AKRON, Ohio, July 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NBC Olympics, a division of the NBC Sports Group, has selected Goodyear (NYSE: GT) to provide aerial images of its coverage of the London Olympics.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20050204/GTLOGO )

Goodyear will lend its aerial presence to NBC Olympics' coverage of the Olympic Games for the tenth time.  Goodyear worked most recently for NBC Olympics during the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

"Goodyear's reputation as a superior aerial provider is a natural match for the prestige of NBC Olympics' coverage of the Olympic Games," said Nancy Ray, Goodyear's director of airship operations.  "We look forward to providing viewers with one of the best and most unique views of the action from up above."

Goodyear started its aerial coverage almost 90 years ago.  The Goodyear blimp Volunteer provided a local radio station a bird's-eye view of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1932.  Goodyear has also coordinated aerial views for the television broadcaster at other Games in Los Angeles, Lillehammer, Atlanta, Sydney, Salt Lake City, Turin, Beijing and Vancouver.

Goodyear's long-standing relationship with NBC stretches back to 1955 when the first live U.S. transcontinental broadcast from an aircraft occurred from a Goodyear Blimp at the 1955 Rose Parade and Rose Bowl game in Pasadena, Calif. Today, Goodyear blimps provide aerial coverage to all major networks around the world using high-definition and gyro-stabilized camera platforms.

Goodyear blimps are a consistent presence at major sporting events including the NBA Finals, Daytona 500, MLB Playoffs, Stanley Cup and Triple Crown horse races.  Goodyear has also provided aerial images from major award shows including the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys and Latin Billboard Awards.

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies.  It employs about 72,000 people and manufactures its products in 53 facilities in 22 countries around the world.  Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry.  For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.

About NBC Olympics

A division of the NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal's Olympic coverage. It is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history.

Having produced every Summer Olympics since Seoul in 1988 and every Winter Olympics since Salt Lake City in 2002, the networks of NBCUniversal are synonymous with the Games in the United States. In 2011, NBCUniversal acquired the U.S. media rights on all platforms to the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, and the 2020 Summer Olympics. At the conclusion of the 2020 Games, NBCUniversal will have presented 17 total Olympic Games and 11 consecutive, the most for a U.S. media company in both categories.

NBC has won an unprecedented 91 Emmy Awards for its Olympics coverage, as well as a prestigious Peabody Award for its presentation of the Beijing Opening Ceremony in 2008, which USA Today said was "the best overall Olympic experience ever provided by a U.S. network."

In addition to its unsurpassed heritage and award-winning production, NBCUniversal is known for aggregating large Olympic audiences, as nine of the top 11 most-watched U.S. television events of all time are Olympic Games presented across the networks of NBCUniversal. The Beijing Summer Olympics rank No. 1 with 215 million viewers.

For more information on NBC Olympics' coverage of the London Olympics, please visit: http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/

SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company