Olympic Broadcasting Services will deliver 6,500 hours of content, including 900 hours of live competition and ceremonies during the course of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
According to the Official Media Guide, more than 810 camera systems and 1,800 microphones will be employed across eight sports and 16 disciplines. A global team of around 5,000 broadcast professionals from more than 100 nations will work together to deliver the Games to media rights holders.
OBS will employ 23 production galleries, 1,200+ km of cabling (enough to link Milan to Paris), 2.1 Tbps combined network capacity (the equivalent of approx. 70 per cent of Milan’s total internet traffic), and 200 Gbps broadcast internet (fast enough for 2 million HD streams at once).
In terms of capturing the action, alongside the 810 camera systems, the host broadcaster will use 251 mini cameras, 140 robotic cameras, 17 real-time 360-degree replay systems, 50 jibs and cranes, 12 live beauty cameras, 12 Cablecam systems, 15 Railcam systems, 32 cinematic cameras and 25 drones.
It will produce over 990 multilateral feeds that will be distributed from the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), and 590+ multilateral feeds processed and distributed from outside the IBC.
Among the ‘firsts’ being deployed at Milano Cortina are First-Person-View drones which will be used across all outdoor sports; AI stone-tracking system in curling, where overhead camera arrays will map each stone’s speed, path, and timing, visualising trajectories with lines and live data panels; and fast-turn in figure skating that will display take‑off and landing speeds, jump height and airtime.
AI will also be integrated into audio production with AI-powered samplers and assistive tools, enhancing signature sounds while preserving the natural energy of the crowd.
OBS is planning to utilise no fewer than three virtualised OB vans to deliver live coverage across three venues (Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium, Cortina Sliding Centre and Milano Speed Skating Stadium).
The host broadcaster is also piloting a fully cloud-based Master Control Room, which will enable remote feed switching and management.
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