Run-up to Olympics begins as Capital switches on to giant TV

Published on Wednesday 1 April 2009 09:45

A GIANT TV screen which will eventually be used to show coverage of the London Olympics is being put up in Festival Square, three years before the Games kick off.

A team of council builders and technicians began installing the giant screen this week, with the creation of a large steel frame.

Work is expected to be completed by the end of next month, when the council will begin running test screenings, before the official switch-on later this year.

While the exact details of what will be broadcast have yet to be finalised, it is expected that short BBC programmes as well as local and national sporting events will make up most of the early programming.

It has also been suggested that this year's Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival will use the screen to show footage of the latest video games.

The festival is being held at the nearby Edinburgh International Conference Centre and the big screen would allow it to make the festival more accessible to the general public.

The International Television Festival has in the past erected its own temporary screens at a site behind the conference centre, and could also make use of the Capital's newest piece of street furniture.

The screen is being funded by the Olympic Organising Committee as part of its remit to make the London 2012 Olympic Games as accessible as possible.

It will show live coverage of the Games when they are held, but before then will be used to show sporting events, as well as coverage of the various Edinburgh festivals.

It is also expected that short BBC News bulletins will be broadcast on the screen throughout the day.

A council spokeswoman said: "The screen is currently being installed in Festival Square in advance of a launch in the spring.

"At present, we are working closely with the BBC in terms of programming, but it is too early to confirm at this stage what the inaugural programme will be."

She added that the Edinburgh screen would be on from 9am-10pm daily once launched, and would typically broadcast programmes varying in length from 30 seconds to seven-and-a-half minutes.

It is understood there will be scope for longer programmes, possibly dealing with local issues, to be broadcast.

The council has already stated that there will be no mainstream advertising on the screen, with all costs being covered by the Olympic organisers.

It had looked at several possible sites for the screen, including The Mound, but with Olympic funding dependant on the screen being in place by April 30, and the possibility of objections from the National Galleries of Scotland delaying the process, it was felt that Festival Square was the best option.