NBCUniversal unveils new details about Epic Universe, including its Nintendo area and facial recognition

Hold on to your childhood. NBCUniveral has revealed details about their new theme park, Epic Universe, and it’s glorious.

Going to a theme park as a kid is an adventure. Going to a theme park as an adult is an investment. NBCUniversal wants to ensure that visitors walk away with priceless memories no matter where they fall on that spectrum.

On Thursday, the company unveiled new details about a theme park opening 2025 in Florida. It’s appropriately named Universal Epic Universe and pushes the envelope on conventional theme parks and attractions.

“It’s the most technologically advanced park we’ve ever done,” Mark Woodbury, CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences, explains. “And that speaks to both the attractions themselves, the next generation of robotics drone technology, all the way through to the guest experience. The full guest journey is really being taken to a whole new level.”

The park will feature “facial recognition” and “photo validation technology,” allowing guests to have a “frictionless” experience. However, that’s not all that Epic Universe will bring to Florida. NBCUniversal confirms that the park will have themed areas, including Nintendo Land, with a bigger footprint than similar spaces in Japan and California.

Ultimately, Woodbury hopes that adding Epic Universe to its other parks and properties will entice visitors to stay for at least a week.

“[It’s] an opportunity for us to look at: how do we expand visitation to the Orlando market that would garner us a full-week vacation? Right now, we get a good three days.”

Say less, NBCUniversal. I’m already planning future vacations.

Notre Dame-Central Michigan only will be seen on Peacock

Don’t turn to NBC on Sept. 16.

For the past few years, Notre Dame fans have been left to wonder which home game will be moved off NBC and exclusively onto Peacock. In conjunction with the Irish’s announcement of kickoff times for 2023 home games, we have our answer to that question for this season. The Sept. 16 game against Central Michigan will be seen only on the NBCUniversal streaming service. That game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. EDT, the earliest start time for an Irish home game this season.

Yes, we know it’s frustrating to have to jump through extra hoops to watch a Notre Dame game. It particularly is rough for those have yet to give into streaming or might not even know it exists. That’s why it’s the time to be neighborly and find a way for them to watch. No matter how many times someone might resist it, streaming is here to stay and probably will be the only way anyone watches TV down the line.

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Peacock to air NFL’s first-ever streamed playoff game

More big money for the NFL.

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The NFL took another big step in the world of streaming Monday by reaching a deal with NBCUniversal for Peacock to air the first-ever streamed playoff game in January. The agreement is for one year and is worth $110 for the NFL.

This is the latest move by the NFL, which agreed to an 11-year deal with Amazon to exclusively air Thursday night games through 2033. Amazon is paying the league around $1 billion annually in that deal.

The 2023 season will also be the first for the NFL Sunday Ticket away from DirecTV. YouTube TV will be the new home of Sunday Ticket and announced price points for its packages earlier this year.

Peacock’s exclusive playoff game will air on Jan. 13 and kick off around 8:15-8:30, depending on when the late afternoon Wild Card game ends.

“We are thrilled to partner with the NFL on this industry milestone, bringing to Peacock the first ever exclusively live-streamed NFL Playoff game,” said Pete Bevacqua, Chairman of NBC Sports. “With America’s No. 1 primetime show for a record 12 consecutive years, the terrific regular season SNF schedule revealed last week, and today’s announcement, we can’t wait for the 2023 season to kick off.”

“We are excited to work with a great partner in Peacock to present the first-ever exclusively live-streamed NFL playoff game this upcoming season,” said Hans Schroeder, NFL Executive Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer of NFL Media.

“Expanding the digital distribution of NFL content while maintaining wide reach for our games continues to be a key priority for the League, and bringing the excitement of an NFL playoff game exclusively to Peacock’s streaming platform is the next step in that strategy.”