• by Paul Gough , April 2, 2004

To help promote and guide viewers to the wall-to-wall coverage of the Summer Olympics on its myriad networks, NBC has turned on to the TV Guide Channel.

Through its broadcast network and cable outlets like MSNBC, Bravo, and CNBC, NBC will offer 24-hour coverage of the Olympics when they run from Aug. 13 through Aug. 29 in and around Athens, Greece. It's enlisted the help of TV Guide Channel and parent Gemstar-TV Guide International's interactive program guide (IPG) in guiding viewers to Olympic coverage during the games.

TV Guide Channel recently relaunched with long-form programming on television and other entertainment above its well-known scroll. The programming includes a nightly look at what's on TV produced at the channel's Hollywood studios. In August, the channel will have special Olympic-themed programming that will highlight different parts of the games and the people who will participate in them. NBC's Olympic coverage will be the star of its own section of "What's Next," a nightly look at programming coming up in the next hour on TV. And the on-screen listings will also group NBC's Olympic coverage.

Gemstar's IPG unit will also get into the games, with TV Guide Interactive spotlighting NBC's Olympic coverage with its own icon. TV Guide Interactive is available to about 11 million digital cable subscribers nationwide. NBC will promote the TV Guide Channel in spots and off-network marketing.

"It talks to the unique positioning of TV Guide Channel and the fact that we're all about celebrating TV. We're in the middle, helping to guide viewers to what's on," said Ian Aaron, president of TV Guide Television Group. "We're in a unique position in that we can work with other networks to promote programming and events, where typically you don't see other broadcast networks and cable networks promoting others."

It's a significant win for the TV Guide Channel, which has made a large investment in the long-form programming. It's also another step in the strengthening of the channel, which has gone from being available in 57 million homes to more than 70 million homes today. That will grow to 80 million homes by the summer, when Dish Network will offer the channel.

Aaron said that TV Guide Channel has positioned itself as "everything TV" and not just the scroll of current program listings.

"We're got to get the industry away from thinking that this is a scroll. It's really on-screen information," said Aaron. "It's really no different than when you have tickers. We're going to be creating a custom listings area for the Olympics, so every so often during the hour, you're going to see the group of the Olympic channels during the hour, so people can see very easily what is going on during the hour."

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.