by Thinus Ferreira
The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games with no in-person spectators, moved to 2021 because of the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic, officially begins on Friday with the opening ceremony at 13:00, with coverage of this year's games on MultiChoice's SuperSport, Showmax and the SABC.
SuperSport is dedicating eight channels on DStv to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with the traditional football and variety channels hosting multiple broadcast feeds from Japan.
SuperSport’s roster of TV presenters for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are Carol Tshabalala, Julia Stuart, Crystal Arnold, Leigh-Ann Paulick, James Wokabi and Chisom Ezeoke.
SuperSport has also roped in Penny Heyns, Ryk Neethling, Lyndon Ferns and Marianne Kriel
(swimming), Elana Meyer, Khotso Mokoena and Hezekiel Sepeng (athletics), Pietie
Norval (tennis), as well as Ramon Di Clemente (rowing) as its Olympics experts who will do commentary and analyses.
SuperSport will broadcast daily 2020 Olympic Games segments on SuperSport Blitz (DStv 200) that will include athlete interviews, detailed wraps, features, profiles, historic content and scene-setters, as well as repeats and highlights and a daily, hour-long Olympic catch-up show at 19:00.
The SuperSport Grandstand (DStv 201) channel feed will focus on the most important events on the go, but also
cross-promote other events to help DStv subscribers navigate the Olympics. Should the Grandstand channel switch from one venue to the other, it will advise where viewers can
continue to watch the original event.
MultiChoice's DStv app and website will include 4 additional streaming channels with more live Olympic content, available to DStv Premium subscribers.
MultiChoice's subscription video-on-demand streaming service, Showmax is also carrying 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games coverage. All Showmax subscribers are able to stream exclusive Olympics coverage, including talk shows, highlights and documentaries. Only Showmax Pro subscribers are getting access to live streams of every available event.
The South African public broadcaster is also doing 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games coverage but at the time of publishing hasn't released any details, information about anchors and presenters, nor any programme or channel specific advisories as to where and the times viewers can tune in.
On Twitter, SABC Sport said in a generic announcement that the SABC's sport channel will show live coverage as well as on the other SABC channels and SABC radio stations.
