NBC's 2012 London Olympics second screen and streaming apps for Android and iOS launch today
NBC mentioned it would deliver two complementary mobile apps for its extensive London Olympics coverage and now they have arrived. Available for Android phones and tablets as well as the iPhone and iPad, they're built on Adobe technology to deliver the information and live streaming video, as well as handle the TV Everywhere authentication with the cable providers that's necessary to view all of the content. The NBC Olympics Live Companion is specifically designed to operate as a second screen for users to pull up stats and extra info on while they watch TV, and the NBC Olympics Live Extra app delivers video of every event streaming live to users wherever they are. It supports multiple camera angles, social features like the Facebook tie-ins NBC announced yesterday and users can even switch between the two apps at will.
Check after the break for a quick video preview of some of the technology at work, and if you're planning to tune into the games, hit NBC's Olympics site now to sign in and authenticate so once the Opening Ceremony kicks off, all you'll have to do is press play.
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NBC OLYMPICS LAUNCHES TWO APPS TODAY FOR LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES
NBC Olympics Live Extra app to Live Stream 3,500+ Hours -- Every Sport, Every Competition, Every Medal – to Multi-Channel Video Subscribers
NBC Olympics app to provide short-form highlights, schedules, live results, columns, athlete profiles, and new Primetime Companion feature
Both apps built and powered by Adobe
Apps available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and select Android handset and tablet devices
NEW YORK – July 12, 2012 – NBC Olympics, a division of the NBC Sports Group, is launching two apps today, both built by and powered by Adobe (Nasdaq: ADBE), as part of its comprehensive coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games.
The first app, NBC Olympics Live Extra, will allow cable, satellite and telco customers to live stream more than 3,500 hours of content, including all 32 sports, every athletic competition and all 302 medal events. The second app, simply titled NBC Olympics, will provide short-form highlights, TV and online schedules, live results, columns and the new Primetime Companion feature -- the ultimate complementary, second-screen experience for NBC's nightly primetime Olympic broadcasts.
"NBC Olympics Live Extra puts the London Olympic Games into the hands of America's tablet and smartphone user, enabling us to once again use advances in technology to provide the broadest possible access to the thousands of hours of Olympic competition", said Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics. "The NBC Olympics app will be the definitive and most up to date source of information from the London Games, with Live Results, and dynamically served TV and online listings, the exclusive mobile source in the U.S. for London Olympic video highlights, and during NBC primetime, a second screen for enhanced viewing and social interaction when America again gathers each night for 17 nights to share in the incredible stories from London."
NBC Olympics partnered with Adobe, who built both apps and is powering them through the conclusion of the Games. The apps are available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch via Apple's App Store, and select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.
"It's been great working with NBC Olympics to change the way live sporting events are experienced by consumers. NBC is now able to create, deliver, monetize and measure the Olympics across mobile devices – using tools and technologies that make up Adobe's video solutions." said David Wadhwani, senior vice president, Digital Media Business at Adobe. "We're working closely with NBC Olympics and others to ensure viewers have a seamless viewing experience with two easy-to-navigate apps."
Zenkel added, "NBC Olympics is confident that Adobe, a proven technology leader and longtime partner, will deliver the best mobile event application experiences America has ever seen."
To learn more about Adobe technology powering the apps and for a behind-the-scenes video, go to blogs.adobe.com/digitalmedia.
NBC OLYMPICS LIVE EXTRA
The NBC Olympics Live Extra app will live stream every athletic competition for the first time ever. In all, the app will live stream more than 3,500 total programming hours, including every athletic competition, all 32 sports, the awarding of all 302 medals as well as event rewinds. NBC Olympics Live Extra will also live stream the Olympic content that airs on the four NBCU cable channels -- NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo.
In another first, NBC Olympics Live Extra will provide multiple concurrent streams for select sports, such as gymnastics (each apparatus), track and field (each event), and tennis (up to five courts). For example, during a session of track and field, instead of viewing only a single feed that moves from event to event, a user can choose to watch a stream dedicated to a specific event, such as the long jump or javelin.
The vast majority of live stream content on NBC Olympics Live Extra will only be available to verified cable, satellite or telco customers. In order to access the live stream content, existing cable, satellite and telco customers should follow these verification procedures (note: customers must subscribe to a video tier that includes both CNBC and MSNBC):
1. Download the NBC Olympics Live Extra app 2. Open the app 3. Tap the "Touch Here & Get Ready" callout 4. Select your cable, satellite or telco provider 5. Enter the username and password that corresponds with your account 6. You are signed in throughout the Games on that device!
Customers with multiple devices should repeat the procedure on each device. There is no additional charge for this service and a customer's subscription will not be affected. For customers who do not have a username and password, they should contact their cable, satellite or
telco provider to create one. More information about the process, including contact information for cable, satellite and telco providers, can be found at:
www.nbcolympics.com/liveextra/help.
NBC OLYMPICS
While NBC Olympics Live Extra will be the mobile and tablet home for live stream content, the NBC Olympics app will be the home for everything else Olympics, including short-form highlights, event schedules, TV and online listings, results, athlete profiles, columns and the new Primetime Companion feature.
The Primetime Companion is the ultimate complementary, second-screen experience for NBC's nightly primetime Olympic broadcast. Users can go deeper into the broadcast with trivia, polls, slideshows, videos and athlete bios all synced with what is being presented on NBC. The companion will also allow users to share the primetime experience with friends and family through a series of social tools connected through Facebook and Twitter. Synched to each device's clock, the Primetime Companion will automatically appear when a user opens the app during NBC's primetime broadcast.
POWERED BY ADOBE
The entire Olympics mobile and tablet experiences were built by and are powered by technologies that make up Adobe's Project Primetime, enabling NBC Olympics to create, deliver, verify, monetize and measure the Games across mobile and tablet devices.
Both apps have been built with Adobe AIR to deliver a consistent content and video playback experience across platforms. With support of the integrated Adobe Pass authentication service, users will be able to gain access to over 3,500 hours of Olympic live stream content.
Advertising in both apps will be served via Adobe Auditude, Adobe's video ad management and monetization platform, which ties in with NBC Olympics' existing ad system. Adobe SiteCatalyst, Adobe's flagship digital analytics solution, will enable NBC to measure user traffic and engagement across both apps for live video streams, ads and video-on-demand (VOD) content for all iOS and Android devices.
Adobe creative tools including Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, Flash Builder, and Flex are being used for the design and development of the apps. Go to blogs.adobe.com/digitalmedia for more information.
About NBC Olympics
