Expect more of the Olympics on Facebook this summer.

Source: http://www.insidefacebook.com/2012/07/11/facebook-and-nbc-partner-for-olympics-coverage-and-timeline-integration/

Every 4 years, there comes an event that extreme sports fans and casual television channel surfers can agree on and enjoy…the Olympics. In the past, we had heard about the games on TV, from friends, on the radio and may have even discussed it with strangers. This is how we discussed the games in the 2008 Olympics, but times have changed and so will the way you experience the Olympics this year with the help of social media. Social media has also changed and grown over the last 4 years. Now let’s tie the two together; During the last Olympic games in 2008, there were only 100 million Facebook users; Compare that with the 900 million users there are today (Stetler, 2012).

NBC and Facebook are partnering up to integrate the Olympics with Facebook this year. Viewers watching the Olympics will see a “Facebook Talk Meter” which will be an overview of online conversations pertaining the Olympics and the Olympics will have its very own Timeline page on Facebook.  “Nielsen studies have shown that nearly half of tablet computer owners and smartphone owners use their devices while watching television daily. Checking sports scores is one of the top uses for both groups” (Stetson, 2012).

Combining the largest event of the summer with the largest social media platform only seems natural and mutually beneficial. Using a platform that has almost a billion users will surely generate some buzz for the Olympics and viewers will see updates and Olympic content while simply checking their Facebook app during the commercial breaks. Fans of the page will be updated with “exclusive” content and can share which events they watched and Olympic news they read which could lead to conversations about the event.

As I read this article, I wondered if Facebook was the right platform to integrate with, since viewers usually use Twitter to “tweet” about live TV, award shows and major sports events. However, I think this partnership sounds promising and will prove to be successful. This integration is right up my alley. When I was younger, I would watch the Olympic games while at summer day camp, but now as a working professional, I work during most of the events and don’t have time to catch up on the show even if I DVR the events. With this integration, I can occasionally check in and get updates on the events I care about the most.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/11/business/media/nbc-and-facebook-announce-facebook-partnership.html?hpw