One word which is commonly heard when discussing the London 2012 Olympic Games is it’s “legacy”. The LOCOG are determined to preserve the legacy of the Games’. In relation to this, a new television channel is due to be launched in the coming months. “London Legacy” will launch as a 24 hour a day channel in November, and will show Olympic events such as cycling, gymnastics, wrestling, judo, athletics and fencing. The channel will be dedicated to 24 minority sports in a bid to ensure that sports that have garnered a boost in interest continue to receive coverage in the wake of London 2012. Many of these sports are not normally broadcast on television outside of the Olympic Games yet oddly have a high number of participants. Reports say that in the UK, which has a population of around 63 million, 51.9m people watched at least 15 minutes of the London Games on the BBC during the 2 weeks of the event.
Inititally, the channel will only be available to BSkyB satelite tv customers, which begs the question, is this much of a legacy if only available to Sky subscribers? The Independent television production company Highflyer in charge has announced it is seeking wider distribution, meaning the channel may be made available to more viewers should someone take up the offer.
