Paris 2024: China will livestream the Olympics on the big screen for the first time, but not everyone is game
Sports fans in China will be able to catch the opening ceremony of the Games and select sports in cinemas across the country. But local media reports suggest muted demand so far.
Women's beach volleyball teams from Spain and Switzerland practice at the Eiffel Tower Stadium, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, on July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Robert F Bukaty)
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SINGAPORE: In a first, China will be bringing the Olympics to the big screen, carving out an added channel for people in the country who want to catch the sporting action at Paris 2024 - although local media reports suggest muted demand so far.
The tieup between the country’s leading film distributor China Film and state broadcaster CCTV will see live broadcasts of the Games being offered in cinemas nationwide.
The opening ceremony will be screened, as well as select sports such as table tennis, badminton, diving and volleyball, it was announced during the launch event on Monday (Jul 22) in Beijing, local media reported. China has typically excelled in these sports.
"This initiative provides a new channel for the public to watch the Paris Olympics, to appreciate the prowess of Chinese athletes on the global stage, experience the spirit of sportsmanship, and foster national pride," China Media Group editorial board member Jiang Wenbo said as reported by CGTN, the international division of CCTV.
This would mark the first time Chinese fans will be able to watch the Olympic Games in theatres, according to local media reports.
Tickets for screenings of the Paris 2024 opening ceremony are now available at cinemas in more than 10 cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, local news site Sixth Tone reported.
The announcement has generated online buzz. Checks by CNA show that more than 22,000 people have added the Games to their “to-watch” list on Chinese ticketing giant Maoyan.
A Weibo post by CCTV announcing the big screen live broadcasts has also garnered 17,000 likes, with many comments cheering on the Chinese athletes.
But online interest isn’t carrying over to actual ticket sales just yet, according to Sixth Tone. For instance, only two of the 20 cinemas in Shanghai had received enough bookings to go ahead with the screenings as of Wednesday.
Cinemas in China occasionally cancel screenings unless a certain number of tickets are sold, with the threshold ranging from 10 to 100 depending on the size of the theatre, Sixth Tone reported.
Similarly in Tianjin, only four cinemas plan to show the opening ceremony, and so far they have only sold six tickets for the screenings between them.
Chinese news site China Daily has an ongoing poll on Weibo gauging interest in screening the Games in cinemas, asking their readers if they would head to the cinema to watch the events. About 70 per cent out of 1,357 respondents so far said they wouldn’t go to the cinema to watch a live screening.
The time difference could be a factor for the lacklustre sales. The Paris 2024 opening ceremony is scheduled to begin on Friday at 7.30pm Central European Time, placing it at 1.30am in China the next day.
Some comments underneath China Daily’s post also stated that they would prefer to watch the sporting action from the comfort of home.
Safety concerns have also been brought up. “I would rather watch at home. I’m scared that it’s going to be ‘livelier’ in the cinema, what if everyone started fighting each other?” read a highly-upvoted comment.
Some cinemas have reportedly moved to assure people that screenings will not be filled with rowdy and drunken fans.
“Some people like to drink beer and eat barbecue while watching sports, and they also like to discuss it loudly, but this behavior is not encouraged in cinemas,” Ms Shen Yan, a manager of a cinema in Guangzhou, told local media as reported by Sixth Tone.
“Viewing it on the big screen is much better than watching it at home, and you can also enjoy the lively atmosphere with everyone,” she added.
The Paris Olympics open on Jul 26 and run till Aug 11.
