Facebook is looking to become the premiere destination for social media chatter around the London Olympic Games.
A new partnership between Facebook and the NBC Olympics division will make the London Olympics a more interactive experience than previous Games, the New York Times reported.
Facebook and NBC (which has exclusive broadcasting rights for the Olympics in the U.S.) have agreed to share each other’s content during what the Hollywood Reporter has named “the first-ever social media Olympics.”
“We know that a social conversation will surround the Olympics,” NBC Olympics President Gary Zenkel told the New York Times.
Facebook users will be encouraged to watch NBC’s exhaustive Olympic coverage. By liking the official NBC Olympics Facebook page, you will have access to (and be encouraged to share) exclusive content on your favorite Olympians and events, and you will be able to participate in a daily poll.
NBC will use a “Facebook Talk Meter” to measure what viewers are talking about during the Games. You can also watch the thousands of hours of Olympic coverage on the NBC Olympics website, although you will have to verify that you are subscribed to a cable or satellite plan.
NBC joins the BBC, the official U.K. Olympics broadcaster, in partnering with Facebook for the Olympics.
“It’s terrific exposure,” said Andy Mitchell, a former CNN executive who manages Facebook partnerships like the one with NBC.
Although Facebook looks to be the frontrunner in the “social media Olympics,” Twitter may not be far behind, with the possible return of the “Twitter Tracker” from the Vancouver Winter Games.
The Olympics are already building big buzz on Twitter. The hashtag #Olympics has been used over 66,000 times in the past month and about 3,700 times in the last day alone, according to Topsy, a website that analyzes Twitter data.
Photo via Facebook
