NBC Sports Is Ready For The Olympics
With the Tokyo Olympics, less than a month away NBC Sports is all systems go with its coverage plans. It plans to broadcast 7,000 hours of sports programming across its channels such as NBC, USA, NBCSN, CNBC, and the Peacock streaming service.
These Olympics will be unlike any other as they will be held as the COVID-19 pandemic is still ravaging parts of the globe. The games were pushed back a year due to the pandemic and with poor vaccination rates across Japan, some are calling for the games to be canceled altogether out of safety concerns.
NBC has said that it will not ignore the pandemic during the Olympics and will cover it when necessary. The full resources of NBC News and its marquee news anchors such as Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Craig Melvin will be on the ground to cover any developments that come up. The network says that are hoping to strike a balance between the optimism of the post-COVID world and the reality of what’s currently happening.
From a sports programming standpoint, NBC Sports has a team of 150-200 people in Tokyo working on the Olympics right now with the number expected to jump to 1600 once the games start. They will follow all safety protocols while in Japan. The majority of its staff however will be stationed stateside.
Some of the highlights of its coverage include:
Guthrie and Mike Tirico will host the Opening Ceremony on NBC.
NBC will be the home of curated primetime coverage.
USA and CNBC will have specific long-form content.
Specialty content will be on Peacock.
Games will also be available to watch on Twitch.
NBC Sports’ parent company NBCUniversal says that it has also secured more than 120 advertisers this time around, 20 more than the Rio games. It also expects to surpass the $1.2 billion ad revenue it made from the last summer games.
(Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Brian Steinberg/Twitter, AdWeek)
RECAP
Netflix’s “Drive To Survive” Has Made Formula 1 Popular In The US
NASCAR is the leading motorsport in the US but it needs to look at its rearview mirror because the Formula One World Championship courtesy of Netflix is fast approaching. The streaming service has been airing a docuseries titled “Drive to Survive,” which showcases the on and off-track drama of the autosport. The series has been a massive success for the sport as its ratings have been on an upswing. Ratings for Formula One on ESPN have been up 50 percent from the 2020 season and up 36 percent from 2019. (NBC News)
Steve Scully Leaves CSPAN As Network Offers Buyouts To Employees
C-SPAN’s political editor and on-air host Steve Scully is set to leave the network on July 2. He will be joining the Bipartisan Policy Center as their SVP of communications. Scully has been with the network since 1990 and he has interviewed every president since Gerald Ford. His time at C-SPAN has not always been smooth sailing, in 2020 he was placed on administrative leave after he lied about his Twitter account being hacked. C-SPAN also recently offered buyouts to more than 100 staffers who had worked at the company for more than 20 years. The network says that it is facing the same challenges as for-profit cable networks and it needs to adapt to its current situation. (Axios, TVNewser)
NFL Is Looking For A Partner For NFL Media
Football may be the core reason the NFL exists, but the league in recent years is viewing itself as more of a business operation with lofty cash generation ambitions. With the rapid pace of changes within the media industry, the NFL is looking at what opportunities it can carve out of its media assets such as the NFL Network, NFL.com, Red Zone, and the rights to carry events like the NFL Draft, NFL Combine, and the schedule release. The league does not intend to cede control of its assets but is looking for a partner or partners who can take these properties to the next level. The NFL has hired Goldman Sachs to lead its efforts in finding partner/s that could come from either the media world and/or from the tech space. (Sports Business Journal)
QUICK RECAP
Former CNN correspondent, radio host Mike Brooks, has died. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Fox Weather signs six meteorologists. (Business Wire)
Former NHL player Mark Messier signed a multi-year deal with ESPN. (ESPN Press Room)
CNN will be celebrating America’s reopening with a Fourth of July special. (CNN Press Room)
MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart tours the White House in pride special. (Variety)
BBC News announces new bureaux appointments. (BBC News Press Team/Twitter)
Jeff Gordon will be leaving FOX Sports’ NASCAR coverage at the end of the year. (Awful Announcing)
Tanya Giles named head programming officer for streaming at ViacomCBS. (Broadcasting+Cable)
CNN introduces its global climate team. (TVNewser)
Former TV/radio host Mike Golic said ESPN didn’t want him back. (Awful Announcing)
NBC News Group celebrates its digital accomplishments. (NBC News PR)
ViacomCBS reorganizes its executives’ ranks to focus on streaming. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Fox Business’ website outperforms its competitors. (Talking Biz News)
Peacock will now be available on Amazon’s Fire TV devices. (AdWeek)
WarnerMedia names Suja Viswesan head of data. (Broadcasting+Cable)
CNN Digital overpowers its competitors. (CNN Press Room)
Black News Channel and Verizon Fios TV reach carriage deal. (Multichannel News)
Fox Sports’ betting show Fox Bet Live might be canceled. (Front Office Sports)
Combate Global MMA broadcasts will be on CBSSN and Paramount Plus. (Awful Announcing)
Amazon’s planned purchase of MGM will be reviewed by the FTC. (Wall Street Journal)
Former ESPNer Jemele Hill to launch a podcast for Black women on Spotify. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Zora Stephenson joins NBC Sports and will continue with her Milwaukee Bucks beat for Bally Sports Wisconsin. (Awful Announcing)
Fox News’ digital EVP David Katz says he will be leaving the network in September. (MediaPost)
Allure’s Editor in Chief Michelle Lee joins Netflix as its VP of editorial and publishing. (AdWeek)
Fox News’ Tucker Carlson says he will not be running for president in 2024. (TVNewser)
ESPN producer says the world feed director for the Euros “crossed the line” when covering Christian Eriksen. (Awful Announcing)
Steven Spielberg is heading to Netflix on a multi-year movie production deal. (CNN)
Fox News’ DC executive Cherie Grzech joins NewsNation. (Broadcasting+Cable)
Tucker Carlson rips journalists but he is also their best insider source. (New York Times)
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A MarkHenry Media LLC publication - issue #61 - 2021