• Loading stock data...
Friday, August 8, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

NBC to Lean on Celebrity Power to Boost Its Paris Olympics Viewership

  • Collaborations with Steven Spielberg, Colin Jost, and Al Michaels mark the latest celebrity tie-ins.
  • A formal decision on NBA national media rights is expected in the next two weeks.
NBC Sports

NBC Sports has always employed a big-tent marketing and programming strategy for the Olympics, continually looking to pull in viewers for this event who don’t ordinarily watch sports. But that effort is rising to new levels for the upcoming Paris Olympics with the network’s unprecedented lean into celebrity and pop culture in the pursuit of greater viewership.

Building off previously announced alignments with stars such as Snoop Dogg, Kelly Clarkson, Kevin Hart, Jimmy Fallon, Kenan Thompson, and Peyton Manning, among others, NBC Sports on Wednesday introduced a series of new celebrity tie-ins as it marked one month until the start of the Paris Games.

  • A collaboration with famed filmmaker Steven Spielberg (above), who stars in and helped develop a new opening film for the network’s Olympics coverage entitled “Land of Stories.” The four-minute clip will be aired in full just before live coverage of the opening ceremony on July 26. Shorter versions will be used across NBCUniversal platforms as a promotional vehicle, as well as in AMC and IMAX movie theaters
  • An appointment of Saturday Night Live star Colin Jost to help cover the Olympic surfing competition from Tahiti in French Polynesia 
  • The development of a new artificial-intelligence-powered daily Olympics highlights feed, featuring the synthesized and recreated voice of Hall of Fame announcer Al Michaels. The personalized video clips, to be offered daily on Peacock, mark a further push by the network to advance the streaming platform’s capabilities after generating a record-setting audience in January for an NFL wild-card game. Michaels, now a key figure in Amazon’s NFL coverage, has been in an emeritus role with NBC since 2022 

There’s much more than just celebrity sizzle behind the network’s efforts, though. Parent companies NBCUniversal and Comcast are looking to restore audience growth and prominence to the Olympics after posting record-low ratings in both Tokyo in 2021 and the following year in Beijing. Significant money is also riding on the Paris Games—particularly as the network has sold more than $1.2 billion worth of advertising. Network research has additionally found that conversation for nearly one in three consumers in the Olympics within their own social circles is sparked by the presence of a celebrity. 

“The last two Games in Tokyo and Beijing were significantly challenged by COVID protocols and a difficult time zone,” said NBC Sports president Rick Cordella. “It lacked buzz, vibe, and fans in the stands. Paris changes all of that in a big way.”

Two Primetimes

The network, meanwhile, is advancing upon a recent programming approach in which all Olympic events in Paris will be streamed live on Peacock, while evening programming in the U.S. on TV will be a curated show of highlights from each day’s action. With a six-hour time difference between Paris and the East Coast in the U.S., NBC Sports is now leaning in to what it sees as a dual primetime in which afternoon programming in the U.S. will center on live events happening at night in France, while the newly named “Primetime in Paris” will be an evening show in the U.S. hosted by Mike Tirico and feature “enhanced storytelling” of prior action. 

“We really have a new paradigm for our coverage, and it’s a marked shift from London 12 years ago, which was the last time these games were hosted in Europe,” said Molly Solomon, president of NBC Olympics Production. 

But What About the NBA?

The Paris Olympics are a major corporate priority for NBCUniversal and Comcast, and a press event Wednesday in New York featured the companies’ most senior executives, including Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts and president Mike Cavanagh. But another key area of focus—NBC Sports’ pursuit of NBA national media rights—is perhaps approaching a conclusion. Network sources said a formal decision from the league is now expected within the next two weeks as the negotiation process reaches a highly anticipated endgame. 

NBC is strongly expected to return to live coverage of the NBA, joining incumbent Disney and its ESPN, newcomer Amazon, with the status of Warner Bros. Discovery and its TNT Sports representing by far the biggest source of drama.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

May 10, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8), and forward Jayson Tatum (0) and New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) during game three of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden.

Celtics Sale Set to Close in Next Two Weeks

The $6.1B deal has taken longer to close than other recent franchise sales.

More RedZones? 10 Burning Questions With ESPN’s Pitaro and NFL’s Schroeder

The execs behind the landmark ESPN-NFL deal sat down with FOS.

After Draft-Day Snub and Drama, Sanders to Start Preseason Opener

Multiple injuries mean Sanders gets the nod for the opening preseason game.

Featured Today

Inked Under Anesthesia: Athletes Getting $50,000 Tattoos

High-end studios, elite artist teams, and hours under anesthesia.
Coco Gauff at New York Liberty
August 2, 2025

How the New York Liberty Became the Hottest Ticket in Town

Once banished to the burbs, the Libs are now Brooklyn’s marquee attraction.
Las Vegas sign
July 29, 2025

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
NFL Network host Kimmi Chex gives Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor a draft do-over during the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Friday, April 25, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Taylor was drafted in 2020 when the draft was held virtually due to COVID.

ESPN Reaches NFL Draft Rights Extension Following Mega-Deal

The network will continue to broadcast the draft through 2030, say sources.
August 4, 2025

NFL’s Hall of Fame Game Draws 6.9M TV Viewers, Highest Since 2021

The Lions and Chargers played this year’s game in Canton, Ohio.
Apr 2, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; Roman Reigns during Wrestlemania Night 2 at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit:
August 6, 2025

ESPN Strikes $1.6 Billion Streaming Deal With WWE

WWE’s premium live events are migrating from NBC’s Peacock in 2026.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
Jul 15, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to the crowd as they take on the Connecticut Sun in the first quarter at TD Garden.
July 30, 2025

WNBA Viewership Up Across All Networks Compared to 2024

Non-Fever games are up 37% compared to the full 2024 season.
NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) celebrates winning Sunday, July 27, 2025, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
July 30, 2025

Amazon, TNT Post Near-Identical NASCAR Ratings in Debut Season

The cable channel is a new media-rights partner this season.
Jul 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky guard Kia Nurse (11) drives to the basket against Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham (8) during the second half at United Center.
July 29, 2025

Fever-Sky Draws 1.5M Viewers Despite Clark, Reese Absences

Clark and Reese both missed the game due to injury.
July 29, 2025

WBD Restructuring Shows What’s Old Is New Again

WBD will become Warner Bros. and Discovery Global as two separate entities.