PARIS—Among the many firsts set to happen during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will be a commercial free hour during NBCUniversal's live coverage of the Opening Ceremony on Friday, July 26th on NBC and Peacock.
Other firsts in this year’s coverage include a record amount of 4K, HDR coverage, the use of NextGen TV broadcasts by a few Gray Television stations to deliver 4K HDR and immersive sound and the extensive use of AI technologies.
The commercial-free hour, which begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on July 26, is being sponsored by six Team USA sponsors: The Coca-Cola Company, Delta, Lilly, Toyota Motor Corporation, Visa, and Xfinity.
Brand logos for each sponsor will have a presence onscreen and will rotate throughout the hour in 10-minute increments.
“We are proud to partner with these six Team USA partners to bring fans the first-ever commercial-free hour of coverage for an Opening Ceremony,” said Dan Lovinger, president, Olympic & Paralympic Partnerships, NBCUniversal. “The Opening Ceremony will be packed with emotion and evoke a profound sense of unity for everyone watching. Running commercial-free will help to amplify this grand spectacle.”
"At The Coca-Cola Company, we believe in the real magic that can happen when the world comes together, so being a part of this spectacular presentation of the Opening Ceremony on NBC is a tremendous opportunity to celebrate and share those unifying and inspiring moments,” said Robin Triplett, vice president integrated marketing at Coca-Cola North America. “We’re proud of our 96-year long relationship with the Olympic Movement and look forward to bringing our portfolio of brands to fans throughout the Olympic Games Paris 2024.”
NBCUniversal and its parent company Comcast have brought in around $1.2 billion in advertising for the games, a record according to Next TV.
The Opening Ceremony is expected to be a spectacular event. Unlike previous Opening Ceremonies featuring athletes in a stadium, the Opening Ceremony for the Paris Olympics will be held on the River Seine and will feature a four-mile-long flotilla of nearly 90 boats that will carry thousands of athletes from more than 200 countries. Award winning director Thomas Jolly is the Artistic Director for the 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. Additionally, NBC Sports’ Maria Taylor will be featured on the Team USA boat, while TODAY Show hosts Savannah Guthrieand Hoda Kotb cover the ceremony on a bridge along the route. Opening Ceremony reporters include Melissa Stark and Andrea Joyce, who will report from the red carpet.
