2012 is going to be a year like no other in the UK. It's not just about sport. There will be one of the biggest ever series of cultural events in - a chance to showcase our arts and our creativity. Our news media will have one of their busiest periods as the preparations reach a climax and world leaders converge upon London; and for we'll be maximising our ability to operate globally, nationally and locally - on TV, radio and online. And then on July 27th there will be the Opening Ceremony of the biggest event in the UK in our lifetimes - the Games of the 30th Olympiad.
The Olympic Games are now, alongside the , one of the two events that bring pretty much the whole world together. It's estimated that around 4 billion people, about three-quarters of the world's population, watched the .
These are events that define their host cities and their times. now you're conscious of its place in Olympic history, and anyone who watched those Games will have had images of modern Spain - and a confident Catalan culture - that still shape their thinking today. London shares that opportunity, with the extra factor of being a city that's home to diversity on a truly global scale.
But where the world has moved on is in the ability of technology to make all our experiences richer, more intense, more immediate and more personal. There will always be a battle for the title of 'the first digital Games' but London has a powerful claim: these will be the first Games for many countries since analogue started being switched off, and they're happening at a time of surging demand for digital media and social networking. Digital delivery will be at record levels.
This will be a showcase for Britain and for technology in general. In London people will expect media whenever and wherever they want it in one of the most connected cities on the planet.
I remember in Beijing going along to one of the swimming finals to find that a few seats along in the crowd was the President of the United States with the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and then a couple of rows behind was . So it's those guys plus a few billion more who will sit in judgement on London.
Our promise is simple: every hour of every sport will be available - which we calculate as being around 5,800 hours. So if you want to spend all day watching the water polo: you'll be able to. Equally, we'll offer the customary service on 成人论坛 One that takes viewers to all the key moments from different sports. The choice will be yours not ours. It's worth saying too that this is about better value for money: you will get about 20 times the amount of content compared with ten years ago.
This is exciting because it suggests the gloomier predictions about the digital age are wrong. There are still things that can unite, and audiences are not destined to fragment in a multitude of different ways. The 成人论坛 can provide the national meeting place; and seizing the potential of digital allows us to bring people together enabling you to watch, communicate and share and feel part of the same experience. We can also take Britain to the world on our global services and provide the platforms that celebrate the world coming here.
There's a lot to do to make this happen. It's only just over 18 months to the New Year's Eve fireworks that will usher in 2012, But what we're trying to do should be quite simple: stage a set of wonderful events, captured for the largest number of people. At the 成人论坛 we're delighted to be at the heart of that, and the pleasure will be greatest if it's shared by as close as possible to 100% of the UK population. It's what you might call a stretching target - but we're determined to do just that.
For much more detail about our technical strategy for 2010, including project Canvas, mobile, 3D and HD and .
is 成人论坛 Director, London 2012