NBC, Twitch Partnering on Olympic Content
Live studio shows to stream on Twitch including daily live show from Tokyo
Posted On: May 7, 2021 By :NBC Olympics and Twitch are partnering to produce and deliver live content that will live on a new NBC Olympics Twitch channel leading into and throughout the Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo in 2021. The effort will consist of unique programming tailored to the Twitch community including highlight studio shows, game-ified pre-Olympic activations, Olympic athlete interviews and Olympic-themed gaming competitions.
The first interactive experience on Twitch begins the week leading to the Olympics before the Opening Ceremony as creators and their communities will work to “keep the torch alive” on the NBC Olympics Twitch channel. Viewers of the torch streams will need to work together to collect items and participate in a chat to fan the flame and finally “light the cauldron” on the day of the Opening Ceremony. NBC Olympics and Twitch will also host a pre-Opening Ceremony party the day before the Opening Ceremony, featuring Olympic-themed segments from creators.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Twitch on innovative ways to tell the stories of Team USA’s athletes in Tokyo and build Olympic excitement with their audience,” said Gary Zenkel, president of NBC Olympics. “The Olympic Games are perfectly aligned with Twitch consumers, who are passionate about great competition, personality and storytelling. We can’t wait to bring the unmatched moments and stories of the Olympics to Twitch’s interactive community.”
During the Games, NBC Olympics and Twitch will collaborate on programming to stream on its new NBC Olympics Channel on Twitch including a daily interactive clip show, daily competitions, primetime sidecasting during NBC’s regular broadcasts and a Live From Tokyo segment, which will feature Olympic athlete interviews and Q&As. The program will conclude with a closing celebration, which will consist of a Twitch version of an awards ceremony.
“The way that people consume traditional sporting events is changing,” said Michael Aragon, chief content officer at Twitch. “They no longer want to simply spectate; they want to be as close to the action and athletes as possible. We’ve seen this firsthand with the growth of our sports community on Twitch, as viewers tune in not only to watch their favorite athletes but to also take part in pre and post-game interviews and virtually connect with other fans from around the world.
NBC Olympics will lead the sales process in collaboration with Twitch, giving advertisers another avenue to connect to its coverage of the Games and to Twitch’s audience.
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