The 2020/21 Olympics are happening, and NBC will deliver more than 7,000 hours of coverage
Simone Biles warms up on the vault prior to the Senior Women's competition of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships at Dickies Arena on June 6, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas. Credit: Getty Images/Jamie Squire
You are forgiven if you have lost track of whether the 2020/21 Tokyo Olympics are occurring, given the one-year delay and ongoing complications surrounding COVID-19, Japanese politics and whatnot.
But occurring they are, and on Wednesday NBC alerted the populace one month out from the Opening Ceremony with a bells-and-whistles, in-person, old-fashioned news conference at Studio 8H, home of "Saturday Night Live."
Unlike "SNL," the host was not a famous actor, comedian, athlete or Tesla purveyor, but rather Mike Tirico, who told Newsday that covering the ongoing U.S. trials in major sports has made the Games feel more tangible.
"That is giving me the sense that this is real, and they are ready," he said. "They delayed their plans, reworked them, and we’re at go-time, for sure."
NBC Sports has had to adjust, like everyone else on Earth over the past 15 months or so.
It will have about 1,600 people on site in Japan, but it will have even more personnel than that based in the United States, having shifted about 400 from foreign to domestic duty to reduce its footprint in Japan.
Regardless, NBC will produce a massive trove of content to be distributed across the full array of platforms.
The time difference — 13 hours ahead of New York — will present the usual coverage challenges, but it also will present opportunities, including live coverage of the Opening Ceremony on the "Today" show.
NBC will have a traditional, "curated" prime-time show heavy on sports such as swimming, gymnastics and track and field, but its website, NBCOlympics.com, will carry pretty much everything for authenticated pay TV subscribers.
The latest wrinkle is NBC’s new streaming outlet, "Peacock," which will offer many live events free. (Men’s basketball will be shown on a premium tier for a fee.)
In all, NBC plans more than 7,000 hours of content, and will deploy 178 commentators to tell the tales.
It can get confusing, which is why NBC hopes to guide viewers through the thicket of offerings with intense cross-promotion and partnerships with major social media outlets.
"We have put together the most ambitious coverage plan ever," said Molly Solomon, executive producer of NBC Olympics.
NBC has some returning stars to promote, notably gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Katie Ledecky. But there are new stars waiting to emerge, such as sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson.
Sha'Carri Richardson celebrates winning the Women's 100 Meter final at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field on June 19, 2021 in Eugene, Oregon. Credit: Getty Images/Patrick Smith
The unknown is whether the unprecedented one-year delay will boost interest, dampen it or neither.
"I’m excited, and I think people are really going to catch the fever," said Savannah Guthrie, a host of "Today" and of the Opening Ceremony. "There’s nothing like the Olympics.
"We’ve all been binge watching, but at this point how many crime shows can you watch? ‘Tiger King’ is great, but this is the Olympics. I think people are going to want to see something special."
With that, NBC executives gently reminded her that its channels carry crime shows also. "Like I was saying, I love crime shows!" she said.
Pete Bevacqua, chairman of NBC Sports, said, "I think the delay has brought more attention to these Olympics, and everybody is just waiting to see these nations come together in Tokyo, the best male and female athletes in the world.
"I think it has that potential to be something really special, with an interest level that will be hopefully off the charts."
NBC has a stake in that, and the money it and other international media partners pay the IOC is a key reason the Games are going on at all.
The coverage should feel mostly normal, even though there will be no spectators allowed from outside Japan, which figures to change the vibe in the stands.
NBC personnel will be restricted in their movements because of COVID protocols. Japan’s vaccine rates lag far behind those of the United States, but their infection rate has fallen in recent weeks.
"It’s very encouraging, all the news in that regard," Tirico said. "I say that not just as the host of the Games and covering it, but as someone who’s going to be over there. You want to know what environment you’re going to be in for the next month."
Tirico will work from an outdoor set in Tokyo, one of seven NBC will use during the Games.
Per Olympic tradition, executives emphasized the Games’ ability to bring people together in a time of global stress.
"After everything the world’s gone through, as we begin to emerge from this pandemic, the world coming together is an incredibly impactful experience," Solomon said. "I do think that people are craving a shared experience. What better way to come together than the stories of these athletes?"
The first step is reminding casual observers that the show will go on.
"I think there’s going to be a curiosity factor when the curtain goes up," Tirico said. "‘OK, are they doing it, and how are they doing it?’"
The answer is less than a month away.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
