Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Live From PyeongChang: As Streaming Numbers Soar, Connected Devices are the Breakout Star for NBC Olympics

23/02/2018

Live From PyeongChang: As Streaming Numbers Soar, Connected Devices are the Breakout Star for NBC Olympics Enhanced Viewing Experience adds informative, interactive touch to digital device UI By Brandon Costa, Director of Digital

Thursday, February 22, 2018 - 2:39 pm

Print This Story

Despite the worries regarding the dramatic time zone shift coming into these Winter Games [PyeongChang is a full 15 hours ahead of EST], NBC Olympics in the U.S. has blown its streaming numbers out of the water.

For the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app have already tripled the amount of live streaming events it saw at the 2014 Sochi Games.

In numbers reported by NBC Sports (which it attributes to Adobe Analytics), viewers logged a whopping 1.31 billion live streaming minutes on NBCOlympics.com and through the NBC Sports app as of February 18. That number already tripled the same total metric from the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and with more than a week to spare. In addition, there was 11.6 million uniques as of the same date, which is up 174% from Sochi (4.3 million).

Things are going well. But outside of the natural growth in usership of authenticated live streaming apps over the past four years, what's the deal? In the eyes of execs at NBC Olympics, the key reason for the explosion in digital viewers is Connected TV. Devices like Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire none of which, mind you, even existed during the last Winter Olympic Games are providing an easy to navigate environment and a lean-back experience on one's home television screen.

We've been blown away by Connected, says Rick Cordella, EVP and GM, Digital Media for NBC Sports Group. Historically, the Olympics have seen our primetime' audience come in around noon on a weekday when everyone's taking their lunch break. Now it's shifted with Connected TVs where we are mirroring what [linear] TV is seeing. So, our peaks are at night in primetime, they're on Saturday and Sundays, and we have a large number of people streaming tape-delayed coverage on NBCSN, which has never happened before.

Rick Cordella, EVP and GM, Digital Media, NBC Sports Group says connected TV device usage has been a boon to this Olympics' streaming numbers.

Cordella noted that the app experience on a phone or laptop is great for viewing on the go but tends to deliver shorter use times. Through the Connected TV devices, users are more likely to throw an event on their big screen and consume content for longer stretches.

If you think about the different platforms: desktop and mobile, he says, you seek out content. You know it's there, you know what you want to watch, you want to go find it, you watch it, and you're done. Now we're seeing the sort of lean back experience of TV with all the connected devices. Like I mentioned, we had a few hundred thousand people watching NBC's taped coverage on a Sunday afternoon. We're saying wow, never seen that before.' That's been the big change.

Delivering the Experience

For all of its international rightsholding broadcasters, the IOC's host broadcaster, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) produces a white label version of a live streaming app that can be taken and directly delivered to consumers. Major broadcasters like NBC Sports, however, choose instead to take OBS's package of APIs (application programming interface) and SDKs (software-development kits) in order to plug the live streaming video and event data directly into its own existing app. The obvious benefit of that is that many viewers may already have the NBC Sports app on their device and the network wins with the branding and exposure that comes with pushing new users to a primary app. Plus, the friction to get a user to download a new app for a two-week event is tremendously high and a broadcaster loses all of that valuable user data when the event is over with a one-off white label app.

A big thing for us was the Super Bowl was just three days prior [to the start of the Olympics], says Cordella. So you have all these new people coming in and downloading the [NBC Sports] app. We obviously had an enormous audience for the Super Bowl and we actually have seen a pretty good crossover of that audience back with us at the Olympics. I think it really benefited us having that happening just three days in advance.

On the backend, NBC Olympics' live streaming experience is a product of NBC Sports' Playmaker Media and its technology partner iStreamPlanet. More than 75 staffers work through the night in Stamford, CT at NBC Sports' facility to support and QC the technology of the live streaming product.

Plus, the Olympics aren't happening in a silo for NBC Sports. It's other properties, including the NFL, NHL, and Premier League, all continue to test the infrastructure's capabilities on a nightly basis.

It's all still powered by the same technology stack, says Eric Black, Chief Technology Officer of NBC Sports Digital and Playmaker Media. Its really just a balance of volume and, frankly, overnights since our staff is largely here [in Stamford] from 8 p.m. ET on. The volume and the concurrency of what we're doing is pretty on-par with what we see on most of our weekends. The difference is its every night for 17 straight nights. That's where the challenges lie.

Enhancing the Experience

Users may have noticed a few new enhancements to this Olympics' streaming experience. NBC Sports is calling it Enhanced Viewing Experience as the network leverages its archived media assets and data feeds coming in from OBS to provide a more informative and interactive UI.

During the Primetime Show viewers are welcomed with a slate of information, including a rundown of the events and athletes to be featured that night. Chr
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2018/02/22/live-from-pyeongchang-as-stream...
See more stories from svg

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

03/02/2026

Nielsen To Launch Co-Viewing Pilot Program Beginning With Super Bowl

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/02/2026

PGA TOUR, DraftKings, ESPN Expand Betcast To 12 More Events

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/02/2026

IAB Launches Project Eidos To Modernize Ad, Marketing Measurement

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/02/2026

NBCUniversal and Roku Launch the NBC Winter Olympics Experience

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/02/2026

Berklee Alumni Recognized at the 2026 Grammy Awards

Berklee Alumni Recognized at the 2026 Grammy Awards Winners took home trophies in nine categories, including Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and Songwriter o...

02/02/2026

SBS's High-Flying Drama The Airport Chaplain casts Hugo Weaving alongside The Pitt's breakout star Shabana Azeez

SBS's High-Flying Drama The Airport Chaplain casts Hugo Weaving alongside Th...

02/02/2026

CALL TO PARTICIPATE AT THE SERIES MANIA FORUM 2026

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), is calling for applications from experienced Sou...

02/02/2026

Inside the Avionics That Make Artemis II Possible: How L3Harris Units Drive the Space Launch System

Photo Credit: NASA. Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion Spacecraft rollou...

02/02/2026

ESPNs deal for NFL Network Gets Regulatory Approval

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/02/2026

Hewshott Entering New Era as Daniel Lee Transitions to G...

Hewshott, an industry leading global AV, IT, Theatre, and Acoustics consultancy firm has completed a global transition with current UK Managing Director, Daniel...

02/02/2026

Public Media Management Names LTN as Technology Partner f...

Public Media Management (PMM) today announced LTN as the technology partner for PMM Cloud, its new managed, cloud-based master control solution purpose-built fo...

02/02/2026

Big Academic Investments in Virtual Production Fuel Adoption

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/02/2026

Audiences Can Expect Seamless Viewing From Milan-Cortina

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/02/2026

NBC Olympics Will Take Audio to New Heights in Milan-Cortina

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

02/02/2026

XR Acquires Telly Traffic to Bolster UK Advertising Opera...

XR, the leading platform powering advertising operations, today announced the acquisition of Telly Traffic, a UK-based business affairs specialist with nearly t...

02/02/2026

Big Blue Marble Becomes Launch Partner for the AWS Europe...

Big Blue Marble, a provider of broadcast-grade, cloud-native video solutions for broadcasters, service providers, and content owners, has become a launch partne...

02/02/2026

Mahindra launches XUV 7XO as Indias first vehicle with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, redefining the future of in-car...

February 2 2026, 20:30 (PST) Mahindra launches XUV 7XO as Indias first vehicle ...

02/02/2026

Bergerac S2 teaser released, ahead of return to U and U&DRAMA in Spring

Teaser available to view HERE Damien Molony as Jim Bergerac Ahead of the hotly anticipated return of Bergerac to U and U&DRAMA in the Spring, a teaser has bee...

02/02/2026

Rohde & Schwarz reshapes mid-range market with new 44 GHz FPL spectrum analyzer and 40 MHz real-time analysis

Rohde & Schwarz reshapes mid-range market with new 44 GHz FPL spectrum analyzer ...

02/02/2026

Cesc Gay's New Film Premieres March 27 on Netflix

Back to All News Cesc Gays New Film Premieres March 27 on Netflix Entertainment 02 February 2026 GlobalSpain Link copied to clipboard Download the first i...

02/02/2026

DPA is proud to join the Audiotonix mix

In addition to DPA Microphones, the company will also be acquiring Wisycom and Austrian Audio. The acquisition is now being filed for regulatory approval and sh...

02/02/2026

Arvato Systems launches a flexible and standardized billing solution

Arvato Systems launches a flexible and standardized billing solution New SAP S/4HANA Utilities master system combines standardization, economies of scale, and...

31/01/2026

Spotify Celebrates the 2026 Best New Artist Nominees During a Star-Studded Party in L.A.

Spotify's annual Best New Artist celebration returned to Los Angeles last ni...

31/01/2026

US Navy Selects L3Harris Red Wolf for Precision Attack Strike Munition Program

The Navy's Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (HX) 21 launch a Long Range Attack Missile from an AH-1Z off coast of Virginia in late 2025. This demonstration ...

31/01/2026

creativespace 3 0 5 Simplifies Creative Workflows with In...

DigitalGlue, creator of the award-winning creative.space Platform, has announced the release of creative.space OS 3.0.5, the latest software update within the ...

31/01/2026

ES Broadcast Hire sends out kit for major February sporti...

ES Broadcast Hire, the long-established hire arm of ES Media Group, has spent the last few months busily preparing and sending out high-quality equipment for a ...

31/01/2026

ISE: Sony Electronics Launches BRAVIA Professional Displays BZ-P Series

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

31/01/2026

Fox Sports Details FIFA World Cup 2026 Broadcast Schedule

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

31/01/2026

ISE: LYNX Technik Debuts New 4-Channel 12G-SDI Fiber Converters

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

31/01/2026

PBS Promotes Scott Nourse to Chief Technology Officer

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

30/01/2026

2026 Sundance Film Festival Announces Award Winners

Top L-R: The Friend's House is Here, Josephine, The Lake, Bedford Park, Who Killed Alex Odeh? Second Row L-R: Take Me Home, American Pachuco: The Legend of...

30/01/2026

Dnyada her 14 kiiden biri Trk mzii dinliyor

Spotify, Haziran ay sonunda kadar stanbul'da yeni bir ofis a aca n ve T rkiye pazar n y netmek zere yeni bir atama ger ekle tirdi ini duyurdu. Bu kaps...

30/01/2026

Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Taking Things Into the Home Stretch

The Artemis II wet dress rehearsal will simulate the launch countdown, fully loading fuel and verifying systems ahead of the first SLS and Orion crewed flight....

30/01/2026

Copper Leaf Media Merges With Dimension PR

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

30/01/2026

MXL: Aligning Broadcast Production With Software

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

30/01/2026

Grass Valley and NETGEAR Partner to Accelerate Enterprise...

Grass Valley , the leading technology provider for live production solutions, and NETGEAR Inc. (NASDAQ: NTGR), a global leader in network solutions, today anno...

30/01/2026

tvONE Appoints Amit Singh as Regional Sales Manager for I...

tvONE, a leading video processor, signal distribution technology and media server developer, announces the expansion of Amit Singh's role to Regional Sales ...

30/01/2026

Mike Aiton Brings Stories to Life with NUGEN Audio

With a career that spans four decades across television, film and post-production, Freelance Sound Designer and Post-production Sound Mixer Mike Aiton has built...

30/01/2026

DPA Showcases its Complete Wireless Microphone Ecosystem...

DPA Microphones will feature its new, fully integrated wireless microphone ecosystem, designed to let audio professionals work faster, cleaner and with total co...

30/01/2026

Ventum Tech and Emergent Announce a Strategic Partnership...

As the Middle East continues to accelerate investment in next-generation media, broadcast, and immersive content technologies, Ventum Tech today announced a str...

30/01/2026

MRMC Broadcast to Highlight High-Precision Motion Control...

Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC), a Nikon company and global leader in robotic camera systems, today announced its participation at Integrated Systems Europe ...

30/01/2026

Peacock Hits 44 Million Subs, Lost $552 Million in Q4

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

30/01/2026

ATSC Board Leadership Re-Elected For 2026

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

30/01/2026

MRC Issues Final Digital Advertising Auction Transparency Standards

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

30/01/2026

CBS Atlanta Launches New Weekday Morning News Show with AR/VR Set

Share Share by: Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

30/01/2026

Boston Conservatory at Berklee Hosts the National Opera Association's 2026 Conference

Boston Conservatory at Berklee Hosts the National Opera Association's 2026 C...