NBC Olympics has teamed up with BrightLine to provide interactive ads around the Winter Games from PyeongChang. Opening ceremonies are set for Friday (Feb. 9).
The first campaign for BrightLight’s platform will center on a series of NBC Olympics promos for NBC Sports on several platforms, including Apple TV and Amazon Fire, as well as Android and iOS, featuring five U.S. athletes: Shaun White (snowboarder), Lindsey Vonn (alpine skier), Nathan Chen (figure skater), Gus Kenworthy (freestyle skier) and Mikaela Shiffrin (alpine skier).
The interactive element enables viewers to access more information about the athletes using the TV remote.
NBC corporate cousin Comcast is the first announced advertiser to take advantage of the interactive ad feature that will be offered on NBCU’s platforms, and will also use BrightLine’s technology for select ads during the Winter Games.
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To manage the ad units across all NBCU platforms, BrightLine has teamed with FreeWheel, the Comcast-owned ad-tech company.
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The Winter Games will serve as a showcase for interactive advertising, but the work between NBC and BrightLine will extend beyond the Olympics.
“There is no better place to introduce new capabilities and products to audiences and marketers than the 17 days of the Olympics,” Linda Yaccarino, chairman, advertising and client partnerships at NBCU, said in a statement. “With our partners at BrightLine we’re introducing interactive advertising and deeper, more meaningful engagement with advertising, continuing to enhance our viewers’ experiences with our programming on all platforms.”
Watch MCN: 10 Ways NBC Is Covering the 2018 Winter Olympics
NBC Olympics also announced that it has teamed with ride-hailing service Uber to provide some exclusive “in-car” content, including interviews with U.S. athletes and broadcast announcers, that will be accessible via the Uber app.
Once a rider begins a trip, the Uber app will feature a link to an NBC Olympics site, where they can access the exclusive content.
NBC’s live coverage of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games starts Thursday (Feb. 8) at 8 p.m. ET.
Per a “by the numbers” fact sheet from NBC Olympics, the Games are set to generate $900 million-plus in national ad sales. NBC will provide more than 2,400 hours of coverage from the Olympics, including more than 1,800 hours of live streaming coverage. It will also use 127 miles of cable in PyeongChang, and will deliver 108 HD feeds from PyeongChang to the U.S.
