Sports Media Report
NBC Olympics and Snapchat will partner to present unique perspectives from this summer’s 2016 Rio Olympics and the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, which will include daily Snapchat “Live Stories” and an NBC Rio Olympic Discover channel. Both the Live Story experiences and Discover channel will be available to Snapchatters in the U.S. for over two weeks around the Games. NBC Olympics will co-produce the NBC Rio Olympic Discover channel with Buzzfeed, a regular contributor to both the Snapchat Discover platform and NBC’s content projects.
The Live Stories will allow thousands of Snapchatters attending select U.S. Olympic Team Trial competitions and the Rio Games to contribute through photo and video Snaps to one collective, Snapchat-curated story. These Live Stories, which will be available to all Snapchatters in the U.S. to view, will include behind-the-scenes and fan moments from the ground that capture the experience and excitement of attending this global event. Through this partnership, Snapchat will feature NBC’s Rio Olympic brand marks, logos, and more to bring viewers into the action.
The NBC Rio Olympic channel on Snapchat Discover will generate content that covers all aspects of the Games, co-produced by Buzzfeed’s dedicated team on the ground. As an NBC Olympics’ social partner for the Games, Buzzfeed will leverage NBC’s access to athletes, as well as clips and shots from inside and outside Rio Olympic venues, to bring Snapchatters a fresh, mobile-first look at the Games. The Discover channel will be live throughout the duration of the Rio Olympics, launching on August 4, one day before the Opening Ceremony, and closing on August 22, the day after the Closing Ceremony.
“We are thrilled to be working closely with Snapchat on extending the stories and excitement of the Rio Olympics to their large, dynamic, and socially active audience,” said Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics. “And who better to partner with to produce content for that audience than Buzzfeed, perhaps the most creative producers in the social content space.”
“Through this partnership with NBC Olympics, we’re able give our Snapchat community the opportunity to dive in and experience the world’s largest sporting event right on their phones,” said Ben Schwerin, Director of Partnerships at Snapchat. “We know Snapchatters will love being a part of the Live Story action and learning more about the Games while browsing the Discover channel.”
NBC Olympics will lead the sales efforts across both Live Stories and Discover channel, working closely with the Snapchat sales team. Finally, select Live Story and all Discover channel content will drive awareness of NBC Olympics television and digital coverage. The 2016 Rio Olympics will be seen on the networks of NBCUniversal, and streamed on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports Live Extra app, both of which require authentication for full access to streams of all Olympic competition.
