12 Days of Paris Paralympics Begin Aug. 28 with Live Coverage Across NBC, Peacock, USA Network, and CNBC
Andrea Joyce, Sophie Morgan, Carolyn Manno, Lacey Henderson, and Chris Waddell to Serve as Hosts
Making History: Joyce and Henderson to Be First NBCU On-Site Hosts at a Paralympic Games, while Morgan, Henderson, and Waddell to Be NBCU’s First Disabled Hosts of Paralympic Games
Peacock to Stream a Record-Breaking 1,500+ Hours of Live Coverage Across All 22 Paralympic Sports
U.S. Paralympic Team Trials for Swimming and Track & Field to be Presented Across Peacock and CNBC Beginning June 27
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 20, 2024 – Today marks 100 days out until the start of the Paralympic Games Paris 2024, with NBCUniversal set to present the most comprehensive coverage of the Paralympics in U.S. media history. The 17th edition of this prestigious international event is set to include a record-breaking amount of coverage along with a groundbreaking broadcast that will create an unparalleled viewing experience for the American audience.
Several unique features will make next year’s Paralympic Games one for the ages, including a breathtaking Opening Ceremony set to take place on the Champs-Élysées at the Place de la Concorde. Located in the heart of Paris, an estimated 4,400 athletes representing over 180 delegations from around the world are expected to take part in the opening festivities. Additional events taking place amidst the iconic Parisian landmarks include the Eiffel Tower, Roland Garros, Versailles, and more. This will be the first time the French capital will host the Paralympic Games.
“As support for the Paralympics continues to soar, we are growing our coverage to match the American viewer’s interest and passion,” said Molly Solomon, Executive Producer and President, NBC Olympics Production. “We’ll have more commentators on the ground, more cameras at the venues, and more hours to watch than ever before, including everything on Peacock. Our expansive coverage is dedicated to giving the Paralympics its much-deserved spotlight in Paris particularly as they get ready to come to the United States to Los Angeles in 2028.”
“We are thrilled to continue to expand NBC’s Paralympics broadcasts each Games. For Paris, we are especially proud to have the first-ever Disabled hosts and to add more resources in-country so we have an even greater ability to feature the athletic achievements and stories of these incredible competitors,” said Alexa Pritting, senior producer, NBC Paralympics.
“Paris 2024 is poised to host one of the most spectacular Paralympic Games in history,” said Sarah Hirshland, USOPC CEO. “As part of our continued commitment with our partners at NBC to drive awareness of the Paralympic Movement, the record amount of broadcast coverage for the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team Trials and Paralympic Games ensures that more and more Americans are able to witness and cheer on the incredible achievements of Team USA.”
“It is fantastic that NBCU will be providing more coverage of the Paralympic Games than ever before and showcasing the talents of several disabled presenters,” said John Lisko, Managing Director of IPC Global Media Rights. “The appetite for Paralympic sport is rapidly growing globally due to ever improving quality of the sport. The combination of world class sport and the French capital’s iconic venues will make Paris 2024 the most spectacular and most watched Paralympic Games in history, the perfect foundations as we build towards LA28.”
Here is a closer look at NBCU’s coverage for the 2024 Paris Paralympics, which will again be presented by Toyota:
COMMENTATORS
Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Andrea Joyce, 2016 U.S. Paralympic track & field athlete Lacey Henderson, Making Space & Making Space Media co-founder and disability advocate Sophie Morgan, longtime NBC Olympics and Paralympics host Carolyn Manno, and five-time Paralympic gold medalist and Paralympic Hall of Famer Chris Waddell will serve as hosts of NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Paris Paralympics.
Joyce and Henderson will often host live from the USOPC’s Team USA House in Paris and other locations around the city, becoming the first NBCU commentators ever to host in-person at a Paralympic Games, while Morgan, Manno, and Waddell will report live from NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford, Conn. Additionally, Morgan, Henderson, and Waddell also make up the first-ever Disabled hosts of NBCU’s Paralympics coverage.
More details about NBC Sports’ Paris Paralympics broadcast team will be announced soon.
In October 2023, NBC Sports and Making Space, the talent acquisition and learning platform, announced a partnership that has seen them work together to identify and develop on- and off-camera employment opportunities for Disabled talent. Since then, Making Space has provided NBC Sports with a talent pipeline from the Disabled community, including Henderson and Waddell, who will both be heavily featured in NBC Sports’ groundbreaking coverage of the Paris Paralympics.
To learn more, click here to watch a video featuring Pritting, Henderson, Waddell, and more, as they discuss NBC Sports and Making Space’s innovative partnership.
ACCESS AND TECHNOLOGY
This year’s Paralympics will be the first in which the USOPC is hosting a Team USA House and, subsequently, will be the first Paralympic broadcast to feature an inside look at the house, which functions as an exclusive home base for Team USA athletes.
Viewers will get an inside look at star athletes who are expected to compete in Paris such as 18-year-old track & field phenom Ezra Frech, four-time Paralympic swimming gold medalist McKenzie Coan, and 17-time Paralympic medalist Oksana Masters, one of the most decorated Paralympians in U.S. history, providing viewers with never-before-seen access to Para athletes competing on the biggest stage. Joyce and Henderson, covering the Games live from Paris, will frequently host from there.
NBCUniversal is also set to debut additional cameras devoted to capturing footage of the athletes plus their family and friends, deepening the level of storytelling that will be told throughout the Games.
PROGRAMMING
As announced last year, more than 140 hours of Paris Paralympic television coverage across NBC, USA Network, and CNBC will be presented, including daily live coverage of every competition day on USA Network and CNBC and nine hours of coverage on NBC, with six of those hours in primetime.
NBCU’s Paralympic coverage will also include the most live Peacock streaming hours ever for a Paralympic event, with approximately 1,500 hours of live coverage across all 22 Paralympic sports set to be presented throughout the duration of the 12-day event. Peacock will be the most comprehensive Paralympic destination in U.S. media history.
Additionally, there will be closed captioning of every Paralympic event, regardless of platform. There will also be audio description on all linear programming.
MARKETING
In what has been the biggest Paralympics marketing push in NBCU history, NBCU captured content from a dozen Paralympians to be used in campaigns across the company’s myriad of platforms at the Universal Shoot in Los Angeles in November 2023. Athletes such as 16-time Paralympic swimming gold medalist Jessica Long and three-time Paralympic wheelchair rugby medalist and leading scorer Chuck Aoki posed in front of cutting-edge virtual background screens displaying Parisian backdrops, showcasing their world-class athleticism, while also participating in an additional photo shoot wearing casual, non-competition clothes, displaying a sense of emotionality and relatability connecting them further with U.S. audiences.
Many of these athletes are also involved with NBC Sports’ Fortius campaign, which aims to help Paralympic athletes expand their personal brands via social media and, ultimately, help the growth of the sport by spotlighting its most valuable resource: the athletes themselves.
TEAM USA
Like the U.S. Olympic team, the U.S. Paralympic team is historically one of the hardest to qualify for. From three-time Paralympic track & field medalist Brittni Mason to two-time defending wheelchair basketball team gold medalist Steve Serio and Sarah Adam, the first-ever woman to be named to the U.S. Paralympic wheelchair rugby team, there is no shortage of talent on this elite lineup of athletes. With the beautiful backdrop of Paris, this year’s Paralympics are shaping up to be, arguably, the most competitive and compelling in history, with Team USA primed to be at the center of it all.
TRIALS
NBCU’s coverage of the road to Paris for Team USA’s Paralympians begins on June 27 at 10 a.m. ET on Peacock with the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials – Swimming from the University of Minnesota’s Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center. Later this summer, NBCU will also provide live coverage of the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials – Track & Field from Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Fla., starting July 18 at 4 p.m. ET on Peacock. In total, NBCU will present over 25 hours of live Paralympic Team Trials coverage across Peacock and CNBC in swimming and track & field.
More details about NBC Sports’ Paris Paralympics Trials broadcast will be announced soon.
--PARIS PARALYMPICS--
