Chinese organizers, under pressure from global broadcasters and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), have apparently lifted some restrictions on TV crews for the Beijing Olympics.
A meeting on Wednesday was billed as the final face-to-face encounter among top IOC officials, broadcasters and Beijing organizers to resolve TV coverage away from the sports venues. Key issues included moving satellite trucks freely around the sprawling city, access to venues like Tiananmen Square, frequency allocations and clear rules about filming.
“We welcome the confirmations given today by BOCOG [the Beijing organizing committee] to broadcasters that they will be able to report and broadcast via satellite from around the city,” International Olympic Committee spokeswoman Giselle Davies said.
The IOC said satellite trucks would be allowed to report live throughout Beijing and other co-host cities. It said “frequencies ... and licenses for all broadcasters — presented to date — will be approved.”
Live broadcasting from Tiananmen Square will be permitted, but on a restricted time schedule: 6am to 10am and 9pm to 11pm.
“Whilst we understand there may be frustrations on the part of some broadcasters that they cannot transmit live around the clock from Tiananmen Square, we recognize that this iconic location is much in demand,” Davies said.
Rights holders, such as the US network NBC, have been at loggerheads for months with China’s government, which fears TV cameras and 30,000 journalists will highlight protests by political or religious activists, or air interviews with athletes or dissidents speaking out against China’s policies in Tibet or Darfur.
A similar view was expressed by Manuel Ramierz Sanchez, who attended the meeting for Mexican rights holder Televisa.
“I feel satisfied about the progress we made today,” said Ramierz, director general of sports.
The meeting involved only rights holders. It was not entirely clear what effect it would have on non-rights holding broadcasters, which cover the Olympics — but only away from the venues.
“Nothing has changed yet, it’s still the run-around,” said Kevin Fleck, China manager for Sydney-based Global Vision Networks, a satellite service provider offering services to Olympic sponsors, rights holders and non-rights holders.
“We can get approval from elevated locations where people don’t play a part in the picture,” Fleck said. “We’re still being told no satellite trucks on the streets. We’re still being told be can’t take trucks where we want on the street.”
Meanwhile, China claimed yesterday that it had foiled five “terrorism groups” plotting attacks targeting the Beijing Olympics. In the first six months of the year, police detained 82 people in Xinjiang who had plotted to sabotage the Olympics, Xinhua news agency said, citing the police chief of Urumqi.
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