NEW YORK—AI generated content will be breaking new ground in major sports coverage at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris with NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock announcing that it will harness AI technology to present “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock”.
To create what NBCU is calling “a first-of-its-kind, personalized experience” the company is working with Emmy Award-winning, Hall of Fame announcer Al Michaels to use generative AI and AI voice synthesis technology to produce “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock.” The recaps will provide fans with their own customized playlist featuring highlights of the events most relevant to them from the previous day. Each compilation will feature clips from NBCU’s Olympics coverage and be narrated by a high-quality AI re-creation of Michaels’ voice, which was trained using his past appearances on NBC and matches his expertise and elocution.
“Peacock continues to introduce unique customer-first features that strengthen our unmatched leadership in live streaming,” said Kelly Campbell, president of Peacock and Direct-to-Consumer, NBCUniversal. “With these recaps alongside interactive elements like Peacock Live Actions and Discovery Multiview, we’re bringing the best of sports together with the best of technology to deliver fans a personalized Olympics experience in a way that’s never been possible before.”
“When I was approached about this, I was skeptical but obviously curious,” said Al Michaels. “Then I saw a demonstration detailing what they had in mind. I said, ‘I’m in.’”
“Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock” is tailored to the Olympics fan on-the-go and will be available to Peacock subscribers starting July 27 at www.peacocktv.com/olympics on all supported web browsers as well as on the Peacock app on select mobile and tablet devices.
NBCU reported that nearly 7 million personalized variants of “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock” could be streamed across the U.S. during the Games – all generated by pulling from NBCUniversal’s 5,000 hours of live coverage from Paris, where up to 40 Olympics events will be happening concurrently each day.
To receive “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock,” fans can visit the Olympic hub and Home page of Peacock starting July 27 and opt into the types of highlights they would like to see, including their three favorite sports and preferred topics, such as behind-the-scenes and backstories, top competition, viral and trending moments, and a spotlight on international teams. The first edition on July 27 will be highlights from the Opening Ceremony and starting July 28, after the first full day of events, personalized versions for each individual will be available, the company reported.
The technology will pull from hundreds of NBC Sports-produced clips each day to generate a playlist of around 10 minutes highlighting the most relevant moments from the prior day for each user, along with a look ahead to what fans can expect to see in the NBC Primetime show. The recaps narrated by the A.I. re-creation of Michaels’ voice will give an overview of each selected highlight. A team of NBCU editors will review all content, including audio and clips, for quality assurance and accuracy before recaps are made available to users.
“Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock” will be featured in Peacock’s homepage and Olympics hub and available at the individual profile level, so up to six users on one account can receive their own recaps. The majority of users can also be welcomed by their first name for an even more personalized experience. Users can opt into receiving push and in-app notifications to remind them to watch their recaps.
“Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock” will be available on the following web browsers: Chrome 112+ (Windows/Mac); Firefox 113+ (Windows/Mac); MS Edge 112+ (Windows/Mac); and Safari 14+ (Mac); and the Peacock app on iOS and iPadOS devices running 14 or later.
As the streaming home of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Peacock will provide fans with the most comprehensive Olympic destination in U.S. media history. In a Summer Games first for Peacock, it will stream every sport and event, including all 329 medal events. Peacock’s extensive Olympics hub will feature curated rails of live and upcoming events; dedicated in-depth sections for nearly 40 sports; full-event replays; all NBC programming, including its nightly primetime show; curated video clips; virtual channels; medal standings; and an interactive schedule.
