NBC has released the News Access Guidelines for the 2012 U.S. Men’s and Women’s Olympic Trials Marathon. Please carefully review these guidelines below:

This is to advise you that NBCUniversal Media, LLC (“NBC”) has acquired the exclusive right in the United States and its territories and possessions, excluding Puerto Rico (the “Broadcast Territory”), to cover the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s & Women’s Marathon (the “Marathon Trials”), and to record competition footage at the Marathon Trials (“Trials Material”).  NBCs television coverage of the Marathon Trials will be broadcast on the NBC television network from between 3:00-5:00pm ET/PT.  Use of Trials Material by any other television entity is permitted only if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

  1. Source of Trials Material:  The only permissible source of excerpts of Trials Material for use in the Broadcast Territory is footage that is taped off-air.  However, additional interviews with athletes, coaches and officials may be recorded in a separate area away from the field of play.
  2. Use In News Programs Only:  Excerpts of Trials Material may be used only in “regularly scheduled news programs of which the actual news elements constitute the main feature.”  This excludes programming such as news and sports magazines, news promos and updates, entertainment news programs, magazines and features, sports features and other sports programs or “special programs.”  In the case of an all-sports network, excerpts of Trials Material may be used only as part of regularly scheduled general sports news programs and are subject to the other limitations of this letter.
  3. Length of Excerpts of Trials Material:  Excerpts of Trials Material not exceeding two (2) minutes in total may appear in any single newscast.
  4. Airing of Trials Material Only After Trials Telecast Concludes:  Excerpts of Trials Material taped off-air on any given day may not be telecast on such day in any time zone in the Broadcast Territory until the relevant broadcaster has completed its telecast in such time zone on such day (and, even then, only subject to the other limitations herein).
  5. 48-Hour Window:  Excerpts of Trials Material may be used only during the 48-hour period following the time that the use of such excerpts is first permitted under these guidelines.
  6. No Outside Market Usage:  It is strictly prohibited to feed any Trials Material to any party located either within or outside of the local market of any particular Trials event.
  7. Courtesy Credit:  The following video credit must be displayed over any excerpts of Trials Material for the duration of the clip: “Courtesy NBC Olympics”.
  8. Internet Distribution:

a)     The only type of content obtained at the Trials that may be distributed via the Internet is interviews with participants (e.g., athletes, coaches, officials) (the “Internet Material”).  Internet Material must be captured in designated media interview areas and/or mixed zones, provided that these locations are away from the field of play.

b)    Under no circumstances may any field of play material (e.g., competition or training) be distributed via the Internet.  For the avoidance of doubt, it is prohibited to tape any portion of NBC’s coverage “off-air” and distribute such coverage via the Internet.

c)     The Internet Material may not be distributed live.

d)    Under no circumstances can anything that resembles or approximates “coverage” (e.g., race calls and other real-time descriptions and accounts of competition) be distributed via the Internet.

e)     Although there is no specific limitation with respect to the length and volume of permissible Internet Material, any such distribution should conform with the spirit of the News Access Guidelines generally.

f)     All Internet Material must be removed from the Internet no later than July 27, 2012.

g)    Internet Material must be accompanied by a link to the appropriate sport front on NBCOlympics.com (e.g., http://www.nbcolympics.com/track-and-field/index.html).