First Look: Peacock Announces Exciting Features for Olympics Broadcast, Including First-Ever Multiview Capabilities
The platform will also air an NFL RedZone-style whip-around show hosted by the NFL Red Zone hosts.
While much of the sports world prepares for the men’s and women’s March Madness basketball tournaments to begin in earnest this week, on Wednesday, NBCSports unveiled a host of new features coming to Peacock for its upcoming complete coverage of the Summer Olympics in Paris. Last spring, the streamer announced that it would stream every single event of the XXXIII Olympiad in France this summer. Now we have a few more details about what that coverage will look like; including brand new “Live Actions” and “Discovery Multiview” features.
- Last year, Peacock announced that it would broadcast every event from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
- On Tuesday, the streamer announced two new features designed to enhance viewers’ Olympic-watching experience.
- One of the features is a Multiview function that provides context to what is happening in each event.
With over 5,000 hours of coverage, including all 329 medal events, Peacock is providing sports fans with the most comprehensive Olympic streaming coverage of all time. The games will get underway on Friday, July 26 with the Opening Ceremony. The NBC broadcast will begin as 12 noon ET and the Spanish-language Telemundo coverage will begin at 1 p.m. ET. Both versions will be available to stream live on Peacock. The events will run for two weeks through the final medal ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 11. Throughout the games, Peacock will supplement its live coverage with replays, clips, profiles, and more.
“The Paris Olympics will mark another major milestone for Peacock’s leadership in live streaming with an unprecedented viewing experience that demonstrates our commitment to our customers, clients and partners,” Peacock president Kelly Campbell said. “Following the Games, these new features will extend to other live events, joining the growing list of interactive elements and ad innovations that continue to set Peacock apart.”
As the streamer is ramping up the volume of its Olympic coverage, it is also looking to increase the quality and utility of its coverage as well. As such, Peacock will be adding two significant new features for the Olympics. The first is Peacock Live Actions, which are designed to allow fans to create their own viewing journeys and follow the action wherever it is.
Secondly, the platforms will introduce an enhanced multiview function that will utilize real-time, on-screen text to ensure viewers can catch all of the most important action. Peacock will begin testing this feature during select sporting events this spring before launching them in full for The Games.
Peacock also announced that it will be airing a live whip-around show called “Gold Zone” from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET every day. The show will move viewers through the most exciting and important moments of the day’s action from across Paris. “Gold Zone” will be hosted by NFL RedZone alums Scott Hanson and Andrew Siciliano, as well as Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila.
What Are Peacock Live Actions?
When fans are watching Olympic coverage on “Gold Zone” or during NBC’s primetime broadcast, Peacock will show on-screen prompts alerting them to major events happening live across the games. From there, viewers will be able to choose whether to click on the alert and watch that event as it happens, or to stick with what they are watching.
Live Actions will also allow NBC Primetime simulcast viewers to add upcoming events to their individual “My Stuff” lists so that they can circle back and watch later.
How Is Peacock’s Discovery Multiview Different Than Normal Multiview Features?
There is nearly no sporting event as jam-packed with action as the Olympics. This summer, there can be up to 40 different events happening at the same time, so it is understandable if you can’t keep up with it all at once. That is where the new Discovery Multiview feature comes in. While Peacock will still offer a traditional multiview experience that allows you to watch four events at the same time, the Discovery version will inform you of the most important events happening at the moment with real-time, on-screen descriptions. NBCU’s Olympic experts will be letting viewers know when medal events are starting, if a country is on the brink of elimination, or when an American first-time Olympian is competing.
Both versions of Peacock’s Multiview will allow users to bounce back and forth around the screens, switch which broadcast they want to listen to, and click to watch a full-screen version of each individual broadcast. At any time, Peacock will be offering up to four Multiview options, allowing fans to select what they are most excited to watch.
Oftentimes, the traditional multiviews will be sports-specific focusing on all of the action from one sport, like soccer, track & field, or wrestling. Peacock will be the first standalone streaming service to offer any Multiview experience across all of its web browser and smart TV, streaming device, and tablet apps.
What Other Features Will Peacock Use to Improve Its Olympic Viewing Experience?
In addition to these new features, Peacock will provide fans with an intuitive, easy-to-navigate Olympics destination that will allow every kind of fan – both avid and casual – to view the Olympic Games in the way that best fits their interests or timetable. Features of Peacock’s Olympics hub include:
- Spotlight of the biggest live events prominently displayed at the top of the screen when fans enter the Olympics hub.
- A “Browse by Sport” rail to allow fans to quickly find all live events, highlights and replays for their favorite competitions. Fans can easily jump between different sports hubs through connected navigation at the top of their screens.
- A new “Search by Star Athlete” feature, so fans can find live events or replays that include their favorite athletes, regardless of whether they are an individual competitor or part of a team sport. As in previous Olympics, fans can also search by sport, event and team, including country names and three-letter country codes.
- An enhanced Interactive Schedule, so fans can plan their Olympics viewing day-by-day, join events live, watch replays or add events to their “My Stuff” to watch later.
Up-to-date Medal Standings sponsored by Delta for fans to keep track of every country competing in Paris. - Peacock’s award-winning “Catch Up with Key Plays,” which allows fans to easily access key moments when joining an in-progress game or revisit their favorite plays, will now be available for basketball and golf, in addition to soccer.
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” and “The Office,” as well as original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports including NFL, MLB, WWE, Olympics, Premier League, NASCAR, French Open, College Football and Basketball, and PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.