NBC Olympics released the official apps for the iPad, iPhone and select Android tablets and smartphones -- powered by Adobe Systems technologies -- one of which will let customers of participating pay-TV affiliates access more than 3,500 hours of live broadcasts of the coverage from the 2012 London games starting later this month.
The apps, available in Apple's iTunes App Store and Google Play, will provide access to live Olympics coverage on mobile devices for the first time. The "TV Everywhere" app, NBC Olympics Live Extra, will deliver live programming available through cable, satellite and telco TV providers covering about 98% of the U.S., according to NBC. The NBC Olympics app, free to anyone, provides video highlights and live results.
"The NBC Olympics Live Extra app puts the London Olympic Games into the hands of America's tablet and smartphone user, enabling us to one again use advances in technology to provide the broadcast possible access to thousands of hours of Olympic competition," NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel said in a statement Thursday.
NBCUniversal used Adobe tools including AIR, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, Flash Builder and Flex to design and build the apps. The mobile apps also integrate Adobe Pass, the company's TV Everywhere online-authentication platform, to let pay-TV customers log in using their username and password to access live broadcast streams.
Advertising for NBC Olympics' mobile apps will be served via the Adobe Auditude video ad-management and monetization platform. In addition, the broadcaster is using Adobe's SiteCatalyst for digital analytics to measure user traffic and engagement across both apps.
NBCU has been working with Adobe since the beginning of 2012 to launch the apps, according to Jeremy Helfand, vice president of monetization at Adobe. "It's been a significant undertaking, but if you think about our strategy to provide integrated workflows and value across the video food chain this brings a lot of our work to bear," he said.
The scope of NBC's current deal with Adobe covers only the 2012 Olympic Games, not future events, Helfand said.
Both NBC Olympics apps offer social media integration that lets users share and communicate with friends via Facebook, Twitter and Google+ over the course of the London games. They also let users set reminders for their favorite sport events, and pause or rewind video.
The 2012 London Olympic Games are set to run July 27 to Aug. 12.
The Apple iOS apps are available here and here, and the Android apps can be downloaded here and here.
A promotional video of how NBC Olympics worked with Adobe to build the apps is available on YouTube here.
