FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May 2nd, 2016
JOHNNY WEIR TO WEAR TWEET-POWERED BROOCH AS PART OF NBC SPORTS GROUP’S MOST COMPREHENSIVE KENTUCKY DERBY SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN EVER
Fans Can Tweet Using #WatchMeNeighNeigh to See Weir’s Horse-Shaped Brooch Gallop and Illuminate On-Air
Live Streams of the Scene at Churchill Downs Available on Periscope
Event Reporter Rutledge Wood to Interview Celebrities on the Red Carpet via Facebook Live
Johnny Weir & Tara Lipinski Discuss Kentucky Derby Roles on Conference Call Today at 2:30 P.M. ET
142nd “Run for the Roses” Saturday, May 7 at 4 p.m. ET on NBC
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 2, 2016 – NBC Sports Group will surround the 142nd Kentucky Derby with its most comprehensive social media plan ever. NBC Sports Group will roll out coverage across all social platforms beginning this Wednesday, May 4, and debut new approaches featuring a tweet-powered brooch worn by fashion and lifestyle reporter Johnny Weir, live streams of the scene at Churchill Downs via Periscope’s GoPro integration, Facebook Live chats on the red carpet with event reporter Rutledge Wood, and more.
NBC Sports Group will present 15.5 live hours of Kentucky Derby coverage this year, beginning this Wednesday, May 4, at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, and culminating with the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby, this Saturday, May 7 at 4 p.m. ET on NBC. Coverage begins on Saturday at Noon ET on NBCSN.
JOHNNY WEIR’S TWEET-POWERED BROOCH: For the past two years Weir has become known for his standout Derby style, and to showcase the conversation on Twitter, Johnny will be wearing a tweet-powered brooch on his lapel in the shape of a small white horse. As more conversation is generated on Twitter around Johnny’s hat using the hashtag #WatchMeNeighNeigh, the faster the horse will gallop and illuminate. The brooch is engineered and designed by Viget.
PERISCOPE FAN REACTION: Through Periscope’s GoPro integration, during the Kentucky Derby, fans on Twitter and Periscope will be able to feel like they are in the grandstand, the in-field, and all around Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby. As fans watch the race on NBC and NBC Sports Live Extra, they can stream various camera angles through the @NBCSN Twitter account to watch the crowd reaction to various parts of the fastest two minutes in sports.
PEACOCK PADDOCK: As the first stop on 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 go live on Facebook in an exclusive Red Carpet show hosted by Rutledge Wood on Derby Saturday.
Included in the Peacock Paddock is a 55-inch touch screen monitor to showcasing social media trends, Kentucky Derby parties around the country, and assisting Weir and fellow fashion and lifestyle reporter Tara Lipinski’s fashion segments. As each celebrity begins the journey down the pink and red carpets for the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby, they will make their celebrity horse pick that will be distributed via NBC Sports’ social accounts, step onto the custom made 360 stop-motion cameras to showcase their Derby weekend fashion, and stop and chat with Wood in a Facebook Live red carpet interview.
RUTLEDGE WOOD (FACEBOOK) LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET AND AROUND CHURCHILL DOWNS: As a new Kentucky Derby goer, Wood will act as a social media correspondent, documenting and capturing the sights, sounds and pageantry of the Derby and welcoming fans into this iconic setting through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, and more. For the first time, NBC Sports will utilize Facebook Live on the red carpet, where Wood will interview celebrities for the live stream.
EVERY PLATFORM, EVERY MOMENT: NBC Sports will be everywhere on every social platform, beginning Wednesday of Derby Week, bringing fans closer to the first leg of the Triple Crown. Daily behind-the-scenes access via NBC Sports’ Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages will highlight exclusive areas at this once-in-a-lifetime event. Additional Facebook Live sessions with NBC Sports talent as well as use of Periscope tours around Churchill Downs will offer fans an insider look live and in real time.
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/Derby. Fans can access and sort social media content from Instagram, Twitter and Vine via various streams including horse racing experts, horses (social accounts from the horses themselves, jockeys and trainers), glamour (celebrities and fashion experts), a photos-only section, and Vine videos.
The Kentucky Derby All-Access page will feature a Twitter counter for Weir’s brooch on Derby Day, and “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.
***
Weir and Lipinski will preview their roles as fashion and lifestyle experts at the 142nd Kentucky Derby and as NBC Olympic Correspondents at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on a conference call today Monday, May 2, at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Dial 719-325-2452 to participate; conference ID 9725243
***
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 the NBC Sports Group reassembled the Triple Crown.
–NBC SPORTS GROUP–
