Altice USA said it has agreed to license the full multiplatform offering of NBC Universal’s coverage of the Summer Olympics next month, representing about 6,755 hours of programming, live and on-demand.
Altice USA is a unit of Dutch telecom company Altice N.V., and purchased Cablevision Systems in June. Coupled with its December purchase of Suddenlink Communications, Altice USA has about 4.6 million customers in 20 states.
NBC Universal has committed to offering an unprecedented package of programming for the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero (Aug. 5-21), including coverage on its NBC broadcast channel, and cable networks NBC Sports Network, Golf Channel, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network, Telemundo, NBC Universo, and two linear sport-specific specialty channels. Subscribers also can access Olympic programming online at NBCOlympics.com and through the NBC Sports app.
Comcast has consistently touted the Rio Summer Olympics -- the first in the Eastern Time Zone since the 1996 Games in Atlanta -- as a showcase for its X1 platform and was a big part of the company's presentation at this year's INTX Show in Boston.
“Altice USA is committed to providing our customers with high-quality and innovative products, service, and compelling content. The 2016 Rio Summer Olympics will be the biggest Games ever in one of the most spectacular cities, and we are excited to deliver to our Optimum and Suddenlink TV customers NBCUniversal’s unparalleled multiplatform coverage of this historic event,” said Altice USA EVP and chief content officer Michael Schreiber in a statement.
