The NBC Olympics division of US media company NBCUniversal has agreed partnerships with technology and media company Intersection and transportation network Uber to enhance its coverage of the 2018 winter Olympic Games, while parent company Comcast has said its model for Pyeongchang 2018 represents a potential game-changer for the television business.
The agreement with Intersection will provide exclusive Pyeongchang Olympics content across thousands of digital screens in New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia from today (Thursday).
The custom content, specifically created for Intersection’s urban network of digital screens, will keep people up-to-date on the Games, which commence tomorrow (Friday), and continues until the event’s conclusion on February 25.
The program will feature morning highlights, primetime previews, an opening ceremony teaser, medal counts, real-time alerts, athlete profiles and more, spanning thousands of screens across the LinkNYC network in New York City; digital urban panels and platform displays in the Chicago Transit Authority; and digital bus shelters, urban panels and platform displays throughout SEPTA, PATCO and the streets of Philadelphia.
Gary Zenkel, president of NBC Olympics, said: “Emerging media platforms like the LinkNYC network in New York City represent another way for NBCUniversal to reassemble the television audience by extending the reach of our Olympic coverage, content and promotion to spaces where the American audience now consumes media.”
Meanwhile, in what is being termed a first-of-its-kind partnership, custom in-ride video experiences will be provided to US Uber riders during the Games. Riders across the country will be able to access Olympic athlete interviews and highlights, curated each day of competition by NBC Olympics.
Once a rider begins their trip, the Uber app will feature a link to an NBC Olympics site, where they can access the interviews, highlights, and content from NBC Olympics’ broadcast team. As part of the series, NBC Olympics will produce exclusive ‘in-car’ interviews for Uber riders.
These interviews will feature US athletes and broadcast announcers as they are in transit to and from competition venues.
Comcast has also said 50 virtual channels will be made available during Pyeongchang 2018 in what is being termed a precursor to personalised television. Each virtual channel will air only content on specific Olympic sports and athletes.
Matt Strauss, executive vice-president for Xfinity services in Comcast Cable, told the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper that virtual channels should be considered similar to playlists on music-streaming platforms such as Pandora or Spotify. “We are doing the same thing now with video,” he said.
Strauss said the idea of virtual cable channels equates to a potential game-changer for the television business that could challenge the idea of “what it means to be a channel or a network.”
NBC Olympics has committed to providing complete live coverage of this year’s Games. It will mark the first time the network has covered a winter Olympics in such a way, with primetime broadcasts to be shown on a daily basis.