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IOC ANNOUNCES OLYMPIC CHANNEL PARTNERSHIP IN USAIn a ground-breaking collaboration to connect fans to the Olympic Movement all year round, the IOC, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and NBCUniversal have created a comprehensive Olympic Channel content and distribution partnership in the USA.During the second half of 2017, the partnership will launch a new US television network under the “Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA” brand that will offer fans year-round Olympic sport programming from around the world, with an emphasis on their favourite American athletes and teams. The new partnership complements the Olympic Channel, which launched as a worldwide digital platform following the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games Rio 2016. Additional details about the launch of the new linear cable channel will be provided at a later date.The partnership also brings additional coverage of Olympic sports programmes that will appear exclusively on other NBCU platforms – including NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Digital outlets. The three organisations will collaborate to produce and distribute Olympic sports and Olympic-themed programming on a year-round basis between the Games, providing continuity reflecting the idea that, even though the Olympic flame is extinguished at the end of each edition of Games, the athletes’ own compelling stories and journeys continue.“Through this exciting new partnership with the USOC and NBCUniversal, we will ensure that Pictured US audiences will be more closely connected with the Olympic Movement and athletes like Simone Biles14 OLYMPIC REVIEW