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The Tokyo Olympics final summer season have been in contrast to some other for NBC, together with the actual fact they technically have been the 2020 Video games however have been held in 2021.
However the diploma of problem will likely be ramped up even increased subsequent month for the 2022 Winter Video games in Beijing.
As in Tokyo, the COVID-19 pandemic and an Asian time zone will current challenges, however now add a geopolitical backdrop so controversial it sparked a diplomatic boycott of the Video games by america and different Western nations.
NBC executives didn’t maintain their conventional pre-Olympics information convention this time, however throughout a video presentation by executives posted on Wednesday, NBC host Mike Tirico pressed Molly Solomon, president of Olympics manufacturing, on how the community plans to deal with the political angle.
(Amongst different issues, China has been severely criticized for the remedy of its ethnic Uyghur inhabitants.)
“We’re going to be specializing in telling the tales of Crew USA and protecting the competitors,” Solomon stated, “however the world as everyone knows is a extremely difficult place proper now, and we perceive there are some troublesome points relating to the host nation.
“Our protection will present perspective on China’s place on this planet and the geopolitical context during which these Video games are being held. However the athletes do stay the centerpiece of our protection.”
NBC has employed a journalist and a cultural historian who’re consultants on China to work with Tirico, and NBC Information will likely be on website to cowl potential developments. However politics usually are not NBC’s solely problem.
There are the acquainted time zone gymnastics of a number metropolis 13 hours forward of New York, and due to the pandemic venues largely will likely be empty of spectators and there will likely be no lively NHL gamers within the hockey event.
The pandemic additionally will preserve most of NBC Sports activities’ Olympics workers — greater than 1,000 of them — at its Stamford, Connecticut, facility relatively than in Beijing, together with the whole roster of occasion announcers and analysts.
For Tokyo, most occasions have been referred to as off screens in Stamford. However this time even probably the most seen ones, reminiscent of determine skating, will likely be. USA As we speak first reported that improvement late Wednesday afternoon.
Tirico nonetheless is scheduled to host the early a part of the Video games on website, together with the Opening Ceremony, however he’ll do this job from California on Feb. 11 and 12 earlier than internet hosting NBC’s Tremendous Bowl LVI protection on Feb. 13.
In all, NBC Common plans greater than 2,800 hours of protection from Feb. 2-20.
The Opening Ceremony on NBC and its Peacock streaming service will likely be proven stay on the morning of Feb. 4, then once more in prime time that night time.
Beijing’s time zone will permit NBC to point out some occasions stay in prime time that happen within the morning in China. That features going instantly from Tremendous Bowl protection to stay bobsled and skating finals in Beijing.
NBC’s broadcast mothership may have 18 nights of prime-time protection — not together with Tremendous Bowl Sunday.
Peacock will stream all NBC Common protection on its premium tier, an vital milestone within the “direct-to-consumer” evolution of stay sports activities for pay TV “cord-cutters.”
NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports activities App will present stay occasions for individuals who authenticate as TV subscribers.
With NBCSN having ceased operation on Dec. 31, the cable networks for the Video games will likely be USA Community and CNBC.
USA Community would be the Video games’ major cable residence, with practically 400 hours, together with all 15 sports activities. CNBC may have round 80 hours, primarily targeted on curling and hockey.
Among the many stars NBC hopes will appeal to viewers are Shaun White (snowboarding), Chloe Kim (snowboarding), Nathan Chen (determine skating), Mikaela Shiffrin (snowboarding) and the U.S. girls’s hockey crew.
4-time Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn will be part of NBC as an analyst.
NBC Sports activities chairman Pete Bevacqua stated the expertise gained protecting the Tokyo Video games will assist navigate Beijing.
As for the problem of carrying the Olympics and Tremendous Bowl on the identical day, he stated, “If we are able to’t get excited for that, we’re most likely within the incorrect enterprise. So I believe it’s incredible.”
The plan for Tremendous Bowl Sunday on NBC is to cowl the Olympics from 8 a.m. to midday, then swap to Tremendous Bowl pregame protection, then return to Beijing after the sport.
Like different networks, NBC has refined and improved its distant manufacturing up to now two years.
Stated Bevacqua, “Proper or wrongly, for good or for unhealthy, we’ve been coping with stay sports activities throughout a pandemic for 18 months.”
Neil Finest first labored at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been right here since, specializing in excessive colleges, school basketball, the NFL and most just lately sports activities media and enterprise.
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