Sochi 2014: NBC Olympics, Facebook Partner for Upcoming Winter Games

NBC Olympics, a division of the NBC Sports Group, and Facebook, including Instagram, will collaborate on the upcoming XXII Olympic Winter Games from Sochi, Russia. The symbiotic collaboration builds on the relationship the two companies enjoyed during the 2012 London Olympics, which was the most-watched event in U.S. television history.
As part of the agreement, the two companies will work on ways to leverage the broadcast and unique NBC Olympics content on Facebook to drive conversation about the Sochi Games and NBC’s coverage across the world’s largest social media platform. For the first time, NBC Olympics will premiere feature video content on Facebook. The first such feature, debuting today, is the story of how J.R. Celski, America’s top short track speed skater, came to know Seattle rapper Macklemore. Their bond developed because of their triumphs over adversity, which for Celski began in the months before the Vancouver Olympics after a harrowing on-ice accident at the Olympic Trials.

Fans who visit the NBC Olympics Page on Facebook will also have the opportunity to ask questions directly to NBC Olympics commentator and Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes during NBC’s primetime coverage of 11 nights of figure skating performances. In addition, the NBC Olympics page on Facebook will feature the most up-to-date news and information, and will engage fans of the Olympic Games with featured polls, photo galleries, trivia, and shareable images.

“Building off of our successful collaboration for the London Olympics, we have expanded our relationship to better serve Olympic fans’ insatiable appetite for Games’ content,” says Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics. “All with an eye on driving viewership to our multi-platform coverage, we will use our unique access to all aspects of the Sochi Games to ignite the Olympic conversation and engagement on Facebook.”

“The Olympics is the world’s premiere sporting event.  People will use Facebook and Instagram to connect and share with their friends and the global community in real-time,” says Justin Osofsky, VP, Partnerships and Operations at Facebook. “Our partnership will help NBC Olympics to use the Facebook and Instagram platforms to connect directly with their viewers to enhance the viewing and digital experiences.”

Representatives from Facebook will once again work with NBC Olympics editorial teams from Sochi to produce social media segments and other integrations of the social commentary surrounding the Games that will air across NBC Olympics’ multi-platform coverage.

The Olympics Begin on Feb. 6, 2014
With more Winter Olympic events than ever before, competition for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games from Sochi, Russia, will begin one day prior to the Opening Ceremony. As a result, NBC will begin its primetime coverage of the 2014 Sochi Olympics on Thursday, February 6, one night before the broadcast network provides its traditional coverage of the Opening Ceremony on Friday, February 7. This marks the first time NBC will air Olympic primetime coverage before the Opening Ceremony. The primetime broadcast on Thursday, February 6, is scheduled to include competition in snowboard slopestyle (men’s and women’s), in which two-time gold medalist Shaun White is expected to compete in the slopestyle’s Olympic debut; team figure skating, which is also in the Olympics for the first time; and women’s freestyle moguls.