Snapchat to show Olympics highlights in deal with NBC
The ephemeral-messaging app, now a popular hub for off-the-cuff, rapid-fire video, partners with the network to show highlights and behind-the-scenes footage of the Summer Games.
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Snapchat has officially entered the social-media race for Olympic gold.
The millennial-friendly ephemeral-messaging app, which has morphed into a home for both amateur and professional video clips, has scored a deal with NBC to show highlights from the 2016 Summer Games. It's the first time the TV network has let anyone other than its own properties distribute such highlights, reports Bloomberg.
The Snapchat deal, limited to the US, involves a couple of pieces. Snapchat itself will create daily "live stories" -- real-time video and photo montages -- made up of clips and shots submitted by fans at Olympic trials and events. Buzzfeed, meanwhile, will curate an NBC Rio Olympic "Discover" channel dedicated to the event, with highlights and behind-the-scenes fare. Discover is a section on Snapchat where media outlets such as National Geographic and The Wall Street Journal post editorial packages geared toward the app's young devotees.
Facebook, the world's largest social network, has been looking over its shoulder at upstart rival Snapchat. Facebook has upped its video efforts and recently bought a company that makes the sort of wacky filters Snapchat's users love. Though Snapchat may've been the first to snag a deal with NBC, it remains to be seen how the social networks will place in the Olympics race: An NBC exec told Bloomberg that the TV network is also looking to ink agreements with Facebook and Twitter.