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08/21/07
AP Press Release
The Associated Press and NBC Universal Join Forces on Distribution
of Beijing Olympics Content
NEW YORK -- The Associated Press has reached an agreement
with NBC Sports and NBC Olympics to be the exclusive news
agency for the distribution of select, NBC-produced text content
and video links related to the 2008 Olympic Games through
a premium online product produced by the AP.
NBC Universal holds the exclusive broadcast and video rights
within the United States for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
As the world’s largest news agency, the AP has a rich
history of Olympics coverage and will be covering the 2008
games in text, photos and multimedia.
The joint effort will provide AP customers with comprehensive
Olympics coverage leading up to the 2008 Summer Olympics,
as well as during the 17 days of international Beijing competition.
AP customers can receive a turnkey solution that will give
their users, readers and viewers Olympic content matched with
the exclusive video coverage and related content provided
by NBC through its NBCOlympics.com Web Site.
“We’re excited to have this relationship with
NBC. When an athlete wins a gold medal, the customer will
get the story and photo quickly from the AP, as much of the
world has come to expect. But now, it will also be tied to
video and other deep content that only NBC Sports and NBC
Olympics can produce,” said Lou Ferrara, the AP’s
deputy managing editor for multimedia. “This should
make it easier for readers to get information while also creating
a traffic exchange for NBC and stickiness on AP customer Web
sites.”
“NBC Sports and Olympics are delighted to join forces
with AP on this content distribution effort surrounding the
2008 Beijing Olympic Games,” said Perkins Miller, Senior
Vice President, Digital Media, NBC Sports and Olympics. “This
content combination will provide great value to AP customers,
along with a new distribution channel for NBC Olympics content,
particularly regarding our Olympic video.”
The AP’s online product will launch in the coming weeks
with interactive graphics, multimedia and text content produced
by the AP. This new product also will include links to exclusive
video produced by NBC as well as text content produced by
the NBCOlympics.com editorial staff. As the Games approach,
the amount and depth of Olympics content both from NBC and
AP will dramatically increase.
NBC Universal will present more than 3,600 hours of coverage
of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, more than the combined
total of every Summer Olympics ever televised in the United
States. The Beijing Olympic Games will start August 8, 2008,
with unprecedented around-the-clock coverage and, for the
first time in the United States, live streaming of Olympic
broadband video coverage.
ABOUT THE AP
The Associated Press is the essential global news network,
delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world
to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today
is the largest and most trusted source of independent news
and information. On any given day, more than half the world's
population sees news from AP.
On the Net: www.ap.org and www.nbcolympics.com
Contact: Paul Colford, AP Corporate Communications, 212.621.1720;
Brian Walker, Director, Communications, NBC Sports, 212.664.5533
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