FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 11th, 2020
NBC OLYMPICS AND NOWTHIS PARTNER TO TELL THE STORIES OF U.S. OLYMPIANS AND PARALYMPIANS FOR 2020 TOKYO SUMMER GAMES
NowThis to Create 30+ Episodes Across Four Franchises Leading Up to Olympic Games Plus Daily Recap Video During Paralympic Games
Video Content to Include Profiles of Team USA Olympians and Paralympians, Q&As, and Athlete Opinion Pieces
STAMFORD, Conn. – February 11, 2020 – NBC Olympics and NowThis, a mobile-first video news outlet, are partnering to connect with the next generation of Olympic fans by shining a spotlight on U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes in the lead up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, both parties announced today. NowThis will generate an abundance of athlete-focused video content, including video profiles, sit-down interviews and opinion pieces voiced by the athletes themselves – all to be distributed across its extensive digital and social media outlets, which are enormously popular among young audiences.
“NowThis has a far-reaching and influential presence across the social media landscape, and a keen interest in the stories of Olympic and Paralympic athletes,” said Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics. “In the lead up to the Tokyo Games, we are thrilled to come together with their talented producers to connect and excite America’s youth with Team USA’s inspiring Olympic and Paralympic athletes.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with NBC Olympics to elevate the stories of Olympians and Paralympians for the 2020 Summer Games,” said NowThis President Athan Stephanopoulos. “With innovative coverage and storytelling across all our social channels, NowThis is committed to building awareness and enthusiasm for the Summer Games among younger audiences by covering one of 2020’s biggest events through inspiring athlete stories.”
NowThis’ content for the Tokyo Olympics will be pre-Games focused, beginning in March and continuing up until the Opening Ceremony on July 24. Per the partnership, NBC Olympics has provided NowThis with insider access to interview U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes as a way to introduce them to young audiences, and to promote NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Games.
NowThis, the #1 news brand on mobile and with Millennial and Gen Z audiences, will create more than 30 episodes of content within four of its existing franchises – Seen; I Have a Question; Her Stories; and Opinions – each approximately 3-5 minutes long, between March and July. NBC Olympics has the option of running NowThis video packages across its own digital and linear properties.
For the Paralympics, NowThis will create both pre-Games and in-Games content. Prior to the Paralympic Games, NowThis will produce episodes for its Seen franchise, which will focus on athlete profiles. During the Paralympics, NowThis will produce a daily recap video focusing on the most memorable moments of that day’s competition and ceremonies.
Previously, NowThis teamed up with the International Paralympic Committee in a partnership that began with the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games and continues through Tokyo 2020. The primary goal of the partnership is to elevate awareness of the Paralympic movement and shine a light on the incredible stories and athletic accomplishments of Paralympic athletes.
ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS
A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic Games. It is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. NBC Olympics also produces thousands of hours of Olympic sports programming throughout the year, which is presented on NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, and NBC Sports digital platforms.
ABOUT NOWTHIS
NowThis is the # 1 mobile news publisher in the world. They have a singular mission: to make news engaging and relevant for young adults by humanizing the stories and issues impacting the world around them. By providing insightful context from a youth perspective, NowThis has revolutionized how news is consumed today. Launched in 2012, NowThis’ entertaining, inspiring and informative videos are created for a mobile generation and receive more than 2 billion monthly views. In December 2016, NowThis joined forces with Thrillist, The Dodo and Seeker to form Group Nine Media — the #1 video publisher on mobile in the U.S.
–NBC OLYMPICS–
