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Guide to the TV Broadcast of Athens Olympic Games

From August 13 to 29, 2004, about 10,500 athletes from 200 countries will meet in Athens for the 2004 Olympic Summer Games. The 16-day gala will see the emergence of 301 world champions from 28 sports. China's CCTV will provide 24-hour broadcasts via CCTV1, CCTV2 and CCTV5 from the opening to the closing ceremonies.

CCTV1 and CCTV2 are scheduled to show a video record of important events each afternoon and evening. CCTV5 is expected to play the major role and will become a so-called "Olympic channel" during the Athens Games.

On August 13, audiences will find the five Olympic rings added below the logo of CCTV5, indicating that CCTV is the solo Olympic broadcaster in China. The time difference between Beijing and Athens is five hours, so the events will end at about 4 a.m. in Beijing. CCTV5's first programme will begin at 6 a.m. and will report news during the following 2 hours. After the new programme and before noon, there will be three segments of behind-the-scenes information and professionals' analyses at 8 a.m., 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. The hour from 11 a.m. to noon will be divided into two parts, one devoted to Chinese athletes and the other to China's competitors. After noon a one-hour special report of upcoming events and audience guide will be presented. Between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. there will be an entertainment programme where audiences can express their opinions and anticipate results of upcoming Olympic events.

Live broadcasting will start at 2 p.m. and end at 4 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. as mentioned above. The detailed schedule will change from time to time, mainly depending on how Chinese athletes progress. In other words, competition involving Chinese athletes will get more attention. Popular sports in China will also get more attention. So while many audiences enjoy basketball, volleyball and football, CCTV will pay more attention to women's volleyball, because the Chinese team may win a gold medal. Another news report will be arranged from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

CCTV is expected to provide programmes and broadcasts of better quality, because this will be its last chance to prepare for broadcasting the Beijing Olympic Games. Athens Olympic Broadcasting (AOB) has signed agreements with production teams from around the world that have a high level of production experience for specific sports, including CCTV, which will be in charge of badminton, table tennis and the modern pentathlon.

For a detailed schedule of Athens Olympic Games, please see: http://www.athens2004.com