FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 27th, 2015

JOHNNY WEIR & TARA LIPINSKI TAKE OVER NBC SPORTS SOCIAL MEDIA DURING DERBY WEEK

Weir & Lipinski on a Conference Call Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 28, at 2 p.m. ET

NBC Sports Group’s Derby Fashion & Lifestyle Correspondents to Periscope “A Day in the Life at Churchill Downs”

New Social Offerings for NBC Sports Group’s “Peacock Paddock” Include a Vine 360 Booth & 55-inch Touch Screen

141st “Run for the Roses” Saturday, May 2 at 4 p.m. ET on NBC

STAMFORD, Conn. – April 27, 2015 – To build on NBC and NBCSN’s coverage of the Kentucky Derby, NBC Sports Group will present around-the-clock coverage of Derby week across all social media platforms, featuring  NBC Sports Group’s fashion and lifestyle experts and social media mavens Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski. Having previously served as correspondents for events ranging from the Academy Awards to Super Bowl XLIX, Weir and Lipinski brought their fashion sense to the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner this past weekend.

NBC Sports Group presents 15.5 live hours of Kentucky Derby coverage, a record for the event, beginning this Wednesday, April 29, at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN, and culminating with the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby on NBC, this Saturday, May 2 at 4 PM ET. Coverage begins on Saturday at Noon ET on NBCSN before moving to NBC at 4 p.m. ET.

JOHNNY & TARA, 5 DAYS OF SOCIAL TAKEOVERS: Every day of Derby week, beginning today, Weir and Lipinski will take over one of NBC Sports’ social media accounts. From Facebook chats and Twitter Q&A’s to an Instagram “A Day in the Life” from Churchill Downs, fans will be able to get closer to Johnny and Tara’s Derby week.

  • Monday: Johnny and Tara’s Derby Trends Pinterest Board launched today. Click here for a link to their fashion and entertainment picks.
  • Tuesday: Fans can join Johnny and Tara as they capture their experience packing for Derby week on NBC Sports’ Vine account.
  • Wednesday: Johnny and Tara will take over the @NBCSN Twitter handle to answer questions about Derby fashion and the scene at Churchill Downs.
  • Thursday: Johnny and Tara will Periscope “A Day in the Life at Churchill Downs” from the @NBCSN twitter handle, giving fans a live stream of what’s happening behind-the-scenes as they prep for Thursday’s Kentucky Derby Access show at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
  • Friday: Johnny and Tara will take over the NBC Sports Instagram, posting photos from the Pink Carpet at the Kentucky Oaks

WEIR & LIPINSKI ON KENTUCKY DERBY CONFERENCE CALL

Weir and Lipinski, joined by Rob Hyland, coordinating producer of NBC’s horse racing coverage, will preview their roles as fashion and lifestyle experts at the 141st Kentucky Derby on a conference call tomorrow, Tuesday, April 28, at 2 p.m. ET.

Dial 719-325-2495 to participate; conference ID 8799355

PEACOCK PADDOCK:  As the first stop of the Kentucky Oaks Pink Carpet and Kentucky Derby Red Carpet, the Peacock Paddock will capture the atmosphere at Churchill Downs to share with fans across the country. For the first time, the Peacock Paddock will house a Vine 360 Booth, where celebrities can show off 360-degree views of their hats and outfits in a continuous loop. Video from the Vine 360 Booth will be featured in celebrity segments on NBC and NBCSN.

New features in the Peacock Paddock also include a 55-inch touch screen monitor to showcase various social media trends, Kentucky Derby parties across the country, and fashion on-site and online. As each celebrity begins the journey down the Pink and Red Carpets, they will be asked to enter the Peacock Paddock photo booth, featuring a wall of fresh red roses, and make their Derby picks. Celebrity picks will be shared on NBCSN and NBC’s telecasts, as well as on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

SOCIAL ON-AIR INTEGRATION: NBC and NBCSN’s Kentucky Derby coverage includes more social integration than any other annual sporting event on NBC Sports. Segments and integration from the Peacock Paddock will feature Kentucky Derby parties from around the country on the 55-inch touchscreen, fashion segments using Vines from the Vine 360 Booth, Celebrity picks from the Peacock Paddock photo booth and social media updates showcasing the social buzz around the country. Coverage will also feature a Facebook poll with a real-time look at who the fans at home think will win the 141st Kentucky Derby.

PINTEREST DERBY PARTY PLANNING: NBC Sports has teamed up with lifestyle influencers and Churchill Downs to deliver to fans on Pinterest everything they need to help plan their Kentucky Derby parties. Each influencer has created their own boards where they will curate pins on Derby trends, red carpet style and race-day attire, food, beverages, entertaining tips, decorations, and more.

  • Derby Trends: Johnny and Tara have fans covered with the colors, style and trends fans can anticipate seeing this year at the Derby. Follow their board here.
  • Derby Attire: Vineyard Vines, the ‘Official Style’ of the Kentucky Derby, makes it easy for fans to know what to wear at Churchill Downs or to their local Derby party. Check out their favorite looks here.
  • Derby Red Carpet Looks: E!’s Alicia Quarles will be on the scene at Churchill Downs from the Red Carpet and has provided fans a look at her favorite Red Carpet Derby looks here.
  • Derby Food: Levy Restaurants, the official food and beverage partner of Churchill Downs, provides the best Kentucky fare on their board located here.

KENTUCKY DERBY ALL-ACCESS: Horseracing aficionados and fans of the elegance and glitz of the Derby can access content from Derby week at a “social center” housed on NBCSports.com. Fans can access and sort social media content from Instagram, Twitter and Vine through various streams including horse racing experts, horses (including social accounts from the horses themselves, jockeys and trainers), glamour (celebrities and fashion experts), a photos-only section, and Vine videos.

New to Kentucky Derby All-Access this year is the “Horse Namer,” where fans can type in their names and are instantly provided with their Kentucky Derby horse name along with a horse avatar that is shareable on Facebook and Twitter. NBCSports.com/Derby will also house downloadable Derby party printables and a Pinterest widget to drive pinners to boards that will help them plan the perfect Derby party.

Facebook: Every day during Derby week at Facebook.com/NBCSports, fans will be presented with Derby information, photos and video from Churchill Downs.

Twitter: Viewers and tweeters alike will be encouraged to join the conversation by using the hashtag #KYDERBY. Reminders will appear on screen throughout NBC and NBCSN’s Derby week coverage.

  • Fans throwing their own Derby parties will be asked to submit photos with #DerbyParty. The best photos will be highlighted on-air.
  • @NBCSN will live tweet the Kentucky Derby Draw Show on Wednesday.

Instagram: For behind-the-scenes access to Derby Week, fans can follow @NBCSports on Instagram at Instagram.com/NBCSports for the parties, food, fashion, and of course, the races.

Vine: NBC Sports will utilize Vine to give fans quick video look-ins at everything that makes up the Kentucky Derby. From morning workouts with the horses, to Millionaire’s Row, NBC Sports’ Vines will give fans the full Derby experience for those that can’t make it to the track for Derby week.

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NBC PROVIDES WALL-TO-WALL SPORTS COVERAGE ON DERBY DAY

On Derby Day, NBC’s wall-to-wall sports coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. ET with a second-round NHL Stanley Cup Playoff game. NBC’s Kentucky Derby coverage begins at 4 p.m. ET, and leads right into primetime coverage of the PGA TOUR’s World Golf Championships-Cadillac Match Play from TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, Calif. at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Players Championship from TPC Sawgrass airs on Golf Channel and NBC from May 7-10, including Golf Channel’s Golf Central Live From The Players starting on Monday, May 4.

NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 2, begins at Noon ET on NBCSN, with coverage of the Kentucky Oaks on Friday, May 1, at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. NBC Sports Group’s live Kentucky Derby coverage begins Wednesday, April 29, with the Kentucky Derby Draw at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Also on Derby Day, NBCSN presents a second-round NHL Stanley Cup Playoff game in primetime, with coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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NBC SPORTS GROUP AND HORSE RACING: NBC Sports Group is the exclusive home to the most important and prestigious events in horse racing, including the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001, and the Belmont Stakes since 2011, when NBC Sports Group reassembled the Triple Crown.

The 2014 Kentucky Derby marked the fourth time in six years (2009, 2010, 2013, 2014) that NBC’s Kentucky Derby coverage averaged more than 15 million viewers. Women comprised 51% of that viewership, ranking the Kentucky Derby alongside the Belmont Stakes (featuring a Triple Crown contender) and Sochi Winter Olympics as the major 2014 sporting events with females accounting more than half of the audience.

The 2014 Belmont Stakes on NBC, featuring California Chrome’s Triple Crown attempt, averaged 20.4 million viewers – the second-highest Belmont Stakes viewership on record, trailing only the 21.9 million viewers for NBC’s telecast of Smarty Jones’ Triple Crown attempt in 2004 (People Meter viewership dates to 1988). In addition, the 2014 Preakness Stakes registered a 6.0 household rating, ranking as the highest-rated Preakness Stakes since 2009.

AWARDS FOR NBC’S HORSE RACING COVERAGE: Since its involvement in the Triple Crown, NBC Sports has been honored with 15 Eclipse Awards for its thoroughbred racing coverage including the award for Television – Live Program for the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic and the 2013 Kentucky Derby. NBC’s previous wins in that category include: Preakness (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008), Kentucky Derby (2007, 2012), Belmont (2004) and Breeder’s Cup (2001).  Additionally, NBC Sports has won four Eclipse Awards in the features category: “California Chrome: The Unlikely Champion,” which aired on NBCSN in June 2014, a 2002 feature on War Emblem (Preakness broadcast), a 2005 feature on Afleet Alex (Kentucky Derby broadcast) and a 2009 feature on Mine That Bird (Preakness broadcast). In addition, the 2014 Belmont Stakes broadcast was nominated for the Sports Emmy Award Outstanding Live Sports Special this year.

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–