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[02/09/06 - 12:00 AM]
NBC Delivers Enhanced Olympic Experience Through Digital Initiatives and Strategic Partnerships
[via press release from NBC]

NBC DELIVERS ENHANCED OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE THROUGH DIGITAL INITIATIVES AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

NBC DELIVERS FANS AN ENHANCED OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE THROUGH DIGITAL INITIATIVES AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

NBC Olympics Joins Forces with Google, ESPN.com, Intel, Sun, Apple, TV Guide and Others to Complement its Unprecedented Broadcast Coverage

TORINO, Italy � February 9, 2006 � NBC Olympics today announced a series of digital initiatives and strategic partnerships designed to enhance its on-air and online coverage of the Torino Olympic Games and reach fans wherever they are, whether at home, the office or on the go.

The Olympic Winter Games are being held from Feb. 10-26 in Torino, Italy. NBC will air 418 hours of coverage, unprecedented for a Winter Games, on NBC, USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC and Universal HD.

"Nothing replaces the shared experience of watching the Olympics on television," said Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics. "These partnerships allow fans to experience the Olympics while on the go, in addition to helping viewers navigate the 418 hours of coverage across the networks of NBC."

Below are some of the new viewer enhancements and strategic partnerships that fans can look for during the Torino Games, including interactive TV, an interactive program guide, a mobile version of NBCOlympics.com and downloadable alerts:

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

GOOGLE

NBC Olympics and Google announce that they have teamed up to share NBC's coverage of the Olympics with the millions of visitors to Google's innovative search and video technologies.

Under the agreement, NBC will provide Google Video with hundreds of pre-Games previews, in-Games 15-second previews of NBCOlympics.com highlights that will link to NBCOlympics.com for the full highlight clips, as well as post-Games highlights and highlights of individual sports for download to own.

When users type in Olympic-themed keywords into Google's search box, they will get to watch these clips as well as access other Olympic-related content.

ESPN.COM

Through a new agreement, NBCOlympics.com is serving as a provider of content for the millions of monthly visitors to ESPN.com. Fans logging on to ESPN.com and clicking on Olympics will have access to NBCOlympics.com's comprehensive coverage of the Torino Games. In addition, a daily two-minute NBC Olympics highlight package voiced by Bob Costas will appear in ESPN Motion video on ESPN.com, and include promotion of NBC's primetime coverage

ABOUT.COM

Top 10 Web site About.com and NBCOlympics.com will provide Web visitors with a unique view of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Under the cross-promotional and editorial agreement, NBCOlympics.com will feature links to About.com content throughout its site. Likewise, About.com will promote NBCOlympics.com to its millions of monthly visitors. Both sites will feature the "About Olympics" blog, written by About.com's travel writer James Martin.

ALERTS

Site visitors can customize their Olympic experience by signing up for e-mail alerts (also available via wireless devices) to be notified when any of the 84 events are starting in Torino and/or being shown on TV. Visitors can also sign up for athlete-specific alerts, medal alerts, and/or breaking news alerts. Additionally, fans can sign up for desktop alerts brought to you by Lenovo, NBC Olympics' official computer equipment supplier and powered by TriggerNews.com, which deliver information right to computers through an easy-to-download application.

VISA

Fans can practice and qualify to compete in fast-paced on-line games prior to the Opening Ceremony in the Visa Championships. Then, race for prizes from February 10-26 when daily leaders in bobsled, snowboard cross, giant slalom, and the combined events are eligible to win prizes and post medals for local NBC affiliate teams. The player with the single best score in a combined event will be eligible for the Grand Prize � a trip to the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver in 2010. A second lucky player from the top medal-winning NBC affiliate team will also win a trip to Vancouver.

INTEL

Intel Corporation and NBC Universal recently announced a deal to provide owners of Intel� ViivTM technology�based PCs and Centrino� mobile technology�based laptops with a selection of on�demand broadband�delivered entertainment content. The first programming will include NBCOlympics.com delivery of highlight coverage from the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in high�resolution video.

Launching off a jointly developed section on NBCOlympics.com entitled "Your NBCOlympics.com Moments," select customers using PCs powered by Intel Viiv technology and Intel Centrino mobile technology will enjoy a range of NBCOlympics.com highlights that will be made available in a high-resolution format through and easy-to-use interface.

SUN MICROSYSTEMS

Sun Microsystems, a worldwide technology leader, will provide network support and interactive technology to NBCOlympics.com to power the website. NBCOlympics.com will be powered by a combination of industry-standard Sun FireTM v490 UltraSPARC IV+ based systems and Sun Fire x64 servers. In the lead-up to the Games, Sun Services is providing installation, engineering expertise and support to NBCOlympics.com.

TV LISTINGS (powered by Zap2it.com)

The TV listings section of NBCOlympics.com, traditionally one of the most trafficked portions of the site during the Games, will be even more important with the expanded Olympic coverage on the NBC Universal networks. NBCOlympics.com's TV listings reflect the most up-to-date programming information as the television schedule is modified throughout the Games. Additionally, site visitors who enter their zip code will receive localized listings that reflect the exact programming available from their local NBC affiliate, including digital affiliate channel locations for high-definition viewing or NBC Universal cable stations � not generic listings by time zone. Viewers will be able to sort the listings by sport, network, day and time, as well as search by keywords such as athlete, team or country.

OLYMPICS ON THE GO

APPLE iTunes PODCASTS

Through a partnership with Apple, podcast users will be able to visit iTunes for a Bob Costas hosted daily audio podcast of the day's highlights and a preview of the upcoming day's events from Torino.

MOBILE OFFERINGS

Via a variety of major carriers, fans will be able to keep track of the Games while on the go. Whether checking scores, updated TV listings or the latest news and medal counts, cell phone users can receive a mobile version of NBCOlympics.com, created by Zingy. In addition, NBC Olympics will make available at least five video highlights daily through MobiTV and will provide users with the opportunity to sign up for event and broadcast alerts, allowing fans to experience the Torino Games, wherever they are, via Goldpocket Wireless.

MOBILE STOREFRONT

By text messaging "Torino" to NBCTV (62288) on web-enabled phones, fans can access ringtones, including Olympic themes, national anthems, or athlete playlists, and wallpapers, such as country flags and images of the Torino Games. These mobile offerings are also available online at NBCOlympics.com. Content is presented in cooperation with Zingy.

VIDEO ON DEMAND

For the first time ever, NBC Universal will make Olympic video available free on demand during the Games through a variety of cable and satellite providers. VOD content will feature more than 12 hours of coverage including daily 10-minute highlight videos and 10 one-hour figure skating programs on participating cable and satellite systems, recapping the previous day's competition. Before the Games begin, free on demand video will feature 21 programs, each approximately five minutes in length, including previews of many of the U.S. athletes expected to compete in Torino.

INTERACTIVE TV

While watching the NBC Universal Olympic networks on DISH Network, DirecTV and Time Warner systems, viewers can track the performance of Team USA, access TV schedules, obtain medal counts and find athlete bios by launching an interactive screen to access more detailed facts and figures.

Note: Offerings vary from system to system

INTERACTIVE PROGRAM GUIDE

With a diverse schedule of events on multiple networks, fans can access schedules on each of the networks of NBC Universal on a convenient single screen on systems with TV Guide Channel, as well as Time Warner, Comcast and Cablevision. TV Guide Channel will feature a dedicated Olympic Winter Games area in its scrolling program listings. Throughout the Torino Games, TV Guide Channel's on-screen program listings will be enhanced with a Team USA Medal Count, while Olympic Updates will provide viewers with the latest Olympic-related information.

As part of its main menu, TV Guide Interactive will feature a 24-hour interactive NBC Olympics icon, which viewers may click on for quick and easy access to the most up-to-date program listings and information on the Olympic Winter Games airing across NBC's broadcast and cable networks.





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