Cablevision Systems is providing a virtual mountain of video and other content to subscribers for the Winter Olympic Games, capping it off with an interactive TV mosaic that will let subscribers see what's airing on NBC Universal's networks set aside for the games at any given time.
The New York-area MSO's "Olympic Showcase" mosaic, available on channel 674 to digital cable subscribers, presents six video tiles on the screen. Five of those show live looks at NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA Network and Universal HD, with the sixth highlighting an Olympics video-on-demand section that will provide daily highlights and up to five full-length daily event replays.
The interactive channel will also let Cablevision customers scan real-time Olympics news, medal count, features, photo albums, schedules and other content. The Olympics Showcase feature will be available for the duration of the games, which run Feb. 12-28.
Cablevision previously launched mosaic channels for news, sports and kids' channels using ActiveVideo's headend-based interactive TV system. In the mosaic views, the audio of whichever specific channel is highlighted with the remote control is activated.
Other distributors that are also offering interactive TV elements for the Vancouver games include Dish Network and Verizon's FiOS TV.
Like many other affiliates, Cablevision is offering a wealth of Olympics content across multiple platforms, including more than 835 hours of HDTV programming. In addition, the operator is participating in NBCU's Olympics Online Connect, which is presenting more than 1,000 hours of video online using Microsoft's Silverlight media player.
Optimum Online customers who visit NBC's Olympics Online Connect site via their Cablevision modem will not be required to sign-in to access the content -- the authentication will be automatic. Otherwise, Cablevision will require a valid Optimum ID and password to access the service.
In addition, the MSO's Optimum.net portal will provide real-time Olympics news, medal counts, programming schedules and other info. On mobile, Optimum Online customers using any mobile device with browsing capabilities can visit the mobile version of Optimum.net to link directly to NBC's Olympics mobile site.
