Twitter announced new and extended relationships with media companies during its NewFronts presentation on Wednesday.

NBCUniversal News will be bringing Today, CNBC and Noticias Telemundo to Twitter. 

The companies said advertisers will be able to sponsor news programming through highlights, live streams, Twitter Q&As and exclusive content.

NBC News also is bringing its Inspiring America series to Twitter Space.

In addition, Twitter will work with NBC Olympics to amplify coverage of the Tokyo Olympics. 

Live original NBC programming will appear on Twitter, including a new daily live show Talking Tokyo. Hosts of Talking Tokyo will include Olympic medalist Adam Rippon.

Also Read: NewFronts: 35% of Buyers Plan To Spend More on CTV

Digital food publisher Tastemade is launching two franchises on Twitter for Black and Latinx women. Sponsorships will be available through Twitter Amplify.

"With even more video content coming to the Twitter timeline from world-class content publishers, we’re excited to continue helping brands connect to what’s happening and what people are watching. The video content from these partners will bolster our library of brand safe content that gives advertisers the reach they’re looking for,” said JP Maheu, Twitter’s VP, U.S. client services.

Twitter will work with Billboard to create a new chart, The Billboard Hot Trending powered by Twitter. It will track music-related trends each day and refresh every 24 hours.

Partnerships with Major League Baseball, the NHL and WNBA were also extended.

“Twitter is home to the most vibrant, diverse communities and the place where fandom thrives. The  premium content we’re collaborating on with our partners is igniting passion and enabling marketers to tap into the excitement of those communities and be a part of what’s happening,” said Jennifer Prince, Twitter’s global VP and head of content partnerships.

NBC Olympics and Twitter have extended their agreement to work together on Olympic content through both the postponed Tokyo summer games, now scheduled for 2021, and the winter games in Beijing, set for February 2022.

The agreement, originally struck in July 2019, initially covered the Tokyo Olympics, which were supposed to be held in 2020 but were delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Extending our now multi-Games relationship with Twitter to Tokyo for the Summer Games in 2021 and Winter Games in 2022 from Beijing will again put NBC Olympics’ coverage in front of the vast and very active Twitter audience with great Olympic moments, great Olympic programming and a nightly peek into our primetime broadcast for those not yet in front of their televisions,” said Gary Zenkel, president, NBC Olympics. “This agreement also allows us to extend the reach of our Olympic advertisers to those audiences that view the content we have custom produced for Twitter.”

NBC Olympics and Twitter will be creating daily original content live from the Olympic host city.

There will be a live, 20-minute studio program produced by NBC Olympics each morning that can be watched exclusively on Twitter during both the 2021 and 2022 games.

Twitter users will be able to vote daily for a live look-in at an event being aired as part of NBC’s primetime or primetime-plus coverage.  

Twitter users will also get real-time highlights of action at both the Summer and Winter games, including some Spanish-language clips. Highlights will include medal-winning moments and scenes from the opening and closing ceremonies.

Before the games start, beginning in June 2021 and counting down to the opening ceremonies in Tokyo, NBC Olympics will provide Twitter with highlights of coverage of the Olympic Team Trials and other events. A similar countdown will be on Twitter for Beijing 2022.

“Few events bring to the world together like the Olympics and we truly anticipate that both the upcoming Summer Games and Winter Games will be massive global celebrations like no other,” said TJ Adeshola, head of sports partnerships at Twitter. “We can’t wait to join forces with a fantastic content partner like NBC Olympics to pair real-time Twitter conversation with premium sports action to give fans a unique real-time Olympics experience they won’t find anywhere else.”

Five months after being named NBC Sports Group President, Pete Bevacqua has expanded his role to include oversight of the entire NBC Sports Group portfolio, the company said Thursday.

Bevacqua, who had been managing programming, marketing, digital, golf and the NBC Sports Regional Networks, will now add the NBC Olympics, as well as production and operations to his list of responsibilities, according to NBC. 

Bevacqua will continue to report to NBC broadcast, cable, sports and news chairman Mark Lazarus, who recently added oversight of NBCUniversal’s East Coast-based content businesses, including NBC News Group, CNBC and the Cable Entertainment portfolio, in addition to NBC Sports Group, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations and NBC Affiliate Relations.

“Pete’s impact to NBC Sports and to our Company in general has been significant and immediate,” said Lazarus. “He is a proven leader in the sports industry, and complements our talented team.”

The PyeongChang Paralympics are a great example of how Comcast NBCUniversal unites content, distribution and technology to bring a truly unique experience to millions of people across the country, including viewers with disabilities.

From March 9 through March 18, NBC Olympics will cover all six Paralympic winter sports – alpine skiing, snowboarding, sled hockey, wheelchair curling, cross-country skiing, and biathlon – as part of its more than 250 hours of 2018 Winter Games coverage across NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app. 

For the first time ever, Paralympic broadcasts on NBC and NBCSN include video description. And on Xfinity X1, voice control, voice guidance and closed captioning are helping viewers access the planned 94 hours of Paralympics television coverage. It's the most ever for a Winter Games, nearly doubling that of Sochi 2014 (50 hours).

Based on recent research, we know these assistive technologies are helpful but they also suffer from low levels of awareness. To make accessibility options easier to enable on X1, we created a few shortcuts for customers; for example, saying “accessibility” into the X1 Voice Remote or tapping the “B” key to get to a menu with all of X1’s accessibility options. X1 users can also quickly jump into specific features by saying “captions,” description,” “SAP,” “voice guidance” or, to find any programs that are described, “shows with description.”

We also have made some improvements to our most popular accessible features. We were the first in our industry to launch voice guidance, a talking TV guide that reads aloud program titles, network names, and DVR and On Demand menus for people with visual disabilities. Now users can control the rate of speech by choosing “regular,” “fast” or “fastest” to navigate their X1 experience.

Tom Wlodkowski, who is blind himself, is Comcast's vice president of accessibility. He's pictured above demonstrating the MSO's new X1 voice remote features. Click here to watch a video about him and his work.

NBC Olympics is working with satellite company SES to distribute its 4K/HDR coverage from the Winter Olympic Games from PyeongChang.

NBC is providing select coverage, on delay, from the games in the advanced video format. That coverage included footage from the opening ceremony, and will also include coverage of specific events such as hockey, figure skating, short track speed skating, ski jumping and snowboard competitions. Up to four events from the previous day’s competition is being made available in  4K.

Under the arrangement, NBC Olympics is distributing its HDR feed from the games to affiliates in the U.:S. via the SES-1 satellite, located at 101 degrees West.

RELATED: Vendors Get in on NBC’s Olympics Action

SES is also providing preconfigured satellite receivers to affiliates that will be receiving the HDR feed. SES’s existing 4K platform is already being tapped by a growing number of MVPD partners.

“NBC Olympics is pleased to work with SES to offer 4K HDR coverage of the PyeongChang Games to our valued distribution partners,” David Mazza, CTO and SVP, NBC Olympics, said in a statement. “The HDR feed distributed by SES, and presented by Xfinity, will complement our HDR Video On Demand offering available to MVPDs and satellite providers across the United States.”

RELATED: Dish Gears Up for the Winter Olympics

Based on the flood of announcements, vendors that are on board to help NBC Olympics produce and cover the Winter Games from PyeongChang have apparently been given the green light to bask in the tech-facing aspects of the glory.

Here’s a snapshot of partners that are on board to help with that coverage, which will include NBC’s 176 hours of broadcast TV coverage and 1,800 hours of live-streaming.

Watch MCN: 10 Ways NBC Is Covering the 2018 Winter Olympics

FileCatalyst said it’s been picked to transfer file footage (via a 5 Gbps link between NBC Olympics’ headquarters in Stamford, Conn., and its compound at the Intentional Broadcast Center in PyeongChang, and to facilitate remote production workflows for NBC Olympics. FileCatalyst, which also teamed with NBC for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio, said its “Direct” platform now lets partners edit transfers that are ongoing, even if there are hundreds of concurrent transfers taking place.

Cisco Systems will provide IP video contribution and distribution assistance to NBC Olympics, using several products/components, including the Cisco ASR9000 router/switcher, wireless and Ethernet-based virtual private network services, the Cisco Digital Content Manager (for broadcast transport of IP video), and collaboration products such as Cisco Telepresence, Spark and Spark Board.

Harmonic will contribute its MediaGrid shared storage systems and Spectrum MediaDeck media servers for a range of production applications, including broadcast, on-demand, digital, news operations and for the long-term archive.

Lawo is providing VSM (Virtual Studio Manager) Broadcast Control and Monitoring products, as well as IP Commentary systems for NBC’s production from the Games. Lawo said VSM will serve as the overarching control system for NBC Olympics’ core routing and tally management, connecting to multiple third-party devcies on an IP backbone.

Ericssonis proving a range of encoding and satellite receiver products for video distribution, including its AVP 2000 contribution encoders and its RX8200 Advanced Modular Receivers.

NEP will provide outside mobile broadcasting units alongside engineering and technical support for the production, noting that it has provided broadcast gear for every Olympics since the Atlanta Games in 1996.

Avid is providing MediaCentral platform to aid content creation and media management workflows for NBC’s production from the Winter Games.

NBC Olympics will also tap ChyronHego’s Lyric graphic creation and playout system, Live Compositor, as well as Prime Clips. In all, NBC Olympics will use 30 Lyric systems to cover the Games, with about half deployed at Stamford, and the balance for NBC Olympics’ production facility at the International Broadcast Center in PyeongChang.

Tektronix is supplying audio and video testing monitoring systems, as well as network monitoring for NBC’s production. Those products include the Tektronix WFM7200, WVR7200, WFM5200, and WVR5200 Waveform Monitors, SPG8000A Master Sync and Master Clock Reference Generators. NBC will also use the WFM8300 Waveform Monitors for its 4K and HDR coverage.

NBC Olympics and Comcast said they are teaming with Descriptive Video Works to provide video description services (VDS) to help the blind and those with visual disabilities follow the action of NBC’s TV coverage of the Winter Games.

VDS features the use of short verbal descriptions of action or key video scenes to add context to programing for individuals with a visual disability. The integrated narration of the visuals will include descriptions of elements such as actions, facial expressions, clothing, event locations and on-screen graphics, they said.

Update: As readers on the message board indicate, the settings of some customers might be set to having the voice description feature activated, and are having trouble figuring out how to adjust that setting. Comcast has outlined several ways to turn that setting on and off here.

This will mark the second time NBC Olympics and Comcast have provided description video presentations for the games, as it follows similar work was done for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio. VDS was also used for NBC’s production of The Wiz Live! in December 2015.

RELATED: Comcast, NBC Add Video Descriptions to 'The Wiz Live!'

For the PyeongChang Games, NBC Olympics will present video description to accompany 18 primetime telecasts, including the Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony. Descriptive video will also be incorporated into the live broadcasts, as well as NBC’s VOD offerings from the Games.

“The excitement and pageantry of the Olympics is something that all viewers should be able to experience,” Gary Zenkel, president of NBC Olympics, said in a statement. “The increased access provided by our VDS coverage will allow even more people to share in the stories and excitement of the PyeongChang Games. We are pleased to work with Comcast to provide more accessible coverage for Olympic fans than ever before, and offer this important enhancement to our coverage for people with visual disabilities.” 

RELATED: Comcast’s ‘Talking Guide’ Goes Live

“NBC has become a pioneer in making live entertainment and sporting events more accessible for millions of people like me, and there is no bigger opportunity to demonstrate the impact of that work than the Olympics,” added Tom Wlodkowski, Comcast’s VP of accessibility, who is blind himself. “When accessible content is complemented with navigation and search technologies like our Xfinity X1 voice control and voice guidance, people with visual disabilities can have an end-to-end experience that is even more inclusive, independent and entertaining.”

NBC plans to live-stream 1,800 hours of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games from PyeongChang, South Korea.

For the first time, the NBC broadcast network and NBCU cable programming will be live-streamed for authenticated subscribers.

NBC will also be producing three digital-only programs: Gold Zone, Olympic Ice and Off the Post, for streaming viewers. A news desk will also publish Olympic updates online throughout the day.

“Our most comprehensive digital offering ever is specifically designed to satisfy modern Olympic viewers, who expect to watch their programming wherever and whenever they want,” Rick Cordella, EVP and General Manager, Digital Media, NBC Sports Group, said in a statement. “Whether it’s at home or on the go, live or VOD, on desktop or app, our unprecedented digital coverage will raise the bar for super-serving fans.”

Live streaming of competition will begin Feb. 7, 2018, on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports App. Both are powered by NBC Sports’ Playmaker Media.

RELATED: NBC Sports Digital Launches Playmaker Media 

Users will be able to stream 30 minutes of coverage prior to authenticating on their first visit. On subsequent days, the can watch five minutes before authenticating.

The streaming material will be available via connected TVs. Users of Amazon Fire devices, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Win10, Comcast’s X1 and some Samsung devices will also get the stream coverage via the NBC Sports App.

The NBC Sports app is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Comcast X1, and select Samsung devices. 

Read more at B&C.

Veteran sportscaster Mike Tirico will host NBC’s coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics games, replacing Bob Costas who will step down after hosting NBC’s Olympics coverage since 1992.

Tirico, who joined the NBC Sports Group in July 2016 after a long career at ESPN, will step into the primetime chair Feb. 8, 2018 when NBC begins its coverage of the Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Both Costas and Tirico appeared on NBC’s Today show Thursday morning to make the announcement. Costas has served as NBC’s primetime host for 11 consecutive Olympics telecasts.

“For a quarter-century, Bob expertly piloted NBC’s primetime coverage of the Olympics,” NBC broadcasting and sports chairman Mark Lazarus said in a statement. “It is with a tremendous amount of pride that I can simultaneously express our appreciation for Bob’s stellar, record-setting run, while also feeling very lucky that we have someone as talented as Mike to take over as our new primetime host.”

In his opening keynote appearance at the inaugural LiveFronts, a streaming-centric conference organized by Brave Media, NBC Olympics executive producer Jim Bell said just 3% of viewing of the Rio Games last summer came via digital platforms.

The number "shocked" Bell.

"It simultaneously confused and pleased me," he said. "Like, 'We're still here. Linear!'"

Heading into Rio, Bell said he had expected the digital share to be more like 25%. Going forward, "It's definitely going to shift" toward digital. Nevertheless, on a revenue basis, the broadcast network still accounts for about 75% of all money the company makes on the Games, he added.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Despite lower TV ratings, NBC Olympics said digital consumption of content tied to the Summer Games in Rio was lofty, particularly among millennials.

In addition to the heavy coverage on TV, nearly 50 million viewers streamed 3.4 billion minutes of NBC’s Rio coverage on the Web, mobile device and connected devices, with more than half of those viewers under the age of 35. NBC said 2.71 billion live minutes of Rio coverage was streamed, noting that the total was more than 1.2 billion minutes more than the live stream totals for all previous Olympics combined.  

RELATED: Olympic Games Delivered 18.7B TV Ad Impressions

During the games, NBCU’s 11 linear networks presented more than 2,000 hours, and 4,500 hours of coverage streamed at NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app, which is being transitioned post-Rio to a new NBC Sports Scores app that offers personalized sports info and news from more than 25 leagues.

Additionally, more than two-third of the viewers of NBC Olympics’s highlights on platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat and Google/YouTube were under 35, which lead to “millions of referrals to NBC’s video coverage across all screens,” the programmer said.

RELATED: Despite Ratings Drop, Olympics Gold for NBCU

As for NBC’s primetime Olympics coverage, 382% as many adults 18-34 watched in that period (a rating of 5.3) than watched on the four broadcast networks (1.1 average rating), it added.

As for social platforms, NBC Olympics said 160 million users were reached with Rio content via Facebook, with nearly 70 million in the 18-34 age-range, while 131 million people had 916 million “interactions” via Instagram linked to the games.

About 33 million people on Snapchat consumed NBC-partnered coverage in the U.S. with most under age 35, and more than 1 billion minutes of Olympics content was watched on YouTube, with 70% of those views by people under 35, per “early estimates.”

Related: NBC Sports Group Digtial Media GM Rich Cordella touts NBC unprecidented digital coverage (VIDEO)

“‘Television’ is no longer just a piece of hardware propped up on a table or hanging on a wall. Rather, ‘television’ is now a video stream -- and in the case of the Olympics, a world-class NBC-produced video stream -- delivered to any screen capable of rendering it,” Gary Zenkel, president, NBC Olympics, said in a statement. “America’s Millennial audience is watching television across multiple screens, supplemented and fueled by their social engagement, which in the case of Rio 2016, reached new heights across multiple platforms.”

“Our research shows and the audience consumption proves that Millennials were highly interested, enthusiastic and engaged in the Rio Olympics,” added Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Sports Group. 

NBC Olympics said it will offer a temporary pass to consumers as NBCUniversal and its stable of networks prepare to deliver 4,500 hours of streaming coverage at NBCOlympics.com and via the NBC Sports app during the Summer Olympics from Rio.

Though full access to the TV Everywhere site and app will require MVPD credentials, NBC Olympics will provide a temporary pass that will offer 30 minutes of coverage prior to authentication on the first visit, and five minutes each subsequent day.

NBC Olympics noted that, for the first time, it will stream coverage of all nine NBCU Olympic networks (broadcast nets NBC and Telemundo; and cable channels Bravo, CNBC, Golf Channel, MSNBC, NBC Sports Network, NBC Universo, and USA Network). If a competition event is not televised by one of those networks, coverage from it will be streamed online through NBC Olympics’ utilization of the feeds provided by the host broadcaster, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS).

Connected TVs are also being added to the streaming mix, as NBC Olympics will support authenticated access on Amazon Fire TV devices, the Apple TV, Chromecast adapter, Roku platform and Win10.  All OBS streams will also provide video overlays that provide synchronized data for streaming on desktops, mobile devices and tablets.

NBC Olympics will produce two digital-only programs -- Gold Zone with hosts  Andrew Siciliano and Tanith White; and Daily Dismount, with White, Jonathan Horton and Courtney Kupets) – and a social-focused, short-form video series called Ever Wonder, with hosts Julie Donaldson and Jenna Corrado.

NBC Olympics noted that Streaming will bepowered by Playmaker Media, the live and on-demand streaming service recently launched by NBC Sports Digital, in partnership with Adobe, Akamai, Microsoft, iStreamPlanet, and Comcast Wholesale.

NBC Olympics is also providing some next-day coverage of the games in 4K, and will also mix in 85 hours of virtual reality coverage from the event.  

AT&T said it will offer a mix of enhancements and special features for NBCU’s coverage, including select 4K programming (for DirecTV subs) and a range of interactive “Mix” channels.

Those Mix channels, offered to DirecTV and U-verse customers, will feature event results, medal counts, and multiple feeds from networks covering the games.

DirecTV’s eight-screens-in-one mosaic of Olympics coverage from NBC, NBCSN, Golf Channel, Bravo, CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network and NBC Universo.

U-verse’s Multiview channel will offer four feeds on one screen from NBCSN, Bravo, USA Network, and the local NBC affiliate.

Those Mix channels will be offered from August 5-21.

On the 4K front, DirecTV subs with 4K-capable TVs that also take the provider’s “Ultimate” package or higher will be able to view NBC’s coverage of the games in the new, pixel-packed format.

NBC Olympics, a unit of NBC Sports Group, announced in May that its 4K coverage, provided on a one-day delay, will include 4K/Ultra HD footage from the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as coverage of several events, including swimming, track and field, basketball, the men’s soccer final, judo, with some “Rio scenic” mixed in.

"Our customers can easily keep track of their favorite events by watching the Mix channel. They'll get real time results, medal counts and NBC video highlights at the touch of a remote button," said Dan York, chief content officer for AT&T, in a statement. "And see one of the world's most spectacular cities through our delivery of 4K Ultra HD. It will give DIRECTV customers a breathtaking visual."

DirecTV and U-verse customers will also have multi-platform access to NBCU’s 6,755 hours of Olympic programming, including streaming coverage at NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app.

Serving and retired U.S. military members will have free access to NBC Olympics’ 4,500 hours of streaming coverage of the Summer Games in Rio.

Streamign access is being provided at no cost by Comcast NBCUniversal in partnership with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service and U.S. cable, satellite and telco providers. Eligible service members will be able to access NBC Olympics’ digital coverage via PCs or personal devices by visiting NBCOlympics.com or via the NBC Sports app, and choosing the Exchange as their service provider.

They said about 7 million service members, retirees and their families will be eligible during the games. Due to content rights restrictions, an active shopmyexchange.com account will be required to verify eligibility, they said, noting that content rights restrictions will also apply to some OCONUS locations.

"We're excited to partner with Comcast NBCUniversal to deliver the Olympics to service members and their families, wherever they are called to serve,” Tom Shull, Director/CEO of the Exchange, said in a statement.

“Few events unify the world like the Olympic Games, and it is only fitting that we make them accessible for those who chose to serve our country,” added Carol Eggert, Brigadier General (Retired), and Vice President of Military and Veteran Affairs at Comcast. “We think it is extremely important to support our employees who are veterans or members of the National Guard and Reserve and the military community as a whole. We are thankful to the Army & Air Force Exchange Service for working with us to deliver the excitement of the Olympics to the military community, no matter where they are located.”

After Comcast NBCUniversal offered the service, a  team that included the Defense Media Activity, Defense Information Systems Agency, the Exchange and DHI Telecom (an Exchange Internet, mobile and IPTV provider) came together to develop the technical solution required for the free access, they said. 

NBC Olympics said it will produce 85 hours of virtual reality content – one sport per day – that will be delivered exclusively to authenticated users of Samsung Galaxy smartphones that are compatible with the Oculus-powered Samsung Gear VR headset.

NBC Olympics said that VR programming, to be captured by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), will include coverage of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, men’s basketball (including the semifinals and final), gymnastics, track and field, beach volleyball, diving, boxing, and fencing, as well as highlight packages for those sports.

Notably, all VR programming will be presented on delay, from August 6, the day after the Opening Ceremony, through August 22, the day after the Games conclude. That fare will be available only on via phones that work with the Gear VR, and will accessible via a VR content section within the NBC Sports TV Everywhere app.

“The world’s greatest sporting event is always a showcase for cutting edge technology, and we’re thrilled to partner with Samsung and OBS to bring our viewers even closer to compelling Olympic action with virtual reality,” Gary Zenkel, president, NBC Olympics, said in a statement.” “Olympic fans can be transported to iconic venues such as Maracana Stadium for an unprecedented view of the Opening Ceremony, and Copacabana Beach for an immersive beach volleyball experience in the sport’s ultimate setting.”

“Fans of the Olympics will now get to experience the world’s best athletes as they compete in some of the most popular events of Rio 2016 in a whole new way: through virtual reality,” said Marc Mathieu, chief marketing officer at Samsung Electronics America, added.

Samsung’s Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note5 phones are compatible with the Samsung Gear VR.

NBCUniversal announced Tuesday (June 28) that its networks and digital platforms will present 6,755 hours of programming from the Rio Games.  NBCU’s 11 linear networks will present more than 2,000 hours, and 4,500 hours of coverage will be streamed at NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app, and powered by Playmaker Media, the live and on-demand streaming service recently launched by NBC Sports Digital. NBC Olympics also plans to offer 83 hours of coverage in 4K/Ultra HD on a one-day delay.

NBC Olympics said it will provide select coverage of the Rio Olympics in the eye-popping 4K format to its various cable, satellite TV and telco TV distribution partners.

NBC Olympics, a unit of NBC Sports Group, said that coverage, provided on a one-day delay, will include 4K/Ultra HD footage from the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as coverage of several events, including swimming, track and field, basketball, the men’s soccer final, judo, with some “Rio scenic” mixed in.

One event from the previous day’s competition will be provided daily from August 6, the day following the opening ceremony, through August 22, the day after the Rio Games conclude.

NBC’s 4K coverage of the summer games will raise the bar on what it provided during the 2014 Sochi Winter games. Corporate cousin Comcast, for example, held several viewing parties to demonstrate 4K using clips from the games provided by NBC Sports.

Notably, NBC Olympics said its 4K UHD coverage of the opening ceremony in Rio will also support High Dynamic Range (HDR), providing richer, brighter pixels, as well as Dolby Atmos, an immersive three-dimensional audio platform.

NBC Olympics said it will distribute the 4K UHD coverage provided by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and Japan’s NHK to U.S. distribution partners, who will individually choose how they will make the content available to their customers.

Among U.S. MVPDs, Comcast has already announced that it will start to ship the Xi5, its first HDR-capable box, on July 4, ensuring it will be available in time for the Rio games. The Xi6, which will also support 4K, is also in the works. DirecTV, now owned by AT&T, recently launched three 4K channels, including one dedicated to live events shot in the format. Dish Network began to distribute its new 4K-capable Hopper 3 DVR in February.  TiVo, meanwhile, is working on a 4K-HDR platform that is optimized for its MVPD partners.

The Olympics have been a consistent driver of technological advancements, and Rio will be no different,” Gary Zenkel, president of NBC Olympics, said in a statement. The stunning backdrop of Rio combined with the world-class competition of the Olympics will give the American audience a spectacular early look at this impressive new technology.”

“Since the London Games, OBS and NHK have been working together, experimenting on the future standard of 8K,” added Yiannis Exarchos, CEO of OBS. “Substantial recent technological advancements have allowed us to pursue this opportunity further for the Rio Games and to offer a 4K feed for a number of sports, down-converted from the original 8K, to NBC and other interested Rights Holding Broadcasters around the globe.”

According to a fresh forecast from Strategy Analytics, more than 11 million homes in North America will own an 4K/Ultra HD TV by the end of 2016.

For more details about the initiative, including the top tech challenges posed by it, please see Chris Tribbey’s expanded coverage at B&C.