NBCUniversal and Team USA are getting an AI-powered boost for the upcoming 2024 Olympics under a new sponsorship collaboration with tech giant Google that includes content integrations.
Google has been named the Official Search AI Partner of Team USA. It’s a partnership-first for the company and the U.S. Olympic team, with plans to use Google Search and other AI-powered Google tools to both show off the products and to highlight athletes’ stories and amp up NBCU’s Olympic and Paralympic Games coverage. The Paris games kick off this Friday, July 26 with the Opening Ceremony on both NBC and streaming platform Peacock.
“This collaboration is more than just a sponsorship; it’s a powerful alliance that brings together the best of technology and sports. By working with Google and NBCUniversal, we are ensuring that our athletes' stories are told in the most dynamic and engaging ways possible,” stated Sarah Hirshland, CEO, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, in the announcement. “This partnership will inspire millions and amplify the incredible efforts of Team USA as they compete on the world stage."
Google’s Marvin Chow, VP of Marketing, in a statement, noted the partnership and Paris Olympics also provides “an incredible stage” to showcase how Google products like Search, Maps and Gemini utilize AI and can help viewers “explore, learn and connect with the Games.”
According to NBCU, Google is on board with integrated sponsored content formats that include ways to search and explore the wide-ranging event using Google Search and related AI tools. In addition to Search, NBCU is also using Google’s Maps and AI assistant Gemini consumer apps within content to offer viewers creative and interactive ways to engage with the games.
The companies called out four key Google product/content integrations.
- Explain the Games with Google: During daytime and primetime Olympic coverage (across NBCU linear networks and Peacock) NBCU’s production team and commentators will leverage and showcase how viewers can use Google Search’s AI Overviews to answer questions about the games (for example, why lane assignments are important in swimming events). In addition to TV coverage, the NBCU-created “Explain the Games” will be pushed on NBCU’s social media accounts.
- Try it with Google Gemini: This sponsored integration features Google’s AI assistant Gemini, where Leslie Jones, Chief Superfan Commentator, will use the tool during NBCU’s Olympics coverage to come up with custom moves or learn a new sport, sharing the experience with linear viewers and those streaming on Peacock.
- One Day in Paris: This integration features five Olympic and Paralympic athletes who will explore areas of their personal interest in the games’ host city of Paris, using Google Lens, Circle to Search, Immersive View in Google Maps and Gemini. These videos will be featured on social and in late-night promos.
- Enhanced 3D broadcasts: Also tapping and promoting advancements in Google Maps, NBCU’s broadcast will feature immersive views of Olympic-related iconic places in Paris, such as Versailles, Stade Roland Garros and the Aquatics Center, delivered by Google Maps Platform’s Photorealistic 3D Tiles.
“We are very excited to be partnering with Google to deliver innovative, highly engaging elements that will enhance the coverage of the Paris Games for our audiences and make every viewer feel as though they are on the ground in Paris,” said Dan Lovinger, president of Olympic & Paralympic Partnerships at NBCUniversal, in a statement. “This one-of-a-kind partnership demonstrates the endless possibilities when you combine innovative technology with premium content to enhance the viewing experience for fans of all ages.”
NBCU holds U.S. media rights for the Olympic Games through 2032 and the media company is going for the gold to enhance the experience for this year’s global competition. That includes a range of product updates and features on Peacock to help viewers more easily navigate and follow the event, such as Multiview, Live Actions, and ways to keep tabs on and find specific sports or favorite athletes. It also added streaming features that cater to brands, like Virtual Concessions, where it planned to partner with last-mile delivery services to offer and prompt fans to make last-minute food and beverage purchases before settling in for a long viewing session. With coverage on Peacock, it also opens up opportunities for targeted advertising and different types of sponsorship formats on the platform.
In another move to highlight athletes from Team USA, NBCUniversal partnered with The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and FAST studios to launch a Team USA TV FAST channel. The 24/7 free streaming channel showcases Team USA athlete stories and their journeys to join the Games with behind-the-scenes access, along the latest news and highlighted archival footage. The channel will last beyond this year’s Olympics, serving as a year-round home that will also follow athletes as they seek to represent the U.S. in future games like Milan-Cortina and Los Angeles. Team USA TV is available on FAST services Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Vizio’s WatchFree+, LG Channels, Xumo Play, and coming soon to Peacock.
On the advertising front NBCU in April disclosed having already secured $1.2 billion in ad sales for the Olympics, saying at the time this year’s Games were “on track to generate the most advertising revenue in Olympic history.” For the first time, the company enabled programmatic ad buying for the Olympics and Paralympics broadcast, as well as the Olympic Trials, in partnership with The Trade Desk.
And while not updating the aforementioned figure, NBCU executives have suggested there are expectations for growth across properties. In a recent interview with NextTV, NBCU’s Lovinger said “we’ll see explosive growth digitally and our linear revenue will likely grow as well.”