Apprentice” competition. Ultimately, the BBC’s coverage this summer will help to “re-brand Britain”, with all the exciting events happening in London and the rest of the country as a centrepiece.

A group of officials and stakeholders who play a key role in shaping audiovisual policy from Brussels were captivated by the presentation. They asked several questions on the services’ geographic availability, bandwidth requirements, financing and rights’ clearance, which allowed Amanda to further highlight the value of BBC’s public service mission and the challenges to be faced in the future.