SAN JOSE, CALIF.—NBC Olympics is using Adobe Primetime to extend its coverage of the 2014 Sochi Winter Games across multiple platforms, including desktops and mobile devices powered by iOS, Android, Mac OS, Windows and others. Primetime is being used specifically to process live and on-demand content on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports Live Extra App.
Adobe is partnering with Microsoft to integrate Adobe Primetime’s video delivery and packaging technologies into the Azure Media Service, Microsoft’s cloud-based service for media distribution, allowing NBC Olympics to deliver online video and ads to millions of viewers at scale.
Viewers who want to access NBC Olympics’ 1,000-plus hours of online offerings will be required to prove that they subscribe to specific pay-TV services. Adobe partnered with these operators to offer viewers one-time authentication on individual IP addresses so they don’t have to login multiple times. First time viewers who visit NBCOlympics.com will be able to watch the Games online for 30 minutes through Adobe Primetime’s Free Preview feature, after which they will have to verify their pay-TV subscription. Each subsequent day, viewers will only be able to watch 5 minutes of Olympic content before being asked to verify their subscription.
Adobe Primetime is also allowing NBCOlympics.com to provide a more “TV-like” experience, eliminated buffering between content and ads are dynamically inserted. Primetime is also being used to optimize bitrates and monitor for disruptions during peak traffic times.
