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NBC rebrands Olympics app as NBC Sports Live Extra, promises streams for a wider athletic universe
NBC's Olympics Live Extra may have lost its original raison d'être after the flame was extinguished in London, but that doesn't mean it's time to purge the app from your phone's home screen. An update for Android and iOS users alike is giving the title new life as NBC Sports Live Extra, and the name makes it quite obvious that you'll have a lot more to watch than just biathlons and fencing. NBC expects to offer live streaming for the European PGA, LPGA, MLS, NHL, Notre Dame, PGA, Ryder Cup and other events or leagues culled from the channel formerly known as Versus. Highlights, social sharing and other side features will carry over as well. You don't have to do a thing beyond check for a new version to make the switch to the already updated apps, but you will have to subscribe to conventional TV to use them properly: NBC is requiring TV Everywhere authentication for access to most of what's on offer from NBC Sports Network and the Golf Channel.
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"NBC OLYMPICS LIVE EXTRA" APP RE-LAUNCHES TODAY AS "NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA"
App to Live Stream MLS, NHL, Notre Dame Football, PGA Tour, Ryder Cup & More in Upcoming Months
Most Content Only Available To TV Everywhere Customers
Users Will Automatically Receive New App When They Update NBC Olympics Live Extra
NEW YORK – August 30, 2012 – The NBC Olympics Live Extra app, which provided more than 3,500 hours of Olympic live stream content during the London 2012 Olympic Games to TV Everywhere customers, will re-launch today as NBC Sports Live Extra. In the coming months, the new app will live stream an abundance of live sporting events that air on NBC, NBC Sports Network or Golf Channel, including MLS, NHL, Notre Dame Football, PGA TOUR, LPGA, European PGA TOUR, Ryder Cup and more, with the vast majority of content only available to TV Everywhere customers.
The NBC Sports Live Extra app will include companion features such as in-game highlights, social media interactivity, and other elements that will enhance the viewing experience. In partnership with cable, satellite and telco distributors, a larger, secondary re-launch will occur later this year highlighted by numerous NBC Sports Network and Golf Channel live events being provided strictly to TV Everywhere customers.
"Whether used as a primary or secondary screen, the NBC Sports Live Extra app will provide an exceptional viewing experience for mobile and tablet users," said Rick Cordella, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Digital, NBC Sports Group. "Working with our cable, satellite and telco distributors, we will extend the expertise we have accrued by streaming some of the most popular sporting events to our year-round sports on multiple devices."
Users who downloaded NBC Olympics Live Extra will automatically receive NBC Sports Live Extra when they update the app. For those who did not download the Olympics app, NBC Sports Live Extra is available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.
Viewers consumed 23.8 million live streams and 4.5 million live stream hours on the NBC Olympics Live Extra app for the 2012 London Olympics. NBC Sports has a rich live streaming history and plans to stream more than 400 live events in 2013. In February, NBCSports.com and NFL.com live streamed Super Bowl XLVI, the first-ever live stream of a Super Bowl. The game attracted 2,105,441 users, making it the most-watched, single-game sports event ever online, according to data provided by Omniture and mDialog, surpassing any previously reported record.
