Mobile Apps To Help NBC Widen Olympics Reach

London-Oolympics-2012-BAs part of its promised massive coverage of the upcoming summer Olympics in London, NBC Universal announced last week that mobile apps will be part of the media mix.  The company says that overall, a record 5,535 hours of coverage will be part of its multichannel package across network, cable, Web and mobile platforms during the games. Two mobile apps will be deployed with separate functions. One will focus on live streaming from the games and the other will feature program highlights.

NBC Universal says the apps will be available for both smartphones and tablets. According to the company, “the vast majority” of content on these apps will require authentication by existing telco, cable or satellite TV customers for access.  

It is unclear how much of the video content and streaming will be available from the mobile-optimized m.nbcolympics.com site. NBC says that all live streams will be available to users from the desktop NBCOlympics.com site. While a considerable amount of video was available to desktop users at the main site, the mobile iteration we just checked focuses only on text stories and photos.

The mobile piece of NBC’s plans are but a small part of a massive content assault planned by the company. The 5,535 hours of coverage will surpass previous Beijing Olympics coverage by 2,000 hours. In addition to live events and featured roundups across the NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, Bravo and NBCSports TV channels, most of the brands’ respective Web sites will have streaming video available to authenticated users. 

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