NBC Sports Group - the newly formed entity resulting from the Comcast and NBC Universal merger - has teamed up with brand consultancy & creative agency Troika to establish the group's brand platform, rebrand Versus to NBC Sports Network, and deliver elements to unify the identity of signature properties including the Olympics, Sunday Night Football, NHL on NBC, horseracing's Triple Crown, and Tour de France.
The expanded programming and properties under the newly formed NBC Sports Group challenged the team to create a cohesive identity system that enhances their diverse portfolio of sports across all of their media platforms. The broad range of content offerings required the identity to be built with the ability to tell compelling stories through the same NBC Sports brand filter, integrating the prestige, heritage, and diverse offerings of NBC Sports.
NBC Sports Group's revamped identity aims to deliver fans an authentic event experience through the conceptual platform "Immersive Moments." Signature elements were built to bring fans into to the action through a ground-level POV from inside the sporting arena. The package was delivered to provide continuity and clarity across the Group's live event game packaging, the rebrand of Versus Network to NBC Sports Network, studio shows, insert systems, a promo toolkit, a reimagined logo system, and network IDs.
"This was an incredible opportunity to work with the talented NBC Sports team to combine two networks under a unifying brand identity," said Gilbert Haslam, Creative Director of Troika. "The complexity and scale of assignment made this a perfect fit for Troika. It allowed us to engage our collective set of sports branding skills from positioning, conceptual development, and creative expression to create solutions that would not only work for the launch, but more importantly for the Group's continued growth and expansion."
The NBC Sports Group's new identity launched in January with the rebrand of Versus to NBC Sports Network, and has rolled out across their coverage of the Super Bowl and Triple Crown. The new brand is set to further roll out during NBC Sports Group's Olympic coverage in July, and will be featured on NBC, NBC Sports Network, the Group's RSNs, and online.