SAN FRANCISCO – YouTube broadcasts the London Olympics live over the Internet for users in Asia and Africa – the last step of the video site to position itself as an important means of self-contained information gathering and communication.
YouTube, owned by Google, said Wednesday to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that they will offer 10 channels of high definition video as parts of several tests on the London Games that will begin in late July.
The site will offer 2,200 hours of free and live programming during the Games, including the finals of the 32 sports which will be participated by thousands of athletes from across the globe.
A YouTube spokesman declined to comment on the financial aspects of the agreement, which will provide coverage of the Games over the Internet in 64 markets, including India, Singapore, Malaysia, and Kenya.
China, which has more than 450 million Internet users, has banned many sites, including YouTube in an effort at exercising tight control and censorship over the net within its borders.
Allowances of the Games on television can produce millions of dollars. NBC, controlled by Comcast, paid 2 million for covering the 2010 Winter Games and the Summer of 2012.
