NBC Olympics Selects Avid for Its Production of Olympic Games in Tokyo

Rhea-AI Summary

Avid has been selected by NBC Olympics to provide media management solutions for the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo, scheduled from July 23 to August 8, 2021. This collaboration builds on Avid's long-standing partnership, enhancing remote collaboration capabilities for production teams. Avid's MediaCentral systems will facilitate content creation for various platforms, including OTT and social media. NBC Olympics aims to use advanced technology to produce both 1080p HDR and 1080i content simultaneously, increasing efficiency and scalability during the event.

Positive

• NBC Olympics selects Avid for media management solutions for the Tokyo Olympics.
• Avid's technology allows for simultaneous production of 1080p HDR and 1080i content.
• Collaboration with NBC Olympics enhances Avid's market position in sports broadcasting.
• Avid supports expanded production capabilities for NBC's largest Olympic coverage.

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• None.

Avid’s Long-Standing Innovation with NBC Olympics Now Extends to Enabling Remote Collaboration for Its Global Production Teams

STAMFORD, Conn., June 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NBC Olympics, a division of the NBC Sports Group, has selected Avid^® (Nasdaq: AVID) to provide the content production and media management platform, tools and solutions for its production of the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, which take place in Tokyo, Japan, from July 23-August 8. The announcement was made today by Darryl Jefferson, VP of Post Operations and Digital Workflow, NBC Sports & Olympics, and Jeff Rosica, CEO and President, Avid.

Over the past two decades, Avid has supported NBC Olympics in its ongoing technical innovation to present the American audience with state-of-the-art coverage of the Olympic Games. Building on their most recent success with platform-based media management workflows for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, NBC Olympics continues to use Avid’s MediaCentral^® systems for the Tokyo Olympics. To support expanded Olympic production from NBC Sports’ facility in Stamford, Conn., NBC Olympics will deploy Avid’s MediaCentral solutions to drive Tokyo-based remote and on-site workflows that will generate content for linear, OTT and social media platforms serving enthusiastic audiences in the U.S.  

NBC Olympics is also using Avid NEXIS^® shared storage, Media Composer^® Ultimate and the Media Composer Cloud VM option to empower its team in multiple international locations, including editors based in Stamford, the International Broadcast Centre in Tokyo, and numerous Olympic venues, to connect and collaborate in real-time for content production and delivery.

“One of the more fascinating behind-the-scenes stories of the Olympic Games is the sheer amount of technology innovation that’s driving volumes of content to make the events more enjoyable and accessible across consumer platforms,” said Rosica. “It’s Avid’s extreme privilege to continue working with NBC Olympics as they raise the bar in sports production with teams collaborating on a global scale in real time to create and deliver phenomenal programming.”

“With the addition of five new Olympic sports to capture and deliver to our audiences this summer, we have the biggest Olympic Games on our hands, therefore the ability to scale our technical infrastructure in line with the event’s complexity is essential,” said Jefferson. “Year upon year, Avid’s platform and tools help us to meet our growing ambition to perform well above and beyond the rising demand for our programming everywhere audiences can experience watching the Games.”

Innovating 1080P HDR and 1080i Content Creation

For the first time, NBC Olympics will enable its editing team in Tokyo to simultaneously create both progressive (1080p HDR) and interlaced (1080i) versions of the highly anticipated Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the XXXII Olympiad. Using the Dynamic Relink functionality in Avid’s Media Composer, enhanced specifically for NBC Sports Group, editors can enable cross-frame rate relinking between interlaced and progressive media. This strengthens their production capabilities, increases efficiency and enables NBC Sports to output multiple versions of the same broadcast.

About NBC Olympics

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic Games. NBC Olympics is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. NBC Olympics also produces thousands of hours of Olympic sports programming throughout the year, which is presented on NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms.

About Avid
Avid delivers the most open and efficient media platform, connecting content creation with collaboration, asset protection, distribution, and consumption. Avid’s preeminent customer community uses Avid’s comprehensive tools and workflow solutions to create, distribute and monetize the most watched, loved and listened to media in the world—from prestigious and award-winning feature films to popular television shows, news programs and televised sporting events, and celebrated music recordings and live concerts. With the most flexible deployment and pricing options, Avid’s industry-leading solutions include Media Composer®, Pro Tools®, Avid NEXIS®, MediaCentral®, iNEWS®, AirSpeed®, Sibelius®, Avid VENUE™, FastServe®, and Maestro™. For more information about Avid solutions and services, visit www.avid.com, connect with Avid on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, or subscribe to Avid Blogs.

© 2021 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Avid, the Avid logo, Avid NEXIS, FastServe, AirSpeed, iNEWS, Maestro, MediaCentral, Media Composer, Media Composer | First, Media Composer | Ultimate, Pro Tools, Avid VENUE, and Sibelius are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Product features, specifications, system requirements and availability are subject to change without notice.

— NBC OLYMPICS —

PR Contacts

Avid
Dave Smith
david.smith@avid.com
978.502.9607

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry (Avid’s PR agency)  
Martin Izzard—UK
Casey Love—USA
avid@rlyl.com

FAQ

What is Avid providing for NBC Olympics during the Tokyo 2021 Games?

Avid is providing media management solutions and technology to support NBC Olympics in producing content for the Tokyo 2021 Games.

How has Avid supported NBC Olympics in the past?

Avid has supported NBC Olympics for over two decades, providing technical innovations for Olympic coverage.

What are the dates for the Tokyo 2021 Olympics?

The Tokyo 2021 Olympics will take place from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

What technology will Avid deploy for the Tokyo Olympics?

Avid will deploy MediaCentral systems enabling remote collaboration and content production for various platforms.

How will Avid's technology improve the Olympics coverage?

Avid's technology allows NBC Olympics to create both 1080p HDR and 1080i versions, increasing production efficiency and scaling capabilities.