Inside NBC's extravagant plans to bring you Paris Olympics coverage from *every* angle

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Inside NBC's extravagant plans to bring you Paris Olympics coverage from *every* angle

Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Sun, Jul 21, 2024 ·

11 min read

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For more than two weeks this summer, NBC will command the eyes of the sporting world from the Unites States at the 2024 Paris Olympics .

And there is a staggering number of ways to consume the countless hours of competition from the 32 sports on display, along with the discussion and viral moments that build off the action.

To make the best viewing decisions at home, here is everything you need to know about NBC's plans to cover the 2024 Paris Olympics in the United States, including which channels Team USA's biggest stars will air on, the streaming options available throughout the day and how the network will plan its nightly "Primetime in Paris" show.

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What channels are the Paris Olympics on? How can you stream it?

NBC, which saw strong viewership during Olympic trials , will be the daytime and primetime home of the network's coverage. But the full might of NBCUniversal will be behind the operation.

Peacock will stream every sport and event , including all 329 medal events. Full-event replays will be available on demand on top of all NBC programming, curated video clips and original content.

USA Network will be the primary home for team sports and programs with longer run-times, such as swimming heats, track and field, soccer, basketball, 3x3 basketball, beach volleyball, rugby, cycling, volleyball and water polo.

CNBC will feature boxing, cycling, rugby and skateboarding. E! has coverage of track and field, gymnastics, canoeing, diving, equestrian, artistic swimming, breaking, fencing and water polo.

GOLF Channel carries live golf competition from Le Golf National.

Watch the 2024 Paris Olympics FREE on Fubo

What Olympics sports will air live daytime vs. primetime?

All events are available live in the U.S., whether that's on one of the cable networks, NBC, or strictly Peacock. There will be live competition content to consume daily from 4 a.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET.

"Really, the consumer can find whatever they're looking for live during the day," NBC Olympics president and executive producer Molly Solomon told USA TODAY Sports in June. "And that's the beauty of the European time zone."

In primetime, starting at 8 p.m. ET (2 a.m. the following day in Paris), NBC's marquee broadcast will air live and focus on the biggest events of the day with "Primetime in Paris." That block will have a storytelling lens with more in-depth coverage opportunities. Mike Tirico will be the host from Paris' famed Trocadero, with the Eiffel Tower serving as the backdrop.

The show will typically open with highlights from a Team USA gold medal and the last hour of the show will revolve around the event of the night.

Watch the entirety of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Peacock

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NBC's plans for Olympics opening ceremony in Paris

Solomon credited Paris 2024 organizers for throwing out the "tradition playbook" and setting the opening ceremony on the Seine River, with athletes floating through the city.

"When people ask, 'What are you most excited about?' It has to be the opening ceremonies because something like this has never been done before," Solomon said.

She added: "It's audacious, it's bold, it's daring, and it's going to be unforgettable."

From a technical, television perspective, it will be the most complicated event that has ever been produced. The Olympic Broadcasting Service (OBS) will have 100 cameras along the parade route. Each delegation will have access to a live mobile phone camera on the boat. NBC will be tracking the U.S. team's route, and the Americans will be second-to-last down the river because the U.S. hosts the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

NBC will have an additional 40 cameras on the scene. Reporter Maria Taylor will be embedded with Team USA interviewing athletes from the water. "Today" show hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb will be on a bridge over the Seine.

Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning will join Tirico as hosts on the broadcast. Live coverage begins at noon ET and primetime starts at 7:30 p.m. ET.

"France is throwing the world's biggest party," Solomon said, "and we get to be there."

How many times has Mike Tirico hosted the Olympics?

The face of NBC's coverage is Tirico, who is also the network's frontman for NFL games. This will be his fifth Olympics assignment and fourth time as the television host of the games; he first replaced Bob Costas in that role at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

At the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, Tirico returned to the U.S. to call Super Bowl 56 between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals.

Tirico will be on double-duty in strictly a Parisian sense this time. He will be around for about three hours of live coverage during the daytime and then once primetime begins at 8 p.m. ET.

"There haven't been many people who have the chance to be the lead voice on a sport like the NFL and be the Olympic host, and I love the fact I get to do both and get the opportunity," Tirico told USA TODAY Sports.

What is NBC's Olympic 'Gold Zone'?

For football fans who like their football Sundays with a helping of "NFL Red Zone," there is good news. There could be up to 40 events happening simultaneously, so NBC green-lit "Gold Zone," a whiparound format that shows the action as it is happening.

Bringing in Scott Hanson, who anchors "Red Zone" during the fall, "was kind of a layup," Solomon said. The built-in credibility he brings to the audience helps.

Solomon traveled to Los Angeles to sell Hanson on the idea. Since then, she said, he has been invested to the point of making sure the set design can sustain that type of broadcast. Hanson would know. He has pushed producers and voiced his ideas.

"Because he knows that this is even more difficult than the NFL … I've been so impressed by his work ethic," Solomon said. "He is so committed to making this a success and doing it well."

Hanson will also be joined by Andrew Siciliano, Matt Iseman and Jac Collinsworth as "Gold Zone" hosts. "Gold Zone" will stream live on Peacock from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. ET daily from July 27-Aug. 10. Collinsworth replaced Akbar Gbajabiamila, who is the newest member of "Good Morning Football." The revamped version of that show debuts July 29, impacting Gbajabiamila's availability.

Will Michael Phelps be back at the Olympics?

The most-decorated American male athlete in Olympic history is back as a broadcast contributor.

Michael Phelps will be a contributor in Paris similar to how the network deployed him three years ago. Should another massive story come about, such as Simone Biles' mental injury in Tokyo, Phelps would be asked to provide analysis and perspective from his point-of-view in a studio format. Other times, he will be at the pool deck with Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines helping call the swimming action.

"We definitely flex according to where we think he is best positioned to contribute," Solomon said.

Is Dwyane Wade auditioning for big NBC job during Olympics?

NBC tabbed Noah Eagle to call Team USA basketball, and on the men's side , assigned Dwyane Wade to be the color commentator.

Solomon said that she is always looking for new voices and that Wade checked the box of having international competition experience. She knows that he hasn't done a lot of game calling, but had been impressed by his previous work in the studio with TNT – being friends with LeBron James also helps.

"He's so thoughtful, and of course, has experience with so many members of the team," Solomon said. "So I think there'll be a lot of personal storytelling. He'll have access to members of that team to get new insight. And I look forward to hearing a new voice in the basketball space."

And after this summer, Wade could be in line for a more permanent job at NBC with the network gaining NBA rights in the league's newest media deal set to begin at the start of the 2025-26 season.

LaChina Robinson will join Eagle for Team USA women's basketball contests.

Who are the Olympic gymnastics broadcasters?

Gymnastics coverage will be paramount, and NBC knows that. Explaining the complex scoring system can be confusing to the casual viewer at home.

Solomon feels like reporter/analyst John Roethlisberger has a strong chance of being the network's breakout star in Paris because of his ability to analogize what's happening on the mat to other sports fans may be more familiar with. And the three-time Olympian can also dive into the weeds of judges' opinions should that be necessary.

He'll be joined by the other 2024 Paris Olympics NBC announcers for gymnastics:

Primetime show:Terry Gannon (play-by-play), Tim Daggett (analyst), Samantha Peszek (analyst), John Roethlisberger (analyst/reporter), Zora Stephenson (reporter)
Live daytime:Rich Lerner (play-by-play), Laurie Hernandez (analyst), Justin Spring (analyst), Zora Stephenson (reporter)

Who is calling track and field at the 2024 Olympics?

The 2024 Paris Olympics NBC announcers for track and field are:

Live finals and primetime:Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Paul Swangard (play-by-play), Ato Boldon (analyst), Sanya Richards-Ross (analyst), Kara Goucher (analyst), Trey Hardee (analyst), Lewis Johnson (reporter)
Live preliminary heats:Bill Spaulding (play-by-play), Dawn Harper-Nelson (analyst), Shannon Rowbury (analyst), Lewis Johnson (reporter)

Wait, is Alex Cooper part of NBC's Olympics coverage?

NBC wants to broaden its audience, particularly among young people, and brought in contributors "to bring that enthusiasm and maybe a different perspective to what we're doing," Solomon said. The contributors, such as "Call Her Daddy" podcast host Alex Cooper , have different fan bases demographically.

"That's really why we wanted to integrate pop culture into what we're doing," Solomon said. "But I always want to maintain that competition is at the core of what we do."

"Watch with Alex Cooper" will stream on Peacock as a series of live, interactive, picture-in-picture watch parties streaming on Peacock that serves as sort of a companion-cast to the action. (Think "Manningcast" vibes without the detailed football analysis.) The show will include social media reaction and guests.

"We are trying a lot of different things to make sure we elevate the Olympics and the stories, and that's why we went for some different voices this time around," Solomon said.

At a media event this summer, Cooper said she wants Gen-Z women to participate in the Games in a less-intimidating way. She sat down for an interview with Simone Biles in which the gymnast opened up about her "twisties" experience in Tokyo in 2021.

Is Snoop Dogg back at the Olympics?

With his mind on the Olympics and the Olympics on his mind, Snoop Dogg is, indeed, back. He's primed for a bigger role three years after his reactions to the dressage competition with Kevin Hart went viral.

Snoop will be a regular on "Primetime in Paris." Parts of the primetime show being taped allows for Snoop to spend time with Team USA athletes, their families, or explore Paris and relay findings and insights to the wider audience that night.

Snoop expressed interest about a year ago, and Solomon was struck by his passion for telling athletes' stories and his love for the Olympics. He was at track and field trials in June to start laying the groundwork for his summer job.

"'Where is Snoop?' I hope it becomes a popular guessing game of what we're doing that day," Solomon said.

Hart and Kenan Thompson will host a commentary series called "Olympic Highlights with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson."

How will NBC cover Israel-Palestine, Russia-Ukraine, and other world events at the 2024 Olympics?

International relations bleed into Olympic competition. That is the nature of the Games. The Olympics also produces lots of news. The plan, Solomon said, is to cover it as the news happens and to collaborate with NBC News.

"Are we going to cover controversy? Of course we're going to cover controversy," Solomon said. "But unless it is huge news, we're not going to live in it. We're going to cover it and we're going to cover the Olympic Games."

Can I watch the 2024 Paris Olympics in Spanish?

Yes. Telemundo is the exclusive Spanish-language home for the Olympics in the U.S. Peacock will livestream all Telemundo and Universo programming. Telemundo will present a two-hour recap show that airs at 12 a.m. ET.

How many people work for NBC during the Olympics? Where are they?

Broadcasting the Games is a 3,000-person effort. Most of NBC's production team will be based at the NBCUniversal's Stamford, Connecticut, headquarters (approximately 2,000). There, they can use the hundreds of graphics production machines and hundreds of edit rooms to which they are accustomed.

The remainder will be stationed at the network's on-the-ground facility near Charles de Gaulle airport outside of Paris. It is a temporary structure that will be deconstructed at the Games' conclusion in accordance with Paris 2024's sustainability goals.

"It just becomes very, very difficult to build this up in an Olympic host city," Solomon said. "When you have a state-of-the-art facility back home, it just makes too much sense."

Key announcers and hosts will be onsite. NBC has reporters at every venue during competition.

"We think we've got the right balance," Solomon said.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inside NBC's extravagant plans for 2024 Paris Olympics on TV, Peacock

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