A Lasting Legacy: The view from Government
Speech by Tessa Jowell to the Westminster Media Forum: 2012 Olympics and the Media.
Introduction
Thank you.
It was on this day 98 years ago that the 1908 Summer Olympic Games opened in London. And in just over six years time we will all be proud that London will be hosting its third Olympiad – the only city in the world to have achieved that triple honour.
As we stood in Singapore last July awaiting the decision as to who would host the 2012 Games I knew that our nerves, sense of numbness and emotion were being shared not only by the crowds gathered in Trafalgar Square, Stratford and the Champs d'Elysees but also by the millions more across the world gathered around their television screens, radio sets and computers.
In fact the announcement that London had won drew the 10th largest global television audience of 2005.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the greatest spectacle on earth. For the summer of 2012 the eyes of the world will be on London. And for most people their connection with our capital will be through the eyes of the world's media.
2012 is an incredible opportunity to demonstrate the energy, creativity and vitality of the UK's media and creative industries on the world stage and to harness the power of the media to deliver the best Games ever.
Our Olympic Vision
But in addition to our ambition to deliver the best games ever, we are determined to create and leave a sustainable legacy for Britain.
A legacy that delivers physical regeneration and social renewal through investment in people and in the public realm in one of the poorest areas of our country – investment in skills and training, supporting the development of nearly a quarter of a million new jobs and over 100,000 new homes in East London; and also outside of that, the creation of the largest new urban park in Europe for 150 years.
A legacy that realises at least £1.9 billion worth of economic benefit for the UK – with over 850,000 visitors spending upwards of £641 million. Alongside new investment in small businesses as well as our larger companies and the dramatic development of London's transport infrastructure; including the £1bn East London Line Extension and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link to Stratford and beyond.
And a legacy that delivers an enduring boost for British sport and young people's physical activity and thousands and thousands of volunteers for sports clubs across the United Kingdom and beyond.
So to achieve our vision we have to look beyond September 2012 – you have to have what you could call 20:20 vision – right from the start.
All too often the exuberance of hosting the Games leads cities to concentrate on the weeks of competition. So when the party ends the host is left with a nasty hangover of stunning but empty stadia served by roads to nowhere.
But we are clear that our aim is not only to deliver the best Games ever, but a sustainable Games that will benefit the capital for years to come.
And I have no doubt that our success in bidding was in part due to the strength of the environmental commitments made in the bid. And environmental principles are influencing every aspect of our planning for the Games and their legacy.
But sustainability is wider than just the environment:
A sustainable legacy means a transformation of the lower Lea valley; more jobs and homes for local residents; a step change in sporting activity among young people and massive investment in London's infrastructure.
With the eyes of the world on London we must deliver our promises. A once in a lifetime opportunity to present the best of British to the world means we cannot fail to seize the moment.
And no less important to me are the opportunities for a positive legacy for the UK's media and creative industries.
The Global Reach of the Olympics
Thinking back to 1908 it's hard to believe how in such a short time the Olympic Games have caught the imagination of the world. The scale of change is truly incredible.
The 1908 London games featured just 22 nations and 2,000 athletes; of whom only 37 were women.
The 2012 Olympic Games will have a truly global reach. There will be 202 different nations (that's more than there are members of the UN), competing in some 26 sports.
The games will feature over 10,000 athletes, around half of whom will be women, and some 6,000 coaches and officials.
They will be supported by an army of more than 70,000 volunteers – the biggest peace time volunteer army will be recruited. And there will be 9 million tickets available.
Pierre De Courbertin who led the movement that founded the modern Games was inspired by the belief that the Olympic spirit is global and universal.
A spirit common across age, nationality, faith and race.
And I think that London embodies the Olympic spirit. It truly is the world in one city. Over 30% of London's residents were born outside England - that's 2.2 million people. And today over 300 different languages are spoken by London's school children.
And it is our diversity that is our strength.
2012 will be a tangible representation of our capital as the world in one city and it is the media that will be London's window on the world.
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Technology and the legacy for the media
The Olympic and Paralympic Games are not only the world's number one sporting celebration, but also a global media event without equal.
And just as for the athletes, the opportunity presented by the Olympic Games, the drive from international competition and the extraordinary prize can encourage everyone involved to raise the bar on what went before.
London is a global media hub and 2012 will be a unique opportunity to showcase British media at its best. Not just in front of the camera but our unrivalled technical expertise behind it as well. A chance to demonstrate our brilliant creative industries from advertising to new media.
In Athens over 4,000 hours of live coverage was broadcast by over 1,000 cameras to 220 different countries. And, according to Zenith Optimedia, the Athens Games added around $2 billion to the worldwide advertising market.
London 2012 will see over 20,000 representatives of the global media in the United Kingdom.
As you know, the global media industry is undergoing nothing less than a revolution. The traditional boundaries between different forms are becoming blurred, transient and permeable.
Consumers enjoy increased choice of what to watch, read and listen to, in more depth and detail, when they want and where they want.
And as we travel toward 2012 the pace of challenge and change will accelerate.
As audiences fragment global media events like the Olympic Games will become even more important for broadcasters and for advertisers. Only events like the Olympics bring people from around the world together at one moment with one common concern.
Major sporting events act as a driver of innovation and London 2012 will be no exception.
The 1948 Games were the first to be shown on home television and the 1976 Montreal Olympics were a major spur to the adoption of colour television in this country.
Athens saw the first international HDTV broadcast and this summer's World Cup is already boosting demand for flat-screen and HDTV sets in UK.
And boundaries between media continue to blur as convergence moves off the planning sheet to become a practical reality. For example Baddiel and Skinner will be podcasting World Cup Fantasy Football for The Times newspaper this summer.
By 2012 digital switchover will be almost complete. The Games will help drive digital take-up and provide the opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of digital to viewers.
In the past choice of what to watch was limited by the number of channels and determined by an editor. By 2012 everyone will have a far wider choice of what they want to watch and when; whether it is the beach volleyball from Horse Guards or the gymnastics from the Dome.
We've already seen world-leading pilots of TV to mobile in Oxford and broadband is growing faster here than in the US, China or Germany. By 2012 HDTV, wireless broadband and technologies not yet invented will make the viewing experience even richer than it is today.
The creative industries are already growing at twice the rate of the economy as a whole and they will become more important to UK PLC over the next six years.
And that's why I want the 2012 Olympic Games to act as a catalyst for the UK's media industry.
Relationship with the media
And we can maximise those benefits by working together.
For example, the physical infrastructure of the Games can help support the development of the UK's creative industries. The state of the art media and press centres could become a hub for creative industries in east London after the Games.
I know the BBC will have a big role to play in broadcasting the 2012 Games to not just Britain, but the world. It's no surprise that the BBC's expertise and experience makes it one of the most sought-after broadcasters when the organisers look for the range of talent they need to screen the Games.
And the BBC has consistently led from the front when it comes to technological change and we want the BBC to continue its role as a trusted guide to new technologies.
And we welcome the fact that the BBC has the rights to the Games.
We also want the licence fee to be venture capital for the whole nation. And that's why we included the emphasis on partnership working in the White Paper that we published a few weeks ago. 2012 will be a great opportunity for the BBC to demonstrate how when it works in partnership it acts as a stimulus for all our creative industries.
Now I'm realistic enough to know that our relationship with the media in the run up to 2012 will see us having our differences. We've already seen headlines predicting Olympic doom and gloom; from the funding in place for our elite athletes to Stratford strife.
While I disagree with almost every one of these conclusions, there is an important point here. We all need to realise that hosting the 2012 Olympics is a task of astonishing proportions.
Taken together, putting in place the transport infrastructure and the associated regeneration work is the biggest construction project that the UK has ever undertaken.
And all of this in just under six years.
But no-one can underestimate your contribution to the success of the Games. £750million worth of sponsorship revenue will go into London 2012. And television has been the engine of growth for the Olympic Movement. Increases in broadcast revenue over the past two decades have provided the Olympic Movement and sport with an unprecedented financial base.
This has allowed the IOC to make substantial contributions to the development of sport throughout the world; especially in the some of the poorest countries on the planet.
In the run up to 2012, new media rights will increase in value and help extend even further the benefits of sport to those who are in greatest need but who currently have only limited opportunity.
And the media will have another vital role. Providing the bridge between London and the world during the Games and helping to forge the links in the run-up to 2012 and beyond that help motivate young people to choose sport.
We all know the power of sport to inspire individuals and transform lives for the better. London's vision is to reach young people right around the world.
I was at the London Marathon last Sunday doing my best to cheer on the brave runners. The marathon is an absolutely fantastic example of how the media can take an event that takes place in one part of the country and make people at home feel that it truly belongs to the whole nation.
And this isn't only the marathon, but the Grand National, the Silverstone Grand Prix or the Manchester Commonwealth Games that are all truly national sporting events.
And, just as we saw with the Commonwealth Games, your role in taking 2012 out across the country and building support from Cornwall to Caithness and beyond is absolutely vital.
I know Roger Mosey set out the BBC's plans for the future in the discussion earlier this morning and I think we can build on the success of ITV's Britain on the Move campaign and Sky's Living for Sport campaign that currently benefits over 4,500 of the most disadvantaged young people in the UK.
But we do need to make sure that the energy doesn't dissipate in the autumn of 2012. If we're going to secure the best possible legacy from the Games then your role, your support, your involvement is absolutely vital.
I look forward to hearing your ideas on what more we can do together to use a combination of your invention, ingenuity and unparalleled reach with the power of the Games to drive you to connect more young people with sport in the run up to 2012 and beyond.
Conclusion
So in conclusion, the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games have the potential to deliver a lasting and enduring legacy for the United Kingdom.
We can present London and Britain at its best as a tolerant, vibrant and dynamic nation.
We can inspire children in the UK and right around the world to choose sport and to choose careers in our creative industries.
We can highlight the excellence and dynamism of the UK's media sector on an unparalleled global stage.
And we can transform one of the poorest areas of the capital and the country for the better in a way that will last for years to come.
So I look forward to working with you to deliver the best Olympic and Paralympic Games ever.
This for all of us is a once in a lifetime chance and we must seize it with both hands.
Thank you.
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