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NBC Preps Broadcast Plans for Sochi Winter Olympics

February 05, 2014

(OLYMPICS TECHNOLOGY)

The world is gearing up for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia—an event that is already the most controversial outing for the games since the back-to-back Cold War boycotts in 1980 and 1984. But NBC Olympics is lifting the tablecloth on some of the technical magic involved in mounting its broadcast production of the event from February 6 to the 23.


NBC Olympics will cover simultaneous sporting events occurring each day across different venues throughout the Sochi Games. Brevity has been selected to provide simultaneous transport and transcoding technology, and Adobe Primetime to power authenticated, TV Everywhere video across desktops and mobile devices, including iOS, Android (News - Alert), Mac OS, Windows and others.

Brevity will be used by NBC in the International Broadcast Center as well as multiple venues throughout Sochi to manage terabytes of video graphics. With its platform, NBC will render graphics on the fly while transferring those graphics files into the Avid DNxHD format for editing. NBC will automate critical workflows needed for the production, gaining efficiencies in time and bandwidth that will provide the broadcaster with more flexibility to make edits in production material.

“The Olympics is truly a global event with audiences in every country eager to watch an increasing number of hours of coverage,” said Kevin Norris, president and CEO at Brevity. “We are pleased to support and build on our successful partnership with NBC Olympics, by helping to ensure the must-see moments of the Games are easily sent and delivered to viewers everywhere.”

With Adobe (News - Alert), NBC subscribers will be able to view all competitions, highlights and other content live and on-demand on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports Live Extra App.

"By using the Adobe Primetime video platform, NBC Sports will be able to reach more screens and deliver premium video experiences to digital viewers of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games," said Jeremy Helfand, vice president of Primetime at Adobe.

Adobe has also partnered with major operators to offer viewers auto-authentication to TV everywhere based on individual IP addresses. These IP addresses are cross-referenced with their video subscription, providing millions of viewers with instant access to the Games online without having to memorize their login information when they connect from their homes.

First-time viewers visit NBCOlympics.com or the NBC Sports Live Extra App, they will be able to watch the Games online for 30 minutes through Adobe Primetime's Free Preview feature. After the time window expires, viewers will be prompted to verify their video subscription using their login information. Each subsequent day, viewers will be able to watch five minutes of Olympic content, before being asked to verify their subscription. However, viewers only need to verify their video subscription once.




Edited by Ryan Sartor