OLYMPICS IN HIGH HEELS: NBC TO CELEBRATE 100 DAYS UNTIL THE OLYMPICS
STAMFORD, Conn. – April 25, 2016 – This Wednesday, April 27, NBCUniversal will celebrate 100 days from the start of the 2016 Rio Olympics with a company-wide celebration that will utilize its unprecedented collection of broadcast, cable, affiliate, regional, digital, social, radio, Spanish-language, and theme park assets.
Bob Costas, who will serve as NBC Olympics’ primetime host for the 11th time this summer, will be in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Wednesday to join numerous NBCU programs, including TODAY, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Access Hollywood, NBCSN’s The Dan Patrick Show, Golf Channel’s Morning Drive and Golf Central, CNBC’s Squawk Box, and MSNBC programming. NBC’s 239 nationwide affiliates and the NBC Sports Regional Networks will also be provided with Costas-interview content.
NBCU will once again implement a primetime promotional “road block” across its 18 broadcast and cable networks, including Spanish-language channels TELEMUNDO and NBCUniverso. Each of the 18 networks will run an Olympic promotional spot within the 8 p.m. hour. The daylong celebration will also permeate NBCU’s 40-plus websites; Universal Parks & Resorts in Hollywood, Calif., and Orlando, Fla.; and The Shop at NBC Studios in Rockefeller Plaza.
“The 100-day celebration is the symbolic start to our massive Olympic marketing campaign,” said John Miller, CMO, NBC Olympics. “NBCUniversal’s unprecedented collection of assets will allow us to generate billions of impressions before the Games begin on August 5. Wednesday’s 100-day symphonic celebration is emblematic of how the entire company can mobilize its resources in support of a key priority – in this case the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.”
NBCU is also collaborating with the U.S. Olympic Committee on its extensive 100-day celebration efforts. Nearly 100 Team USA athletes will take part in an Olympic Festival in Times Square, as the Road to Rio Tour presented by Liberty Mutual Insurance converges on New York City on Wednesday. Athletes will participate in a press conference, autograph sessions, sport demonstrations, and on-stage interviews between noon-8 p.m. ET, and will be joined by The Band Perry for a live concert. NBC News Channel will be on site all day to capture content for NBC’s 239 affiliates. The event is free and open to the public between 2-8 p.m. ET. Media interested in attending can visit www.TeamUSA.org/100DaysMediafor credential registration.
In addition, Team USA athletes and Olympic gold medalists Carl Lewis, Nastia Liukin and David Boudia will participate in the ceremonial lighting of the Empire State Building in red, white and blue to celebrate the 100 Day Countdown to the Opening Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Throughout the day and in the weeks and months leading up to the Games, NBCU and the USOC will jointly use the hashtag #RoadtoRio across their respective platforms.
Following are additional highlights of NBCUniversal’s 100-day celebration:
- TODAY: The popular morning news program will celebrate by transforming the plaza into a beach party, featuring a live concert from The Band Perry. Matt Lauer will talk exclusively to 22-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps. The celebration will also feature a parade of 40+ Olympians, including gold medal gymnast Gabby Douglas, world champion gymnast Simone Biles, Olympic gold medalist and track and field star Allyson Felix, and Olympic gold medal swimmer Ryan Lochte.
- NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt: Bob Costas will report from Rio, providing a preview of the top American Olympians to watch. Costas will also examine the current challenges that Brazil faces as the country prepares for the Games.
- Access Hollywood: Access Hollywood Live’s Billy Bush and Kit Hoover will have a special interview with Bob Costas from Rio, where he will reflect on past Games and preview Rio. Access also has exclusive interviews with top Team USA athletes, including gymnast Simone Biles, swimmer Dana Vollmer, track star Allyson Felix, and London Olympics superstar gymnast Gabby Douglas.
- LXTV 1st Look: The program will air a “100 Days to Rio” episode in which former Olympians Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski provide viewers a “1st Look” at the city of Rio de Janeiro. Amazing eats, samba dancing, beautiful beaches, and the sights, sounds and colors of Carnival await viewers. 1st Look: 100 Days to Rio airs this week across NBC owned television stations and affiliates.
- Golf Channel: With golf’s return to the Olympics after more than 100 years, the network will commemorate the 100-day celebration with news coverage across its platforms, including features and interviews on both of the network’s daily news shows, Morning Drive and Golf Central. The network will also debut golf analyst Frank Nobilo’s “Tee to Green” features about each hole of the new Olympic golf course in Rio. Golf Channel Digitalwill showcase its comprehensive Olympic golf coverage, including an updated analysis of both the men’s and women’s potential Olympic fields.
- TELEMUNDO and NBC UNIVERSO: The U.S. broadcast and cable homes of the Olympic Games in Spanish will commemorate “100 Days to Rio” with original programming, digital content and the roll-out of the second phase of their Olympic promotional campaign. The morning show Un Nuevo Día will simulcast from New York with NBC’s TODAY, followed by the news magazine Al Rojo Vivo and the newscast Noticiero Telemundo, which will present Olympic content. The late-night television show Titulares y Más will show a preview to Rio hosted by Andres Cantor. The TELEMUNDO stations will air Destino Rio, a half-hour special with an exclusive look at the preparations for the Games. NBCDeportes.com and all TELEMUNDO digital properties will amplify “100 days” coverage by featuring Olympic content, including a Facebook Live session with sportscasters Andrés Cantor, Sammy Sadovnik, René Giraldo, Edgar López and Miguel Gurwitz.
- NBC Sports Regional Networks: NBC Olympics is providing the regional networks with taped elements featuring Olympic athletes. The regional networks are also being sent numerous promotional materials, including “Go Team USA” hats that can be used for the 100-day celebration and in the lead up to the Games.
- NBC Sports Radio: With more than 400 stations, the radio network will produce editorial content throughout its portfolio of programs on Wednesday, including Olympic athlete interviews. It will also use its social media platforms to drive Olympic awareness on the 100-day celebration.
- NBCOlympics.com: The refreshed site will pivot to its pre-Games iteration by providing Rio 2016 previews and updates as Team USA takes shape; the most up-to-date Olympic news; dedicated sections on each of the 34 Olympic-summer sports; look-back videos from London 2012; original video profiles of select athletes; and much more. The site now features a responsive design that improves the user experience across multiple devices.
The 2016 Rio Olympics begin Friday, August 5, on the networks of NBCUniversal.
About NBC Olympics
A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s Olympic coverage. It is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. The 2012 London Olympics were watched by 217 million Americans across the networks of NBCUniversal, making it the most-watched event in U.S. television history.
