Innovative Content Collaboration Includes Postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and Beijing Olympic Winter Games in 2022
STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 6, 2020 – NBC Olympics and Twitter have extended the innovative content partnership both parties announced in 2019 to include the postponed Tokyo Olympics set for the summer of 2021 and the Beijing Olympic Winter Games in February 2022. Most elements of the extension mirror the original agreement, which was announced solely for Tokyo 2020 in July 2019.
Now, both parties will work together to amplify NBC Olympics’ vast coverage of both Tokyo and Beijing by creating daily, original programming on Twitter live from the host city, a daily poll that will allow fans on Twitter to choose one live look-in to NBC’s Primetime or Primetime Plus broadcasts each night, and real-time video highlights throughout each competition day.
Through these initiatives, NBC Olympics and Twitter will connect Twitter’s engaged audience in the United States to the Olympic athletes, the host city, and the Games’ most unforgettable moments while simultaneously driving them to NBC Olympics’ massive multi-platform presentation of the Summer and Winter Games.
As with the original agreement, NBC Olympics will lead the sales process for this unique two-Games content, with Twitter providing sales resources, giving advertisers another avenue to connect to its coverage of the Games and to Twitter’s valuable audience. All content will live on the @NBCOlympics handle, sold as Twitter in-stream sponsorships by NBC Olympics.
Highlights of the agreement include:
- Original Live Studio Program: Every morning from Tokyo, NBC Olympics will produce a 20-minute original studio program live from the host city, exclusively on Twitter, that will focus on highlights, athlete interviews, and the happenings in and around the host city, as well as some of the best reactions to the Games on Twitter. NBC Olympics will also produce a similar daily program for Twitter, with elements live from Beijing.
- Daily Live Look-Ins Powered by Twitter Vote: For the first time, Olympic fans will have the opportunity to watch a daily live look-in of NBC Olympics’ Primetime or Primetime Plus coverage on Twitter -- and even decide which athlete, sport or moment they’d like to watch by voting in a daily Twitter poll announced during the morning’s live show.
- Real-Time Highlights: During the both Summer and Winter Games, NBC Olympics will clip many of the most memorable and engaging moments of the day and publish them on Twitter throughout each competition day, including some Spanish-language clips. Highlights will include medal-winning moments as well those from the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
- Pre-Games Content: Beginning in June 2021 and counting down until the Tokyo Opening Ceremony on July 23, 2021, NBC Olympics will provide Twitter with real-time highlights of its Olympic sport coverage, including the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. A similar countdown will be used for Beijing 2022.
“Extending our now multi-Games relationship with Twitter to Tokyo for the Summer Games in 2021 and Winter Games in 2022 from Beijing will again put NBC Olympics’ coverage in front of the vast and very active Twitter audience with great Olympic moments, great Olympic programming and a nightly peek into our primetime broadcast for those not yet in front of their televisions,” said Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics. “This agreement also allows us to extend the reach of our Olympic advertisers to those audiences that view the content we have custom produced for Twitter.”
“Few events bring to the world together like the Olympics and we truly anticipate that both the upcoming Summer Games and Winter Games will be massive global celebrations like no other,” says TJ Adeshola, head of sports partnerships, Twitter. “We can’t wait to join forces with a fantastic content partner like NBC Olympics to pair real-time Twitter conversation with premium sports action to give fans a unique real-time Olympics experience they won’t find anywhere else.”
About NBC Olympics
A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s Olympic Games coverage. It is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBC Olympics has produced every Summer Games since 1998 and every Winter Games since 2002. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. At the conclusion of the 2032 Games, NBCUniversal will have presented 23 total Olympic Games and 17 consecutive, the most for a U.S. media company in both categories.
About Twitter, Inc.
Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) is what’s happening in the world and what people are talking about right now. On Twitter, live comes to life as conversations unfold, showing you all sides of the story. From breaking news and entertainment to sports, politics and everyday interests, when things happen in the world, they happen first on Twitter. Twitter is available in more than 40 languages around the world. The service can be accessed at twitter.com, on a variety of mobile devices and via SMS. For more information, visit about.twitter.com or follow @twitter. For information on how to download the Twitter and Periscope apps, visit twitter.com/download and periscope.tv.
--NBC OLYMPICS--
