Snapchat to stream live video moments from NBCs Winter Olympics coverage
- Wednesday, February 7th, 2018
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NBC is going to be the first television network to utilise a tool from Snap that enables them to stream snippets of live broadcasts directly into the Snapchat app.
The deal is an extension of Snap’s existing partnership with NBCUniversal – which invested $500m in the tech company during its IPO – and will see NBC stream live video coverage of the 23rd Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
“We do believe that the best place to watch a live game and a live awards show is on television,” said Ben Schwerin, vice president of partnerships at Snap, told The Wall Street Journal. “But if we can show the one moment that matters most on Snapchat, we think we can create a complementary experience.”
NBCU will also put two Olympics short-format shows on Snapchat about snowboarding athletes and Team USA, while also working with BuzzFeed to put photo and video montages of the Games on the app.
Back in July last year, NBC News launched a twice-daily news show called ‘Stay Tuned’ on the Snapchat Discover platform, becoming the first daily news show to arrive on the app. Snap and NBCU would follow this up later in the year with a deal to create a digital content studio with a focus on made-for-mobile programming.
The Olympics itself already has its own Snapchat channel providing original programming for Shows on the Discover page. This partnership will also see Snap produce Our Stories featuring footage provided by the Olympic Channel team during the Winter Games, as well as face lenses, logos, and stickers being rolled out.
“As the Olympic Channel continues to evolve, we are dedicated to creating more personalised experiences for our viewers as we continue to expand our global footprint,” said Mark Parkman, general manager of the IOC’s global Olympic Channel. “We’re excited to begin this new collaboration with Snapchat which will allow us to capitalise on its unique distribution platform and creative tools through bespoke, youth-oriented content that reaches our common target audiences.”