STAMFORD, Conn.—NBC Olympics is ramping up its planned programming for the Tokyo games, announcing a new partnership with livestreaming service Twitch to produce and deliver live content that will be available through a unique NBC Olympics Twitch channel leading up to and during the Olympics.
The planned programing will include highlight studio shows, pre-Olympics activations, athlete interviews and Olympic-themed gaming competitions, all geared toward the Twitch community.
Olympic coverage on Twitch will start a week before the games begin with an interactive program to keep the Olympic torch “alive” by collecting items and participating in chats so as to ultimately light the cauldron on the day of the Opening Ceremony.
Also pre-Opening Ceremony, the NBC Olympics Twitch channel will feature Olympic-themed segments from top creators, all taking place in a virtual setting.
During the games, the NBC Olympics Channel will feature a daily interactive clip show showing the best highlights of the day with polls, live AMAs and games included. There will also be a daily competition where teams of Twitch creators try to accrue medals throughout the Olympics’ two weeks. Also, Twitch will offer live commentary as a companion to NBC’s primetime broadcast and a Live from Tokyo segment will provide athlete interviews and Q&As.
“The way that people consume traditional sporting events is changing. They no longer want to simply spectate; they want to be as close to the action and athletes as possible,” said Michael Aragon, chief content officer at Twitch. “The Olympics present an opportunity for a global fan base to embrace this new world of live and interactive sports. We are thrilled to partner with NBC to give fans in the United States an intimate, front row seat to this iconic sporting event and connect American athletes and fans in a way that can only happen on Twitch.”
The 2021 Toyko Olympics will take place from July 23-Aug. 8.
