Wondrous winter

Located in the heart of the Gangwon Province, backdropped by the snow-tipped pines of the Taebaek Mountains, the county of Pyeongchang is one of South Korea’s most diverse semirural landscapes. As the vast collection of alpine slopes prepare to become home to the 2018 Winter Olympics, the television network showcasing the spectacle releases its first on-screen logo for the games.

Gaining broadcasting rights, pan-European sports television network, Eurosport, brokered a multi-year deal in 2015 worth an estimated €1.3bn (£922m), covering both the 2018 competition in South Korea and the 2022 games in Beijing, China. Unveiling its on-screen logo, the Eurosport wordmark is amplified by the bold lettering of ‘Pyeongchang 2018’, both sitting below the silhouetted mountain that heads the sleek, expressive design of the new logo. Underscoring the typeface, the five rings of the Olympic symbol add an infusion of colour to the imagery.

Eurosport’s trajectory since its inception in 1989 has rarely sought out premium broadcasting rights, opting to streamline the network by spurning on-screen presenting and repurposing visual feeds across its various channels. The 2018 Winter Olympics marks a new direction for the broadcasting network, owned and operated by American mass media company, Discovery Communications.

Broadcasting over 100 live events, Eurosport will make full use of its on demand Eurosport Player feature, offering remote access to a wide selection of sporting disciplines and bolstering its online counterpart through exclusive digital content to further engage consumers.

Peter Hutton, Eurosport CEO, says, “As the new Home of the Olympics in Europe and a proud partner of the world’s greatest sporting event, we want ensure Eurosport is synonymous with the Olympic Games at every opportunity. This brand identity represents the spirit of South Korea and we hope will become instantly recognisable to fans as the hallmark of our PyeongChang 2018 programming. With less than a year to go until PyeongChang 2018, our journey to redefine the Olympic Games experience and reach more people in Europe, across more screens than ever before, is well under way. We are committed to offering fans something truly different, the chance to follow every local hero, every sport and every moment that matters to them.”