In a notable development that could help boost the
popularity of TV Everywhere apps, two NBC Olympics' apps are now available for
download at Apple's App Store and at Google Play.
One of the two previously announced apps, "NBC Olympics Live
Extra," will allow subscribers of multichannel providers serving about 98% of
pay-TV homes in America to access over 3,500 hours of content. That content
includes all 32 sports, every athletic competition, all 302 events and all the
Olympic content being aired on four NBCUniversal channels-NBC Sports Network,
MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo.
"The NBC Olympics Live Extra' app puts the London Olympic
Games into the hands of America's tablet and smartphone user, enabling us to once
again use advances in technology to provide the broadcast possible access to
thousands of hours of Olympic competition," NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel
noted in a statement.
The other app, "NBC Olympics," will allow users to access
short-form highlights, event schedules, live results and second screen features
for following live primetime broadcasts on NBC. This app will be available to
anyone and will not require authentication as a multichannel subscriber.
The free apps are designed for Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod
Touch and for select Android smartphones and tablets.
The launches mark a significant expansion of Olympic
coverage on digital devices that NBC is hoping will expand awareness of the
games and primetime audiences.
Such a wide array of content available to authenticated
subscribers could also significantly boost public interest in TV Everywhere
apps and make them more of a mainstream phenomenon.
In developing the two apps, NBC Olympics turned to Adobe as
its primary tech vendor, said Ashley Still, director of product management,
video solutions at Adobe in an interview.
"The apps enable the first digital Olympics with
unprecedented access to all of the Olympic competitions on mobile devices," Still
said.
The apps rely on a variety of tools that make up Adobe's
Project Primetime, which is designed to simplify and improve the profitability
of delivering content to multiple devices.
Working with NBC, Adobe designed and built the apps using a
number of its solutions, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, Flash
Building and others, Still explained.
NBC is also using Adobe Air to offer a consistent video
experience across devices and has integrated the apps with Adobe Pass for
authentication.
Additional Adobe tools, including Adobe Auditude and
SiteCatalyst, are also being used for measurement and monetization.
