NBC, affiliates get ready for Paris Olympics

NBC 5 sends Alex Margos to cover games

NBC and its more than 200 linear TV affiliates are getting ready for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France with the Opening Ceremonies beginning Friday afternoon with soccer and rugby getting a head start on Wednesday.

Running through August 11, the games are also an opportunity for NBCUniversal’s streamer Peacock to gain new and returning subscribers as they will be home to numerous events. NBC is also airing coverage on its portfolio of cable channels: CNBC, USA, Golf Channel, and E! and Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo. 

For the opening ceremonies, NBC plans to have 400 cameras on hand, deployed on drones, helicopters, boats, cranes, jibs, and cables – plus two hundred camera phones (now that’s coverage.) Joining Mike Trico in Paris include Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Maria Taylor, who returns from maternity leave with Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning appearing during the Opening Ceremonies.

In a move welcomed by audiences, NBC will broadcast the Opening Ceremonies live, starting at Noon Central Time.  

Since there is a seven-hour time difference between Paris and Chicago, NBC will have live coverage of several events during daytime hours, including USA Men’s Basketball, featuring NBA stars LeBron James and Stephen Curry, and Team USA’s Women’s Gymnastics, featuring  Gold Medal winner Simone Biles. Of course, primetime features all-taped events with Tirico anchoring coverage and Snoop Dogg as a roving reporter.

Peacock will have plenty of coverage, including the Gold Zone whip-around show hosted by NFL Red Zone’s Scott Hanson with co-hosts Andrew Siciliano, Matt Iseman, and Akbar Gbajabiamila, and an Olympic highlight show hosted by comedians Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson. The streamer will also have other features for viewers to discover, including Peacock Live Actions, Peacock Discovery Multiview, and the Olympic Hub. 

NBC has also teamed up with iHeartRadio to provide exclusive coverage with 24/7 audio channels of select coverage and an original Olympic podcast with hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers. Expect Olympic promotions to be heard on iHeartMedia-owned radio stations, including Chicago’s six-station cluster. 

Local coverage

Meanwhile, NBC 5 (NBC-owned WMAQ-TV) and NBCU sister station Telemundo Chicago (WSNS-TV) are ramping up their coverage to provide a local perspective on the games and focusing on Chicago-area athletes participating in the Olympic Games.

“As the exclusive, local home of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, we are honored with the opportunity to showcase this incredible, global spectacle to our local viewing audience on multiple platforms,” said NBCUniversal Local Chicago President and GM Kevin Cross.“The Olympic Games are a unifying force for billions across the globe and we look forward to delivering the events and local stories that will bring all of us here in Chicago together as one.”

WMAQ’s Alex Margos is the only local reporter in Chicago sent to cover the games and is appearing live on the station’s 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts, with an emphasis on local athletes participating in the games. NBC is providing a magazine-type show leading into prime time (6:30 p.m., except Sundays) to all of its affiliates called Olympic Zone, featuring highlights, and lifestyle and entertainment features, allowing stations to use local hosts to introduce content with NBC 5’s Allison Rosati filling the role here. Olympic Zone is also airing on NBC5’s 24/7 live-streaming channel, which will host additional local Olympic content. 

Due to the Olympics, NBC 5’s regularly scheduled live weekday newscasts at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. and its weekend 7 a.m. news show will shift to its streaming channel and is also launching a new 9 p.m. newscast for the duration of the games, competing with WGN-TV’s and WFLD’s news shows.

Telemundo Chicago’s plans include live daytime Olympic coverage, including all men’s and women’s soccer games, and a two-hour recap show featuring the best Olympic plays of the day airing every night at 11 p.m. from July 27 to August 11. 

 

0

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *