We’re officially thirty days away from the highly anticipated London Summer Olympics. News is starting to pour out in the social TV world, and official broadcaster NBC has some exciting projects in the works. As usual, we wanted you to have access to an inside look, so we spoke to Rick Cordella, SVP & GM for NBC Sports Digital, Ruthie Wittenberg, Senior Director, Corporate & Olympic Marketing at NBC Universal and Lyndsay Iorio, Manager, Social Media at NBC Sports Group about the larger than life sports event.
Today, the NBC Sports Group officially announced that 3,500 hours of live streamed Olympics content will be available at NBCOlympics.com and via new mobile apps which will launch in July. Via TV Anywhere, users will need to authenticate with their cable, satellite or telco provider details to prove that they’re subscribed to NBC, CNBC and MSNBC. Explains Gary Zenkel, President of NBC Olympics, “(It) truly represents the ultimate opportunity for the cable/satellite/telco industry to demonstrate the value of TV Everywhere.” NBC plans an unprecedented marketing campaign dedicated solely to verification. Users can authenticate in advance at NBCOlympics.com/LiveExtra.
The streaming will be largely powered by YouTube, but the clips themselves will only be available on NBC Olympics’ properties — not on YouTube.com.
NBC’s different social TV activations are only beginning. Tomorrow, they will host the first Google+ Hangout with a qualified London 2012 athlete, U.S. Women’s Soccer Midfielder Megan Rapinoe. You can tweet #AskMegan to participate in the conversation with her. We spoke with NBC Olympics’ social TV team about prep for the Olympics, integrating sponsors, working with athletes, the partners they’re working with and how they’ll be tracking buzz. We’re predicting many “firsts” and exciting social TV moments that would have never been possible four years ago.
LR: How is NBC Sports using social media to prepare for the Olympics?
Rick Cordella: We’re celebrating and highlighting the milestones on the road to London from the start of the Torch Relay and counting. Olympic athletes, fans, and supporters are an ever growing worldwide community – as are the largest social networks. We’re looking to athletes, National Governing Bodies, Corporate, and obviously Olympic (USOC and IOC) partners to help get the word out early that we want to hear from you.
Social is a core part of our plan to ensure fans have the first access to all the inspiring, heartbreaking and entertaining activities taking place in London. But it can’t be a one-way flow of information. The point of our social efforts is to connect Olympic supporters. For them to discuss the latest news, celebrate successes, and possibly join us at the Closing Ceremony.
LR: What specific partners are you working with? Any social TV startups?
Cordella: It’s no secret there are a few social networks a bit larger than others. It’s safe to say we’re working with them to bring people the most social, not just the most digital, Olympics experience ever.
(Editor’s note: Yesterday we reported NBC Olympics’ partnership with Shazam.)
LR: When did you start coming up with the social TV strategy?
Ruthie Wittenberg: The NBC Sports social TV strategy doesn’t have a start or end date. It is one part of our overarching storytelling strategy – more than a strategy; it’s a way of bringing people closer to our properties and events, including the Olympics. We’ve executed social TV as part of our overarching digital and social plans for Sunday Night Football for the past several years, and will use our best practices from SNF to create the most engaging social TV experience for London.
LR: How will you be tracking social buzz around the Olympics?
Lyndsay Iorio: We want social to help fans have a better viewing experience, period. With all the platforms we’ll have active – nbcolympics.com, twitter, facebook, instagram, tumblr – there will be no shortage of data. Social will be included in NBC Research’s famous ‘Billion Dollar Research Lab.’
LR: How will athletes be involved?
Wittenberg: It will differ by athlete and team, but we expect you’ll be hearing from them and getting an insider’s view of what the Games are like – especially at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies when they have a chance to hang with and support one another before they’re off to compete.
From strictly NBC Olympics’ social side, we have had the opportunity to sit down with a number of the top U.S. Olympic hopefuls to gather content specifically for distribution through our social channels. We’ve been rolling out that content since January and will continue to sprinkle it in throughout the Games.
LR: How will sponsors be involved in social components?
Iorio: NBC Olympics on Facebook will have a few sponsored experiences including a Closing Ceremony Sweepstakes presented by BMW that is currently running through July 2. There will be social integrations among many of executions on NBCOlympics.com that are also sponsored. Many of the worldwide Olympic partners have great social presences and plans – Coca-Cola, Visa, and McDonald’s come to mind.