NBC Sports Group will Periscope the draw for the Belmont Stakes post positions on June 3, group CMO John Miller told the '15 Intersport Brand Engagement Summit in Chicago on Thursday. The draw for the Triple Crown’s third leg will be conducted at 30 Rock, he said. American Pharoah will be racing June 6 to complete the first Triple Crown since '78. "That is not an event that would be covered; we view that as promotional,” Miller said. "We’re going to Periscope that as a way to let people know what’s happening and where American Pharaoh’s going to be and they can see it as it happens.” Miller said he does not know whether streaming services like Periscope and Meerkat are friend or foe. When asked if Meerkat and Periscope were the Napster for television, he said, “I don’t know that yet.” But because the Belmont Stakes will be carried on broadcast television and live-streamed via NBC Sports’ digital platforms, Miller does not believe Periscope streams will have an effect on TV ratings. "I don’t know why you would Periscope the race when you can actually see it,” he said. He added that using Periscope for the pole position draw fits into his network’s image of testing new things: "I will tell you that we try virtually everything.”
