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NBC partners with Twitch to broadcast Tokyo Olympics content

A special channel will stream Tokyo Olympics content that includes a live studio show.

Donovan Erskine

May 6, 2021 11:05 AM

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The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were one of countless events to be put on ice last year as a result of the pandemic. Now set to go down this summer, plans are being made to ensure the massive event can be pulled off while adhering to health and safety protocols. NBC will be the exclusive home to the Olympics on television, but it’s now been announced that the network is partnering with Twitch to broadcast some Olympics content on the streaming website.

NBC announced its partnership with Twitch on May 6, 2021. In recent years, we’ve seen streaming become the primary mode of consumption for television and other forms of live entertainment. It’s the desire to get the Olympics in front of these audiences that drove NBC to its partnership with Twitch, the popular streaming website often used for gaming. The official NBC Olympics Twitch channel has been created and will be used to stream Olympics content this summer.

It’s currently unclear exactly how much Olympics content will be shown on Twitch. While it’s likely that NBC will want to keep the events themselves exclusive to the television network, we’ll see a lot of tangential content being streamed on Twitch. This includes interviews as well as Olympics-themed challenges. It’s also been announced that there will be a live studio show streaming to NBC Olympics Twitch channel.

The Olympics is surely a huge score for Twitch, and it will be interesting how big of a crowd the streams draw in. This is far from Twitch’s first foray into live sports, as the site was the streaming home to the NFL’s Thursday Night Football games and will now do so exclusively. For more on Twitch and its involvement with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, stick with us here on Shacknews.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_