Release Source: Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc.
TV Guide Television Group And NBC Olympics Announce Integrated Partnership for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games
Thursday April 1, 12:15 pm ET
TV Guide Channel & TV Guide Interactive Will Be NBC's Official On-Air Viewer's Guide to the 2004 Olympics
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 1, 2004-- TV Guide Television Group and NBC Olympics have signed an integrated programming and marketing agreement to support NBC's exclusive coverage of the Athens Olympic Games. The alliance combines TV Guide's television guidance expertise, reach and technology, and NBC's Emmy Award-winning Olympic coverage, to make it easier for viewers to enjoy the full breadth of NBC's 24-hour Olympic programming from Athens. NBC, America's Olympic Network, will present unprecedented 24-hour, around-the-clock coverage of the Athens Games, Aug. 13-29. The Networks of NBC - NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo and Telemundo - will offer the most in-depth Olympic coverage in history and for the first time, provide some coverage of every one of the 28 Summer Olympic sports. Telemundo's Spanish-language broadcast will provide the first exclusively non-English language Olympic broadcast in U.S. television history.
"The networks of NBC will broadcast the Olympic Games for more than 1,200 hours, 24 hours-a-day, for 17 straight days. This coverage will offer viewers an unprecedented array of choices, making it a challenge for viewers to quickly and easily find the events they most want to watch," said Ian Aaron, president of the TV Guide Television Group. "This partnership with NBC cuts to the core of what TV Guide is really all about -- helping viewers sort through their television choices by telling them "What's On" TV in an entertaining and engaging way. This agreement demonstrates TV Guide's unique position to connect advertisers with today's television viewers. We're pleased to partner with NBC on this agreement and look forward to helping viewers enjoy this summer's historic Olympic Games even more."
The TV Guide Television Group and NBC Olympics partnership includes the following programming and marketing elements:
TV Guide Channel Specials - In August, TV Guide Channel will air original specials introducing viewers to Olympic stars and featuring different aspects of the events they will see during NBC's coverage of the Games, including highlights of the Olympics most thrilling match-ups. Currently available in nearly 70 million homes, TV Guide Channel will be available in nearly 80 million homes by summer 2004.
TV Guide Channel's What's On...The Olympics - TV Guide Channel will incorporate tune-in information for all of NBC's Olympic coverage into its daily signature show, What's On, television's only nightly guide to primetime. The show's What's Next segment airs at the top of each hour, from 7-11 PM (ET/PT) and, during the Olympics, will direct viewers to the NBC and specific events they can catch in the upcoming hour.
TV Guide Channel's Olympic Games Program Listings - TV Guide Channel will feature a dedicated Olympic Games area in its scrolling program listings, providing viewers with a quick, at-a-glance guide to which events are on where...and when.
TV Guide Interactive Olympics Icon - During the Games, TV Guide Interactive, the leading interactive program guide (IPG) for digital cable, will feature a 24-hour interactive Olympics icon as part of its main menu. By clicking on the icon, viewers can quickly and easily access the most up-to-date program listings and information for the Olympic Games airing across all of NBC's broadcast and cable networks. TV Guide Interactive is available in more than 11 million homes nationwide.
NBC "Tune In to TV Guide Channel" Promotional Spots - Throughout its coverage of the Olympic Games and in off-network marketing, NBC will direct viewers to the TV Guide Channel in order to find out more Olympic viewing information about what's on now, what's coming up in the next hour or in the upcoming days.
TV Guide Channel and TV Guide Interactive are part of the TV Guide Television Group. A division of Gemstar-TV Guide International, the TV Guide Television Group consists of TV Guide-branded businesses developed and marketed for cable and satellite.
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