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'Fortnite' is now an Olympic esport
'Fortnite' is now part of the Olympic Esports Series.
The Olympic Esports Series will feature 'Just Dance,' 'Gran Turismo' and chess
The upcoming Olympic Esports Series will feature games linked to real-world competitive events rather than the likes of 'Fortnite' and 'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.'
A health-monitoring app for Olympic attendees reportedly has glaring security issues
Researchers said passport details, voice audio and other data are vulnerable in the MY2022 app.
The IOC is releasing Olympic pins as NFTs
Working with the IOC, video game developer nWay will release an officially licensed set of NFT Olympic Pins on June 17th.
'OurMine' group hijacks Twitter accounts for Olympics and FC Barcelona
No, the OurMine group isn't done defacing high-profile sites. Twitter has confirmed reports that OurMine hijacked accounts for both the Olympics and FC Barcelona on February 15th, using the opportunity to make a less-than-sincere offer to "improve your [account's] security" and, in the case of FC Barcelona, echo a rumor that star player Neymar would come back to the soccer team. Twitter said in a statement that OurMine had used a "third-party platform" to take control of the accounts, although it didn't name the platform or explain the group's methods. OurMine would only tell Business Insider that it used "security issues" with employees to gain access to a third-party app.
Olympic officials take baby steps toward recognizing esports
Officials from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) just convened to discuss how, if at all, they can integrate esports into the world's most famous sporting stage. The forum, held over the weekend in Lausanne, Switzerland, brought international sporting professionals and administrators together with 150 members of the gaming community including publishers, pro players and media. While no firm plans were made to officially integrate esports into the Olympics, the IOC and GAISF announced they'll form an Esports Liaison Group to keep the conversation going about potential collaboration.
The Olympics people are seriously considering eSports
The International Olympic Committee and the Global Association of International Sports Federations are hosting a forum. And it's not just any forum, but one to discuss the topic of eSports with the aim of building "joint understanding" between the sport sport and eSports worlds. Which sounds like a lot of marketing speak for the IOC and GAISF trying to work out if an eSports Olympics will make them any money.
Olympics officials confirm cyberattack during opening ceremony
Officials saw suspicious activity on Olympics systems during the 2018 winter games' opening ceremony, and now it's confirmed: it was a cyberattack. PyeongChang organizers have revealed that someone compromised services (including internet and TV) while athletes were on parade. Everything had been "resolved and recovered" by the 9th, spokesman Sung Baik-you said. He added that they knew the cause of the attack, but were "not going to reveal the source" after talking to the International Olympics Committee.
Intel puts VR to work for more immersive coverage of the Olympics
Intel is teaming up with the International Olympic Committee on "future experiences" for the Olympics, the chip maker announced today at an event in New York City. The new partnership, which will run through the 2024 games, is set to focus on tech like virtual reality, 5G connectivity and drones. According to Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, the idea is to use these technologies to help athletes, coaches and, of course, fans, including those who will be watching the summer or winter Olympics from home. For example, Krzanich says that Intel is going to set up a 5G network at the 2018 games, while its True VR platform will let fans watch events in 360-degree video.
BBC loses the rights to the Olympics
Think of the Olympics and you'll likely remember catching some action on the BBC. The Beeb has helped televise the Games since 1948 and delivered more coverage than ever before in 2012, but from 2020, it may no longer be involved. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced today that it has struck a £922 million deal with Discovery for the rights to the 2018-2024 Summer and Winter Games, meaning Eurosport will become the default place for all things Olympics related.
NBC's $7 billion Olympics deal will keep the games tied to cable TV until you're old
We hope you love how NBC handles its Olympic Games broadcasts, because it just locked up broadcast rights on TV, internet and mobile devices until 2032. NBC previously outbid rivals from ABC/ESPN and Fox with a $4.38 billion offer for the broadcast rights through 2020, and the new extension runs things out for twelve more years at a price of $7.65 billion, with a tiny $100 million signing bonus "for the promotion of Olympism" between 2015 and 2020. The good news, is that NBC has at least seen the light on live broadcasting, and made all the events (except for the Opening Ceremony) available for viewing as they happened on the internet or TV during the 2014 Winter Games. Of course -- rather predictably since NBCUniversal is owned by Comcast -- it's still tying access to those internet streams to having a cable or satellite TV subscription, and it seems unlikely that will change any time soon. [Image credit: Paul Drinkwater/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images]
Editorial: NBC's Olympics and the steely grip of old media
Owners and stakeholders of Big Media have thick skins. So the persistent trending of #NBCFail, and the riotous reading that the tweet stream provides, is probably bouncing right off their leathery hides. For one thing, the complaints were surely foreseen. They are largely the same criticisms NBC withstood in previous Olympics -- over-curating, ill-placed commercials, tape delays, scandalously inane commentary, and a generally inferior Olympics presentation compared to other countries. The unspoken shrugging answer, of course, is financial. The lessons learned from that answer say things about how slowly institutional power inches into the future, the impatience of the digital class, brand ecosystem as a preeminent business battleground, and the ideology breakdown of the International Olympic Committee.
Data-hungry crowds spoil Olympic TV coverage, archers alerted
With an opening ceremony celebrating social media and a guest appearance by the father of the world wide web, you would think the games are pretty Twitter-friendly. Well, not so much, as the hordes of London have been told to keep non-urgent texts and tweets to themselves to avoid disrupting TV coverage for those who weren't lucky enough to score beach volleyball tickets. The recommendation comes after broadcasters bumbled through the men's cycling road race due to a lack of available data from the cyclists' GPS. The information bottleneck appears to be related to one specific network and sharing the data burden has been discussed, although probably not via Twitter. The IOC knows that telling the masses not to log on likely won't have any impact -- so, what's next for the data haters.
NBC Universal wins Olympic broadcasts through 2020, promises all events live starting in 2014
We've got some bad news if you're not a fan of how NBC covers the Olympics because the IOC just announced NBC Universal has won the rights to broadcast the Games through 2020 with a $4.38 billion bid, winning over rivals ABC/ESPN and Fox. ESPN and Disney had been very upfront about their desire to broadcast the games and mentioned more than once they would provide all the events live the way we prefer to see them. The good news is that according to NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus, every event will be aired live on TV or over the internet -- starting in 2014. While Comcast and NBC try to turn things around from the 2010 Games that it lost money broadcasting, we'll probably have to suffer through tape delay one more time for the London Games next summer.
15 Minutes of Fame: Premade players QueueQ for battlegrounds wins
From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We're giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame. I participated in one of their runs yesterday. It was freakin' amazing. Well run. Their Vent had two full AV premades going, with an additional 60 (players) in the waiting room. In the heyday back during June, they fielded five full AV premades with more on the waiting list. It wasn't uncommon for them to have an 8-hour wait list. -- Matt Low of Raid Rx and self-proclaimed "world's worst PvP priest" on QueueQ Premades The Bloodlust battlegroup appears to be home to more than its fair share of PvP enthusiasts. Arena participation outstrips that of other battlegroups by orders of magnitude, and as for battleground enthusiasts ... Well, BG enthusiasts on the Alliance side have QueueQ Premades. Players who sign up for QueueQ's cross-realms premade battlegrounds service enjoy 85 percent win records on average -- with zero resilience, gear or achievement requirements. The atmosphere is clean and professional: no exploits, no inappropriate chat or Vent chatter. "QueueQ" himself, aka Revash of Kil'Jaeden (US-A), has been running QueueQ Premades for a little over a year now, developing winning strategies designed for fast wins with maximum honor.
Comcast, USOC trying to launch new Olympic Sports channel
Get ready for more curling, archery, judo and other Olympic Sports, if Comcast and the U.S. Olympic Committee get their way and launch a new network after the 2010 Vancouver Games to broadcast Olympic Sports coverage all the time. Of course, the International Olympic Committee and its $2 billion partner NBC are none too pleased about the news, especially given it already has Universal Sports for this very purpose. as proposed, the U.S. Olympic Network would air archived Olympics footage, education and coaching shows and eventually regional and Olympic Trials competitions. There's no specific mention of an HD feed, but if its anything like every other dedicated sports network that's popped up over the last few years, we don't see how it could go on without one. While the USOC and IOC work things out, you think there's any room in the program guide for this channel?Read - U.S. Olympic Committee plans to launch own cable networkRead - Comcast, USOC Eye Dedicated Olympic Service In 2010
Isle of Conquest details released
Vaneras has just released the details for the Isle of Conquest, the new battleground that will be appearing in Patch 3.2, Call of the Crusade.You can read the complete details over on the official forums or check 'em out after the break. There are some key things that everyone should be aware of: IoC will be a 40-man battleground. Yes, you read that right. This is the first 40-man content released since Naxx 1.0. That is going to make some old school players very, very happy. I know I'm already giddy with excitement. There will be significant use of siege and vehicle combat. This includes going on The Airship Hanger and using parachutes to drop teams onto the enemy keep from above. You will need to kill a general held up in the enemy keep, much like Alterac Valley. Reinforcements will be used. Capture resources to boost your strength. This looks like an amazing new battleground, and one that I'm sure many of us cannot wait to try out on the PTR. There has been a ton of new information about Patch 3.2 released in the last few days, so it looks like PTR might be soonish. Keep your fingers crossed.The complete statement on the new Isle of Conquest after the break!
ESPN to bid on 2014, 2016 Olympics -- promises no West Coast tape delay
It's certainly strange that with several networks, online video, on demand, cellphone and any other way NBC has provided to view the Beijing Olympic Games, U.S. HDTVs had to wait 13 hours to show Usain Bolt make history in the 100m dash -- and another three hours to catch it on PST. For those frustrated by NBC's arrogant mishandling of its broadcast rights, there exists one slim ray of hope (other than living somewhere lucky enough to get Canadian television so you can actually see the events before reading about them in the paper or on NBC's own website), ESPN. That's right, with Brett Favre finally on an NFL roster, the sports giant has apparently found enough free time to consider taking a run at broadcast rights for the 2014 Winter Games and 2016 Summer Games. While we don't yet know where they'll be, if ESPN gets the Games, VP of content John Skipper pinky swore that it would "never" put an event on tape delay, calling it a disservice to sports fans. Our support for this plan goes without saying, and since it's already too late to give them this year's broadcast rights, our only remaining issue is finding out what it takes to get John Skipper on the '08 presidential ballot.
