PyeongChang 2018: NBC Olympics, Snap Bring Live Winter Games Moments to U.S. Snapchatters

NBC Olympics and Snap Inc. will partner to bring the first-ever live event coverage to Snapchat during NBC Olympics’ coverage of the 23rd Winter Games from PyeongChang, South Korea. In the premiere of Snapchat’s new “Live” feature, NBC Olympics will live stream a top moment each day on its Discover page to Snapchatters in the United States, beginning this Saturday, February 10. This will mark the first time that NBC Olympics has ever distributed live Olympic programming off of its own platforms.  

In addition, the Snap and NBC Olympics partnership will include custom Context Cards in “Our Stories,” with information from NBCOlympics.com curated by teams of editors at Snapchat. NBC Olympics will also debut two original shows on Snapchat Discover, Pipe Dreams and Chasing Gold, and will again work with BuzzFeed to co-produce daily Publisher Stories, after NBC’s successful partnership with BuzzFeed during the Rio Olympics. 

Using a new video player experience, Snapchat’s Live will give Snapchatters access to a key Olympic moment during NBC’s live primetime broadcast each night on their mobile devices, whether it’s a crucial triple axel, make-or-break bobsled run, or high-flying snowboard trick. This Live feature will allow users to zoom in on different live angles during each moment and subscribe to receive notifications when NBC Olympics is about to go live on Snapchat. The first Live moment will be available during NBC’s primetime coverage this Saturday, Feb. 10. 

“Building off our successful partnership for the Rio Olympics, we’re excited to significantly expand the NBC Olympic experience on Snapchat by delivering even more content and coverage to the platform, including a live look-in on one of the most compelling moments each day during the Games,” says Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics.  

“Snapchat’s broad reach and young media savvy users will again present an excellent opportunity to engage this important segment of the American audience with great Olympic storytelling, custom built for this media hungry audience.” 

“We think Live will offer a great way to watch the moments that matter the most on mobile,” says Ben Schwerin, Snap’s Vice President of Partnerships.  

“NBC Olympics has been a tremendous partner, and we’re so excited to launch this product with them. We’re looking forward to building on our success from Rio 2016, bringing Snapchatters even more ways to experience the Olympics in PyeongChang.” 

In addition, Snap will create custom Context Cards that incorporate assets, data and other information provided by NBC Olympics.  These Context Cards provide Snapchatters with additional information related to the Games, including an in-depth look at the schedule of the Games, all nations’ and athletes’ medal counts, articles from NBCOlympics.com, the local weather, and links to follow Team USA athletes on Snapchat. The cards will be featured in daily Our Stories, curated by Snapchat, and Snapchatters will be able to access the cards by swiping up on Snaps that say “MORE” in the Story. 

This week, NBC Olympics debuts its first-ever original Shows for Snapchat – Pipe Dreams, a four-part series profiling three Olympic snowboarding hopefuls and Chasing Gold, a 17-episode series on the journeys of Team USA athletes as they compete for gold. The first episode of Pipe Dreams is available now. Chasing Gold will premiere tomorrow, February 8, and run throughout the first 10 days of the Games. Chasing Gold will feature Team USA athletes including Lindsey Vonn, Chloe Kim, Gus Kenworthy and Nathan Chen. The shows are being produced by NBCUniversal’s Digital Lab. 

Our Story coverage featuring NBC Olympics materials, including broadcast clips, will be available for all Snapchatters in the U.S. to view. Our Stories will include behind-the-scenes and fan moments submitted by Snapchatters on the ground in PyeongChang and curated by Snapchat to capture the experience and excitement of attending this global event. 

NBC Olympics Winter Games Publisher Stories will include content that covers all aspects of the Games, co-produced by a dedicated BuzzFeed team on the ground in PyeongChang. As an NBC Olympics’ social partner for the Games, BuzzFeed will leverage NBC’s access to athletes, as well as clips and shots from inside and outside PyeongChang Olympic venues, to bring Snapchatters a fresh, mobile-first look at the Games. 

Both the Our Stories and Publisher Stories will be available on Snapchat’s Discover page throughout the Winter Games.