NBCUNIVERSAL TO SET WINTER OLYMPICS RECORD WITH 2,400+ HOURS OF COVERAGE OF PYEONGCHANG 2018

News

November 28, 2017

NBCUNIVERSAL TO SET WINTER OLYMPICS RECORD WITH 2,400+ HOURS OF COVERAGE OF PYEONGCHANG 2018

NBC Primetime Coverage Live Across All Time Zones For First Time For Winter Games

NBC Broadcast Network Begins 176 Hours of Coverage on Thursday, Feb. 8 – One Night Before Opening Ceremony – With Live Figure Skating in Primetime

NBC Primetime Plus Presents Live Late-Night Coverage For First Time at Winter Games

STAMFORD, Conn. – Nov. 28, 2017 – NBCUniversal will present more than 2,400 hours of coverage of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games from PyeongChang, South Korea, across NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, USA Network, NBCOlympics.com, and the NBC Sports app. The 2,400 hours are the most ever for a Winter Olympics.

NBC’s coverage of the PyeongChang Games begins in primetime on Thursday, Feb. 8, at 8 p.m. ET – one night before Opening Ceremony coverage on Friday, Feb. 9 – and continues until the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 25. For the first time for a Winter Games, NBC will present Olympic primetime coverage live across all time zones.

“There will be more live hours of Winter Olympics coverage in PyeongChang than ever before, and for the first time at a Winter Games, NBC will broadcast live across all time zones to the entire country, creating a unique national collective experience for this event – and we will be everywhere – from broadcast and cable television, to digital streaming and social media.” said Jim Bell, President, NBC Olympics Production and Programming. “The Games will once again provide a positive example of the world coming together in spirited competition and offering a message of unity, peace, and hope.”

Television coverage of the PyeongChang Games begin on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 11 p.m. ET, on NBCSN, with coverage of mixed doubles curling. All coverage of the PyeongChang Games will be streamed on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app, beginning Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. ET, for authenticated users.

“The Olympics command America’s attention for 18 days unlike anything else because of the athletes and their stories,” said Bell. “There will be familiar names – like Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Shaun White. There will be new faces – like Chloe Kim and Nathan Chen. And there will be unforgettable stories, like the Nigerian bobsled team and, we anticipate, the North Korean figure skating pairs team.”

Following are highlights from NBCUniversal’s comprehensive coverage of the upcoming XXIII Olympic Winter Games from PyeongChang:

• NBCUniversal is presenting its 16th Olympic Games and 10th consecutive, both the most by any U.S. media company;

• The NBCUniversal platforms – NBC (176 hours), NBCSN (369), CNBC (46), USA Network (40.5) and NBCOlympics.com/NBC Sports app (1,800+) – will offer the most in-depth coverage in Winter Olympics history. The 2,400+ hours is comparable to the coverage of the past two Winter Games combined (Sochi; 1,600+) and Vancouver (835);

• NBCUniversal’s 631.5 hours of linear television coverage across four networks is the most ever for a Winter Olympics, eclipsing Sochi (541) in 2014;

• NBC’s primetime coverage begins on Thursday, Feb. 8, one night before Opening Ceremony coverage, highlighted by live figure skating, qualifying in the men’s and women’s moguls competitions, and qualifying in men’s ski jumping;

• NBC’s schedule is divided into three dayparts – daytime, primetime and primetime plus – for a total of 176 hours over 18 days. For the first time ever, NBC will present live coverage during its late-night primetime plus window;

• NBCSN – NBC Sports Group’s Emmy Award-winning 24/7 sports network – will present 369 hours of coverage, including live primetime coverage of a Winter Olympics for the first time ever, and 10 days of 24-hour programming;

• CNBC – NBCUniversal’s fully-distributed cable business channel – will present 46 hours of coverage, again highlighted by its popular evening curling telecasts, beginning on Feb. 12;

• USA Network – NBCUniversal’s fully distributed cable entertainment channel – will present 40.5 hours of hockey and curling coverage throughout the Games, the majority of which will be shown live;

• NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app, which are powered by NBC Sports’ Playmaker Media, will deliver more than 1,800 hours of live-event and TV simul-stream coverage for the PyeongChang Olympics. In a Winter Games first, NBC broadcast network content will be live streamed, including the daytime, primetime and primetime-plus shows;

• Mike Tirico will make his debut as NBC’s Olympic primetime host at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, following Bob Costas’ run as NBC primetime host for a U.S. TV record 11 Olympics;

• Over the 19 days of the PyeongChang Games (Feb. 7-25), NBCUniversal’s coverage will average over 126 hours per day – nearly triple the entire coverage of the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics (43.5) on ABC;

A breakdown of platform-by-platform coverage follows, highlighted by coverage airing on NBC:

NBC TO AIR 176 HOURS OF WINTER OLYMPICS COVERAGE FROM PYEONGCHANG

NBC will present 176 hours of Olympic Winter Games coverage from PyeongChang over 18 days, beginning with primetime coverage on Thursday, Feb. 8, at 8 p.m. ET, and concluding with the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 25. Coverage of the Opening Ceremony begins on Friday, Feb. 9, in primetime.

NBC’s PyeongChang Games coverage highlights:

• NBC will begin its primetime coverage of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Thursday, Feb. 8, one night before the broadcast network provides its traditional primetime coverage of the Opening Ceremony on Friday, Feb. 9;

• For the first time ever for a Winter Games, NBC will present live primetime Olympic coverage across all time zones. Primetime begins each night at 8 p.m. ET, except for Sundays (7 p.m. ET). Primetime will be highlighted by live coverage of alpine skiing, figure skating, snowboard/freestyle skiing, and short track;

• For the first time ever, NBC’s late-night “primetime plus” coverage will air live across all time zones every night following primetime. Primetime plus will feature many of the same events airing in primetime and performances by top U.S. Olympians, including 17-year-old snowboarding phenom Chloe Kim, who is expected to make Olympic debut in the women’s halfpipe on primetime plus on Sunday, Feb. 11;

• Daytime coverage on NBC will begin at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 10, highlighted by speed skating, ski jumping, cross country, biathlon, and luge. NBC’s daytime coverage will air from 3-5 p.m. ET on weekdays, and 3-6 p.m. ET on weekends across all time zones;

• NBC will be the exclusive home of alpine skiing during the PyeongChang Olympics. Eleven of 18 nights of primetime will feature live alpine skiing, and all alpine skiing will air live either in primetime or primetime plus on NBC. Olympic gold medalists Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn are slated to make their PyeongChang debuts in the giant slalom in primetime on Sunday, Feb. 11. Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety is expected to be a top contender in the men’s giant slalom, airing live in primetime on Saturday, Feb. 17;

• Figure skating will be prominently featured during NBC’s primetime coverage, airing on 12 of 18 nights, and opens NBC’s primetime coverage from PyeongChang on Thursday, Feb. 8, with the team competition. 2017 U.S. champion Nathan Chen is slated to compete in primetime in the men’s competition on Thursday, Feb. 15, and Friday, Feb. 16; siblings Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani are scheduled to compete in the ice dance competition Sunday, Feb. 18, and Monday, Feb. 19; and three-time U.S. champion Ashley Wagner is expected to lead the American contingent in the ladies’ competition on Tuesday, Feb. 20, and Thursday, Feb. 22.

NBCSN, CNBC & USA NETWORK TO CARRY MORE THAN 450 HOURS OF PYEONGCHANG WINTER OLYMPICS COVERAGE

NBC Olympics will again utilize fully-distributed NBCUniversal cable channels NBCSN, CNBC, and USA Network to televise more than 450 hours of coverage of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games this February from PyeongChang, South Korea.

NBCSN will serve as the cable home of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, televising 369 hours of coverage, including 10 days of wall-to-wall 24-hour coverage. Gold medal finals on NBCSN include hockey, snowboarding, short track, luge, and bobsled. For the first time ever, NBCSN will present live primetime coverage of a Winter Olympics, airing nearly every night throughout the Games.

CNBC will present 46 hours of coverage, again highlighted by its popular evening curling telecasts. USA Network will air live curling and hockey as part of its 40.5 hours of live programming. 

NBC OLYMPICS TO LIVE STREAM 1,800 HOURS OF 2018 PYEONGCHANG OLYMPICS

NBC Olympics will live stream 1,800 hours of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games from PyeongChang, South Korea this February, a record for a Winter Olympics. PyeongChang will be the first Winter Games to offer live streaming of the NBC broadcast network, including primetime and primetime plus programming.

Digital coverage will include live streaming of all competition on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app across desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs for authenticated users; TV simul-stream coverage of five television networks; streaming on connected TVs, a Winter Games first; and an enhanced viewing experience for select sports. In addition, Olympic fans will be able to access three digital-only programs, live streams of practices, and an active news desk that will regularly publish Olympic updates throughout each day. 

OLYMPIC CHANNEL: HOME OF TEAM USA TO PRESENT 24/7 NEWS COVERAGE DURING PYEONGCHANG OLYMPICS

Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA – a partnership between the International Olympic Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, and NBCUniversal – will complement NBCUniversal’s extensive coverage of the PyeongChang Olympics this February, with wall-to-wall programming featuring 20 hours of news and highlights provided daily by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS); live Olympic medal ceremony coverage from the PyeongChang Medal Plaza; and a daily studio show featuring 13-time Emmy Award winner Jimmy Roberts. Coverage begins Saturday, Feb. 10, and concludes Saturday, Feb. 24. 

ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s Olympic Games coverage. It is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032.