Apple News & NBCUniversal Partner for Exclusive Olympics Coverage

Staying Informed on the Tokyo Olympics with Apple News and NBCUniversal

Following the Olympic Games can be challenging, particularly when the events unfold across a significant time difference – a 13-hour lead for viewers on the U.S. East Coast, for example. To address this, Apple News announced a partnership with NBCUniversal on Monday.

Exclusive Olympic Coverage

NBCUniversal, holding the U.S. broadcast rights for the Olympics, is collaborating with Apple News to provide fans with exclusive daily summaries and audio updates. This includes comprehensive event schedules and up-to-date medal counts.

NBC Sports App and its Limitations

While the NBC Sports app serves as the primary platform for live Olympic event streaming, it has experienced some technical difficulties. Managing numerous simultaneous streams presents inherent challenges, leading to occasional navigation issues.

Despite its extensive event catalog, the app lacks a streamlined method for catching up on results during periods when much of the audience is asleep. This collaboration with Apple News effectively addresses this gap in NBC’s current offerings.

Key Features of the Apple News Integration

A particularly valuable feature is the News app’s easily navigable schedule of all Olympic events, categorized by sport. Users can set calendar reminders for events they wish to watch.

For events occurring at inconvenient hours – such as the women’s gymnastics all-around final at 6:50 a.m. ET on Thursday – setting an alarm may be necessary. However, prime-time coverage will also be available for highly anticipated competitions.

NBC Sports does offer push notification reminders for selected sports, but a pre-scheduled calendar event can be more effective for planning viewing sessions, whether in the evening or early morning.

Benefits for Apple Podcasts

This partnership also provides an opportunity for Apple to promote Apple Podcasts, a platform facing increasing competition from Spotify and Facebook’s recent podcast support.

NBC is actively promoting its Olympic-themed podcasts, including “The Podium” and “On Her Turf,” often featuring them as banner advertisements during live web broadcasts.

Although these podcasts are not exclusive to Apple, the collaboration with NBC is expected to drive increased traffic to their podcast platform.