Yiannis Exarchos revealed more details about the Olympic TV Channel ©SAC/Twitter

News shown on the Olympic TV Channel will be "independently produced" and not a communications tool of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), officials have promised here today.

News will be one of several main topics showcased on the new channel, according to Yiannis Exarchos, the chief executive of Olympic Broadcasting Services, along with in-house and commissioned productions as well as live coverage. 

Six hundred and fifty pieces of video content are to be produced in-house between January and August 2016.

This will be accompanied by commissioned content, with agreements having been drawn-up with 25 production companies spanning 14 countries.

More than 590 digital pieces - each lasting around 26 minutes - should be ready for launch, Exarchos said, adding up to 40 total hours.

This means there should be around 250 hours a year beyond in-house digital production.

A start-date is still to be confirmed for the channel, which is not expected to be launched before Rio 2016 but should be formally unveiled in the months immedistely after.

Exarchos has given numerous presentations here this week during the ongoing SportAccord Convention, including a keynote address during today's Digital Summit.

Some of the world's best-known athletes should be showcased on the channel, such as Usain Bolt, as well as those from lesser-known sports ©Getty Images
Some of the world's best-known athletes should be showcased on the channel, such as Usain Bolt, as well as those from lesser-known sports ©Getty Images

The channel should include a livestream as well as highlights packages and specially produced features such as documentaries, athlete profiles and tutorials.

It should increase the profiles of these sports and create new heroes, it is hoped, in non-Olympic as well as Olympic disciplines.

Around 1,700 pieces of video are expected to be produced during Rio 2016.

Films from the Olympic Archive should also be included as well as content from Organising Committee and Candidate Cities as well as other Olympic bodies.

News coverage is expected to consist of 25 minutes per day of in-house content, focusing on the "power of sport to make a difference" rather than IOC communications aims. 

It will be "independently produced" and seeking to find a reference point around the news. 

Other additional coverage will also be proposed.

The TV Channel is unlikely to be launched before Rio 2016 but will still include coverage taken from there ©Getty Images
The TV Channel is unlikely to be launched before Rio 2016 but will still include coverage taken from there ©Getty Images

"The Olympic Channel is about encouraging and inspiring young people to bring them to sport," Exarchos said.

He also highlighted the possibilities provided by virtual reality coverage, claiming it will become a "big component" in their Olympic coverage.

This comes as the Channel, which has offices in Madrid and Lausanne, continues to build up a team which is eventually expected to number over 100 people.

In recent weeks, this has included the appointment of Stephen Hannon, who joins from news agency SNTV to become head of news, and former ESPN director Matthew Collier as head of commercial.