NZ online platform wins Sochi Paralympic broadcast rights
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has awarded the host broadcast rights in New Zealand for the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games to Attitude Pictures Ltd (APL).
Attitude Pictures will present New Zealand audiences with 44 hours of free coverage and highlights packages from Sochi 2014 7-16 March, as well as documentaries on competing athletes, via its new web platform AttitudeLive.com.
APL has secured the support of three major New Zealand partners to make coverage from Sochi possible:
• NZ On Air has agreed to provide up to $261,000 funding to provide a documentary special including broad coverage of the Games;
• ACC has become an Official Partner of AttitudeLive;
• TVNZ will be the free-to-air broadcast partner providing news, highlight packages and OnDemand content for the duration of the Sochi Games.
In addition to providing the most comprehensive coverage ever of a Paralympic Winter Games in New Zealand, Attitude Pictures has an option to provide coverage from the athletics, shooting and swimming World Championships over the next two years.
Sir Philip Craven, IPC President, said: "We are delighted with this agreement with Attitude Pictures as it means more Paralympic coverage in New Zealand than ever before.
"Attitude Pictures has a fantastic track record and global reputation for creating and delivering high quality content regarding para-sport and people with an impairment. I am confident that through this partnership the profile of para-sport and Kiwi athletes in particular will increase significantly.
"One of the stand-out moments of the Vancouver 2010 Games featured Adam Hall, a Kiwi athlete who won slalom gold. It is great news that should a New Zealand athlete repeat such success in Sochi more people will have the opportunity to see it either live, on-demand or through highlights packages.
Paralympics New Zealand CEO Fiona Allan said: "New Zealand's 17-medal haul at the London 2012 Paralympic Games has stimulated even more interest in Paralympic Sport. With Sochi 2014 just a few weeks away, we look forward to sharing the stories and successes of our three Winter Paralympians Adam Hall, Carl Murphy and Corey Peters.
APL founder and chief executive Robyn Scott-Vincent believes the deal is a highly collaborative agreement where APL, as the rights holder of Paralympic media content, will actively drive a strategy of sharing content with other media to ensure the broadest coverage possible. NZ On Air funding has enabled the Attitude team to be in Sochi for the Games.
"Attitude's producers will package highlights for TVNZ and we are talking to other potential media partners," Scott-Vincent said. "We will also continue our well-established and critically acclaimed documentaries profiling New Zealand athletes.
"Part of our belief is that we need to engage the audience and raise the profile of the athletes and that this will help change attitudes towards the one in five New Zealanders who live with disability. These athletes are role models. The countless medals achieved by NZ Paralympians like Adam Hall, Sophie Pascoe, Cameron Leslie and others show what's possible. But we're eager to encourage young people to see a pathway in sport whether that is rehabilitation, recreation or elite performance.
NZ On Air Chief Executive Jane Wrightson said: "We are very pleased to support this project, which will give audiences back home the ability to follow the incredible efforts, and we hope successes, of our
Paralympic athletes in action in Sochi. This project is an excellent example of the importance of diversity on our screens, and of how NZ On Air strives to meet the needs of audiences.
TVNZ Head of Television Jeff Latch said TVNZ is proud to be the television and online partner again for highlights of the Paralympics.
"We have a long standing partnership with Attitude Pictures and look forward to working with Robyn and her team in bringing coverage from Sochi to New Zealand audiences," he said.
