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NBC Olympics and Twitch join forces for exclusive Tokyo Olympics content

NBC and Twitch will celebrate the forthcoming Tokyo Olympics with some exclusive content.

Announced today, NBC will launch a Twitch channel devoted to the Tokyo Olympics. Through this channel, viewers will get a glimpse of the buildup to the Tokyo Olympics and see content during the event.

In a statement, NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel said:

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Twitch on innovative ways to tell the stories of Team USA’s athletes in Tokyo and build Olympic excitement with their audience. The Olympic Games are perfectly aligned with Twitch consumers, who are passionate about great competition, personality and storytelling. We can’t wait to bring the unmatched moments and stories of the Olympics to Twitch’s interactive community.”

Twitch Chief Content Officer Michael Aragon stated:

“The way that people consume traditional sporting events is changing. They no longer want to simply spectate; they want to be as close to the action and athletes as possible. We’ve seen this firsthand with the growth of our sports community on Twitch, as viewers tune in not only to watch their favorite athletes but to also take part in pre and post-game interviews and virtually connect with other fans from around the world. The Olympics present an opportunity for a global fan base to embrace this new world of live and interactive sports. We are thrilled to partner with NBC to give fans in the United States an intimate, front row seat to this iconic sporting event and connect American athletes and fans in a way that can only happen on Twitch.”

Prior to the Olympic Games, various Twitch streamers will keep the Olympic flame alive via viewer participation. Special Tokyo Olympics content for Twitch can be seen below. The Tokyo Olympics will take place from July 23 through August 8.

Tokyo Olympics Twitch content

Daily Interactive Clip Show - Best-of moments from the Tokyo Olympics get the Twitch interactive treatment in a daily clip show format with polls, live AMAs, and games that reinforce NBC’s programming and the stories about athletes and events that the Twitch community is excited about.

Daily Competition - In the spirit of the Olympic Games, three teams of Twitch creators will compete in a daily competition featuring family-friendly games. Teams will accrue “medals” across multiple events throughout the 17 days of the Games. At the end of the Olympics, we’ll tally up to see which team takes home the ultimate gold.

Primetime Sidecasting - During the primetime block of shows on NBC, Twitch creators will be commentating live on a companion interactive broadcast that encourages coviewing of the nightly primetime broadcast on NBC. Twitch creators, watching offcamera NBC’s primetime coverage of the Games, will invite viewers to submit discussion topics in line with what anchors and guests are covering on the linear channel.

Live From Tokyo - The Live From Tokyo segment will feature Olympic athlete interviews and Q&As giving fans in the United States the chance to connect with their favorite Olympic stars. This will also feature behind the scenes snapshots and live interactions and gaming from Tokyo.