Many people watching the Olympics will likely be tuning in from the comfort of their own home. But those living in the United States’ largest cities are always on the move, and NBC wants to help them follow along whether they’re headed to work, the grocery store, the train station, or out walking the dog.
So NBC’s Olympics division on Tuesday announced a new partnership with Intersection, a company that provides smart city and digital media solutions, to bring PyeongChang 2018 to New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
Using thousands of screens across the three cities, NBC and Intersection will display highlights, previews, medal counts, athlete profiles, and real-time notifications. In the lead-up to Friday’s Opening Ceremony, teasers will also be put on screen.
“Our content partnership reflects a new approach to storytelling in cities using one of the most inspiring and unifying global events,” Intersection CEO Ari Buchalter said in a statement. “With thousands of digital screens across our cities and transit hubs, our partnership allows us to bring NBC’s coverage of the Winter Games to fans in entirely new ways, and create unique content and advertising experiences for consumers.”
But where are all these screens?
In New York City, the content will be shown on the LinkNYC network of Wi-Fi-enabled digital kiosks covering most of Manhattan and parts of the other boroughs. In Chicago and Philadelphia, NBC and Intersection will spread content throughout urban screens as well as digitally equipped bus shelters and train stations served by the Chicago Transit Authority and Philly’s SEPTA and PATCO rail lines, according to NBC/Intersection.
“Whether walking the streets of New York, riding the Chicago L, or waiting in Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, Olympics fans in these three cities will be surrounded by the excitement of the Winter Games,” Gary Zenkel, NBC Olympics’ president, said in a statement. “Emerging media platforms like the LinkNYC network in New York City represent another way for NBCUniversal to reassemble the television audience by extending the reach of our Olympic coverage, content and promotion to spaces where the American audience now consumes media.”
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In this chilly winter, though, many city dwellers may opt to hail a ride instead, and NBC has them covered for Olympics content as well. On Wednesday, NBC and Uber announced a partnership that will provide curated Olympics content to Uber passengers via the Uber app.
Once they begin their trip, passengers can watch athlete interviews and highlights curated by NBC Olympics’ editorial team specifically for the car ride. The interviews will focus on athletes and broadcasters in transit from one event site to another, providing recaps or anticipation for an upcoming event, NBC announced.
“The Olympics unite the world in sport and we are thrilled to be teaming up with NBC to connect Olympics fans across the country with exclusive content through the Uber app,” Amy Friedlander Hoffman, Uber’s Head of BD & Experiential Marketing, said in . statement. “For the first time ever, Uber riders will have access to Olympic highlights while on trip, bringing them closer to the action no matter where they are going.”
Either way, beginning Friday evening and continuing for 17 days, commuters on foot, train, bus, and car in America’s metropolises will be immersed in the Olympics experience – even if they’re not home to watch Lindsey Vonn and Shaun White hit the slopes.