The Paris Olympics were a huge success in July, drawing nearly 27 million viewers to CBC/Radio-Canada and its broadcast partners. Will the Paralympic Games, which kick off Wednesday, be as successful? One thing is certain: the official broadcaster has pulled out all the stops to convince the public not to skip the channel.
Over the course of 12 days, CBC/Radio-Canada will offer more than 140 hours of original on-air coverage, including more than 56 hours of daily special programming on ICI Télé. As anchors, Geneviève Tardif and Kéven Breton will present the competitions every day from 3 to 5 p.m.
This year there will be more commentated events, 11 in total: boccia, goalball, wheelchair basketball, para-athletics, paracanoe, paracycling, paratriathlon, parajudo, paraswimming, wheelchair rugby and sitting volleyball.
Digital platforms will broadcast more than 800 hours of competitions continuously, compared to 500 hours at the Tokyo 2021 Summer Paralympics.
In Montreal, 20 describers and analysts will work alongside a TV and digital production team of 90 people, including on-air staff.
In Paris, three reporters will gather the reactions of the athletes on the ground. They are the former para-swimmer Benoît Huot, Roseline Filion and Jean St-Onge. The latter will host The Paralympic Summarya daily late-night meeting. Thirteen other employees were sent to Paris for the occasion, compared to seven for the Tokyo Paralympic Games.
The opening ceremony will be broadcast live on Wednesday from 1:30 p.m., with staging once again entrusted to Thomas Jolly, who promises an “inclusive” and “spectacular” show. This time the athletes will not parade on the Seine, but on the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées.
The opening and closing ceremonies will be available in described video and in Quebec Sign Language (LSQ) on the Radio-Canada website. A daily summary of the competitions will also be available in LSQ on the broadcaster’s website and mobile app.
Less than at the Olympics
The coverage of the Paralympic Games is much more modest than that of the Olympic Games (OG), both in terms of the number of hours of broadcasts and the number of staff. It should be remembered that more than 760 hours of Olympic programming were offered to viewers and that the majority of the competitions were broadcast in real time on ICI Tou.tv. In Montreal, 250 employees worked full-time for the Olympic Games and 184 people were deployed to Paris for the occasion.
“The Paralympic Games program includes fewer sports and events than the Olympic Games, and therefore offers less possible broadcast time. It should be noted that our coverage, however, progresses with each edition of the Games,” explains Marie Tétreault, head of promotion and public relations at CBC/Radio-Canada, by email.
“I don’t think we should compare the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. They are two very different events,” says Kéven Breton.
He himself is disabled and uses a wheelchair and says he is delighted to see more space given to the Paralympic Games. He is especially pleased to have been chosen as anchor. In his eyes, his condition is not a necessity for the role, but remains an asset. “We are always seen as inspiring people, no matter what we do, because of our disability. It annoys a lot of athletes that we end up being much more interested in their story than in their performance. They want to be seen as athletes first and foremost. I think I have that sensitivity,” he believes.
Explode the ratings
Kéven Breton hopes that the Paralympic Games will also record high viewing figures. “When the Olympics ended, people were in a state of withdrawal, in need of sporting events and of Paris. I have good news for them, they will be able to find that again with the Paralympics.”
The Tokyo Paralympic Games brought together some 3 million viewers in front of their screens, including 40% of French-speaking Quebecers.
A total of 126 Canadian athletes will be in Paris to compete in 18 disciplines. In total, 4,400 athletes from around the world will participate in the Paralympic Games.