LOS ANGELES – NBC is inserting a bit of pop culture into the biggest sports show in the world: from Megan Thee Stallion dancing with dressage horses at the Palace of Versailles to Peyton Manning piloting a giant baguette airship over the Eiffel Tower, the network strategically partnered with several big names to build anticipation for the Paris Olympics.
The recruitment of a plethora of entertainers and non-Olympic athletes was designed to attract viewers after the network – and longtime broadcaster of the US Olympics – achieved weak ratings for the recent Summer Olympics in Tokyo and for the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Held amid the coronavirus pandemic, these Games proceeded with discreet fanfare and few announcers on site.
But with more than 11 million expected to attend the two-week Summer Olympics starting July 26, NBC – which holds the rights to broadcast the Olympics until 2032 – wants to attract more viewers by bringing Olympic stories to life. with popular and diverse personalities.
“We speak to a wider audience,” he said Snoop Dogg, who was hired as NBC’s primetime correspondent in Paris. The ultra-smooth rapper became a fan favorite during the Tokyo Games, when he and Kevin Hart did in-studio commentary for Peacock.
Snoop Dogg will be in Paris at the end of July, exploring the city’s sights and participating in competitions and events. He already had casual video interviews with some Olympic athletes about their respective sports, including women’s basketball player A’ja Wilsongymnast Sunisa Leeskateboarder Jagger Eaton and beach volleyball players Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng.
“We have different perspectives and points of view,” Snoop Dogg said of the recruited artists. “In the world we live in now, it is appropriate that I tell our side of the story, because we have always been a great voice and a great instrument. But we were never the conductor. Now I can play the role of conductor.”
Following the 2021 Tokyo Games, postponed by the pandemic, NBC created a new playbook to increase enthusiasm for this summer’s coverage. The network’s researchers found that people between the ages of 26 and 40 wanted an Olympics that infused more pop culture into everyday conversations.
Singer Kelly Clarkson and NFL legend Peyton Manning will join the sportscaster Mike Tirico in Paris as hosts of the opening ceremony along the Seine, held for the first time outside a stadium. Comedian Leslie Jones will contribute to on-air and social media coverage. Podcaster Alex Cooper, of “Call Her Daddy” fame, will host live, interactive parties in Paris called “Watch with Alex Cooper,” a show where she will appear in a picture-in-picture view sharing her insights and answering fan questions In real time.
“I’m not a former Olympian, but they kind of convinced me that we’re just celebrating these athletes and a little bit about what makes them tick,” said Manning, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and two-time Super Bowl winner. . He also co-hosts the ESPN-produced “Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli” with his brother and fellow former NFL quarterback Eli Manning.
Hart also returns, collaborating with Kenan Thompson in an eight-episode commentary series that offers comedic recaps of the best and most unexpected Olympic moments.
“It’s under the umbrella of sport, but it’s really a cultural celebration,” said Tirico, who will host his fourth Olympic opening ceremony. He will join Jimmy Fallon along with previous Olympians Tara Lipinski It is Johnny Weir for NBC’s closing ceremony coverage.
Tirico said integrating more pop culture elements into the coverage was a “grand slam” idea.
“If we bring together a little piece of America to give you a glimpse of the games and we do it under a tent, that will keep you going for 17 nights,” he said. “That’s our plan. Our goal. We’re so happy to have people like Snoop, Peyton, Kelly help us do this.”
Along with the Megan Thee Stallion and Manning commercials, several other promotional commercials have already aired on NBC: Rapper Cardi B appeared in a promo, getting her nails done with the track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson. Actor Lily Collins reprized her role as “Emily in Paris” for present executives with a new wardrobe idea for sprinter Noah Lyles. paris hilton helped reveal the Olympics logo. Dolly Parton collaborated with the network on a video for his cover of “We Are the Champions/We Will Rock You” which has been used to promote coverage.
“We wanted to be part of the cultural zeitgeist,” said Molly Solomon, executive producer and president of NBC Olympics Production. “We wanted to make sure it was more than just a sporting event. It’s truly an entertainment and pop culture event centered around the athletes’ stories.”
So far, the commercials have generated strong numbers. According to NBC, Collins’ commercial drew more than 30 million viewers across the network’s platforms. Megan Thee Stallion’s ad got 12 million views, while Snoop Dogg got just under 10 million through his social media channels.
“We try to stay very true to our audience and content positioning,” said Jennifer Storms, director of entertainment and sports marketing at NBC. “We’re working together on talent and how it has an ongoing story leading up to the Olympics and during the Olympics.”
Storms wants to bring the stories of Olympic athletes to the forefront through grassroots voices. Expect stories from the singer John Legend about gymnast Simone Biles, WWE star Cody Rhodes in the fighter David Taylor and actor of “Chicago Fire” Eamon Walker in Lyles, she said.
“This translates into telling the story of an athlete that America may not yet know,” Storms said. “Therefore, talent is essential to attract people’s attention.”
Manning hopes to leave an influential mark. He’s looking forward to delving into the stories of Olympians like Biles and swimmer Katie Ledecky.
“Maybe athlete to athlete,” Manning said, “they share some information that maybe they just wouldn’t tell anyone.”
___
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
