Panasonic delivers the passion of the Olympic Winter Games to living rooms
across Canada

A Quarter of Canadians Will Clock Over 63 Million Hours A Week Watching The Olympic Winter Games

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Nov. 19 /CNW/ - Planning to tune in to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games this February? So are over 18 million Canadians according to a recent poll conducted on behalf of Panasonic Canada . Of those who will watch from home, many (43 per cent) plan on viewing 2-5 hours of coverage per week; but more ardent fans (25 per cent) report that they plan to spend more than 10 hours a week taking in the live events from Vancouver - for this group alone that's a staggering 63 million plus hours a week spent catching the Olympic Spirit from the comfort of homes across the country.

And for the first time in Olympic Winter Games history, every race, ceremony and moment of national pride during the 2010 Winter Games will be broadcast live into homes across the country, entirely in high definition (HD).

"The majority of Canadians can't make the trip out to Vancouver or Whistler, but they will tune-in to catch their favourite events and athlete performances on television," said Ian Kilvert, General Manager of Corporate Brand Management, Panasonic. "HD is the gold medal standard for experiencing every moment in Vancouver - it really is the next best thing to actually being there."

Panasonic Shares the Passion of the Olympic Winter Games

As an Official Worldwide Olympic Partner, Panasonic will deliver the passion of the Olympic Winter Games into living rooms across Canada by providing innovative audio and HD video technology to Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, the Official Canadian Broadcaster of the 2010 Winter Games.

In partnership with VANOC and Bell, a Premier National Partner and Exclusive Telecommunications Partner, Panasonic is excited to connect Canadian athletes via its HD Video Conference System from the hub of Olympic Village Vancouver to coaches and teammates at Olympic Village Whistler. The innovative system will allow athletes to communicate remotely with Full HD images and clear, uninterrupted audio.

Adding to the excitement, Panasonic's Full HD 3D Plasma Home Theatre System* will be on display for the world to see at the David Lam Park live site for the full 17 days. Another global first, visitors will experience high-quality, true-to-life 3D images created by distributing Full HD visuals to both the left and right eye.

"For the first time in over 20 years the Olympic Winter Games will be played out on Canadian soil," said Kilvert. "From broadcast to at-home viewing, if you're experiencing the Olympic Games, Panasonic will be a part of it, from start to finish. Taking the passion we have for home entertainment and making it accessible for fans who want to live and relive moments from the Games is just one of the reasons Panasonic has been an Official Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Audio and Visual Equipment category for more than two decades."

Feel like you're in the stands, from the comfort of home

When the Olympic Winter Games last came to Canada in 1988, at-home viewing technology consisted of bulky cathode-ray televisions. Analogue broadcast signals delivered low resolution images, 1/5 the resolution of today's digital broadcasts. In comparison, this year Canadian sports fans can tune in to an entirely HD experience revealing vivid colours and images so crisp they'll practically feel the powdered snow at home.

High definition can make a viewing experience come alive. So which moments from past Olympic Winter Games would Canadians like to relive in HD? The majority of Canadians would choose events played out on the ice during the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Half (49 per cent) would love to relive the Canadian men's ice hockey team's winning goal against the U.S.A.; and one in four would like to see figure skating pairs duo Jamie Salé and David Pelletier twisting and turning to a gold medal finish (25 per cent).

Not surprisingly, men were more likely to select the gold medal hockey match as a favourite moment (66 per cent), followed by Jamie Salé and David Pelletier's quest for gold (13 per cent) and Canadian Freestyle skier Jean-Luc Brassard's gold medal mogul win at the Lillehammer 1994 Olympic Winter Games (7 per cent). In contrast, women (38.8 per cent) would first opt to catch Salé & Pelletier's performance, followed by the Canadian men's ice hockey team's winning goal against the U.S.A. (30 per cent) and Elizabeth Manley's skate of a lifetime to win an unexpected silver medal at the Calgary 1998 Olympic Winter Games (20 per cent).

Bring the Olympic Games home

For consumers looking to commemorate the event or capture their own sporting memories, Panasonic's limited edition LUMIX(R) DMC-ZR1 in red ( $349.99 ) are each branded with a Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games emblem and are now available across Canada for purchase. Panasonic's home theatre suite of products will bring the stands into living rooms across the country with VIERA(R) Plasma and LCD HDTVs ranging from 26-inch to 65-inch screen sizes, with prices starting from $699.99 up to $6,999.99 , depending on model.

About Panasonic

Panasonic is proud to support the Olympic Movement - aimed at promoting world peace through sports - as an Official Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Audio and Visual Equipment category for more than 20 years since The Olympic Partner (TOP) Program commenced for the Calgary Olympic Winter Games in 1988. Under the slogan of "Sharing the Passion," Panasonic will contribute to the success of the Olympic Games through its technology. In 2007, Panasonic renewed the partnership with the International Olympic Committee through to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro .

Panasonic products are marketed in Canada by Panasonic Canada Inc. (PCI). PCI is an affiliate of Panasonic Corporation (PC) of Japan , one of the world's largest producers of electronic and electric products for consumer, business, and industrial use. Consumers seeking more information on the company's products can call Panasonic's Customer Care Centre at 1-800-561-5505 or access Panasonic's home page at www.panasonic.ca.

About the poll findings

A total of 1500 adult Canadians answered an online survey about the Olympic Winter Games. Data collection for this study was conducted between October 5th and 8th, 2009. The survey was conducted using a national random sample of 1500 respondents from Leger Marketing's Web panel. This method simulates a probability sample which would yield a maximum margin of error of +/-2.5%, 19 times out of 20. Leger Marketing's experience and expertise in public opinion and marketing research extend to the quality and standards of every research project. Detailed verification and validation procedures at each stage of the process ensure data accuracy.

    
    * World's first system to create true-to-life Full HD 3D images by
        providing Full HD images to the left eye and right eye, as of
        November 2, 2009.
    

All prices are the manufacturer's suggested price (MSP) in Canadian dollars. All specifications are subject to change without notice.

For further information: Jennifer Lui, Environics Communications, [phone], [email protected]; Ryan Lockhart, Environics Communications, [phone], [email protected]