As Nine revels in the success of its Paris 2024 Olympic coverage across all its platforms, director of 9Now & programming at Nine, Hamish Turner says the BVOD services’ Paralympics coverage will “follow very much from the Olympics.”
“We’ve been spending the last 18 months getting the platform ready for these big live events and [the Olympics] was the first true unprecedented digital event for the platform. Coming out of it, we were really pleased with how the platform performed,” he said.
“Our feedback [from the Olympics] was that the experience was seamless, and it was easy to come in and find what you wanted to watch. We learned from this that a digitally savvy, younger audience really chooses their own adventure, and this will follow suit for the Paralympics.”
Channel 9’s Annabelle Williams, Cate Campbell, Dylan Alcott, James Bracey and Ellie Cole in Paris ahead of the Paralympic Games beginning on August 28.
Similar to the Olympics, all live Paralympic events will be available on 9Now for viewers. The Paralympics don’t have as many events as the Olympics, meaning 20 dedicated HD live streams of every event will be available on 9Now, as well as replays, highlights, and behind-the-scenes content.
Nine’s exclusive broadcast will also feature live and free coverage across one linear offering on Channel 9 and 9Gem.
Alongside 9Now’s Paralympic coverage will be Stan Sport’s coverage, which offers the same coverage as 9Now, only without ads. Full replays for all event as well as select highlights and minis will be available on Stan Sport, meaning over 1400 hours of live and on-demand Paralympics coverage will be available to viewers on the streaming platform.
Stan Sport will also play host to Paralympics Daily, available from 8:00 am AEST every morning throughout the Games. Hosted by Chris Stubbs, the one-hour show will review all the overnight action from Paris and preview the day ahead.
Paralympics Daily will also include opinion and analysis from five Australian Paralympic legends across a range of sports. This includes Australian Paralympian, Matthew Cowdrey, who alongside nine-time Gold Medallist Priya Cooper will provide insights into the 141 swimming medal events.
Stan Sport’s Paralympics Daily expert lineup:
Upon the Paris 2024 Olympics finishing up, Nine reported its coverage had a national total television reach of 19.5 million across Channel 9, 9Gem and 9Now.
Week 1 of Nine’s coverage delivered a national total television reach of 17.5 million – the highest weekly reach in VOZ history. Week 2 delivered a national total television reach of 16.6 million, making it the second-highest weekly reach in VOZ history.
Since the Opening Ceremony on 27 July, the Olympics contributed to a daily average national total TV reach of 9.9 million viewers across Channel 9, 9Gem, and 9Now.
See also: Nine’s Paris Olympics coverage reached 19.5m Australians
The Paralympics kick off across Channel 9, 9Gem, 9Now and Stan Sport from 5:00 pm AEST Thursday, 29 August.