NBCU’s Highlights from Olympic Games Paris 2024’s Opening Ceremony to be Presented on Sphere’s LED Exterior
NBCU’s Primetime West Coast Coverage on the Exosphere Includes Team USA’s and Host Nation France’s Boats Finishing Their Journey Down Paris’ River Seine and the Lighting of the Olympic Cauldron
STAMFORD, Conn. – July 26, 2024 – NBCUniversal (“NBCU”) announced today that it will showcase segments of its coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony on Sphere’s fully programmable LED exterior – the Exosphere – in Las Vegas, Nev., tonight, Friday, July 26. The initiative will be in partnership with Sphere Entertainment Co.
“The Opening Ceremony is unlike any other event, bringing the world together on the grandest stage,” said Jenny Storms, Chief Marketing Officer, Entertainment and Sports, NBCUniversal. “We’re excited to display some of its most exciting moments on Sphere’s Exosphere, which continues to captivate the world with its electrifying creativity. Whether it’s Team USA and France sailing down the Seine or the lighting of the Olympic cauldron, this activation will provide viewers with an extraordinary viewing experience fit for the grandeur and history unfolding in Paris.”
This year, the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony is making history by taking place on one of the world’s most famous waterways, the River Seine. Organizers will transform this iconic river into the world’s largest theatrical stage for what promises to be one of the most spectacular Opening Ceremonies in Olympic history. Instead of walking into a stadium, a four-mile-long flotilla of nearly 90 boats will carry athletes from more than 200 countries past hundreds of thousands of spectators seated on the banks of the Seine.
NBCU’s Opening Ceremony presentation on the Exosphere, which will be simulcast during West Coast primetime coverage between 8:00-11:00 p.m. PT, is expected to include Team USA’s and host nation France’s boats finishing their journey down the River Seine, passing the Eiffel Tower and Trocadero, as well as the ceremonial lighting of the Olympic cauldron. This will mark the first time that key moments from a global event will be simulcast on the Exosphere – the world’s largest LED screen.
“Sphere is a global landmark, and we’re honored that NBCU has elected to bring the world’s biggest event to the Exosphere in a first-of-its-kind collaboration,” said Jennifer Koester, President and Chief Operating Officer, Sphere Entertainment. “Sphere is about bringing people together to share in immersive experiences and we’re proud to use this canvas to celebrate NBC’s coverage as the Paris Olympic Games begin.”
Opening Ceremony coverage will be hosted by NBC Olympics primetime host Mike Tirico alongside Emmy Award-winning talk show host and Grammy Award-winning artist Kelly Clarkson and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and two-time Super Bowl champion Peyton Manning, and will feature NBC Sports’ Maria Taylor on the Team USA boat, and TODAY Show hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb on a bridge along the route. Opening Ceremony reporters include Melissa Stark and Andrea Joyce, who will report from the red carpet.
Click here for more information on how to watch NBCU’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
***
NBC and Peacock will present live coverage of the Opening Ceremony on Friday, July 26, beginning at Noon ET. Telemundo will provide Spanish-language coverage beginning at 1 p.m. ET. Primetime coverage will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and Peacock. The NBC broadcast network and streaming service Peacock will be the company’s primary platforms for its coverage of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, scheduled for July 26-Aug. 11. Click here for all the ways to watch NBCUniversal’s coverage. NBCU owns the U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games through 2032, which are scheduled for Paris (2024), Milan Cortina (2026), Los Angeles (2028) and Brisbane (2032). The host city for the 2030 Olympic Winter Games has not yet been chosen.
ABOUT NBCUNIVERSAL
NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, sports and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a premium ad-supported streaming service. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
ABOUT SPHERE
Sphere is a next-generation entertainment medium that is redefining the future of live entertainment. A venue where the foremost artists, creators, and technologists create extraordinary experiences that take storytelling to a new level and transport audiences to places both real and imagined. The venue hosts original Sphere Experiences from leading Hollywood directors; concerts and residencies from the world’s biggest artists; and premier marquee events. The first Sphere venue opened in Las Vegas in September 2023, and is a new Las Vegas landmark, powered by cutting-edge technologies that ignite the senses and enable audiences to share experiences at a never-before-seen scale. More information is available at thesphere.com.