LOS ANGELES — NBC is incorporating pop culture elements into the world's biggest sporting events. From Megan Thee Stallion dancing with a dressage horse at the Palace of Versailles to Peyton Manning riding a giant baguette-shaped blimp above the Eiffel Tower, the network is strategically partnering with some big names to build excitement for the Paris Olympics.
The heavy use of celebrities and non-Olympians is an effort by the network, a longtime U.S. broadcaster of the Olympics, to attract viewers after disappointing ratings for the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo and Winter Olympics in Beijing, held amid the coronavirus pandemic and conducted with less fanfare and few announcers.
But more than 11 million spectators are expected to attend the two-week Summer Olympics, which begin on July 26, and NBC, which holds the Olympics rights through 2032, is hoping to attract a bigger audience by bringing Olympic stories to life with popular and diverse personalities.
“We're speaking to a wider audience,” says Snoop Dogg, who has been named prime-time Paris correspondent. The ultra-smooth rapper became a fan favorite during the Tokyo Olympics, doing studio commentary for Peacock alongside Kevin Hart.
Snoop Dogg is due to arrive in Paris by late July to tour the city's sights and take in competitions and events, and he's already done casual video interviews with several Olympians about their sports, including basketball player A'ja Wilson, gymnast Sunisa Li, skateboarder Jagger Eaton, and beach volleyball players Sarah Hughes and Kelly Chen.
“We have different perspectives and different views,” Snoop Dogg said of the recruited entertainers, “and in the world we live in right now, it's appropriate for me to tell our side of the story, because we've always had great voices and great instruments, but we've never been conductors. Now I'm going to be the conductor.”
After the Tokyo Olympics were postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic, NBC created a new strategy to build anticipation for this summer's broadcasts: Network researchers found that people ages 26 to 40 want an Olympics that incorporates more pop culture into everyday conversation.
Singer Kelly Clarkson and NFL legend Peyton Manning will host the first-ever Opening Ceremony outside a stadium along the Seine River in Paris alongside sportscaster Mike Tirico. Comedian Leslie Jones will contribute on-air and social media coverage. Podcaster Alex Cooper of “Call Her Daddy” fame will host a live interactive watch party in Paris called “Watch with Alex Cooper,” in which Cooper will appear picture-in-picture to offer his perspective while answering questions from fans in real time.
“I'm not a former Olympian, but they convinced me that we were just honoring these athletes and telling a little bit about what drives them,” said Manning, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and two-time Super Bowl champion who also hosts the ESPN-produced “Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli” with his brother, former NFL quarterback Eli Manning.
Hart will also return, collaborating with Kenan Thompson on an eight-episode commentary series that will offer a comical look back at the Olympics' greatest and most unexpected moments.
“It's a sporting event, but it's really a cultural celebration,” said Tirico, who will host the opening ceremony for the fourth time and appear on NBC's closing ceremony coverage alongside Jimmy Fallon and former Olympians Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir.
Tirico said incorporating more pop culture elements into the coverage was a “grand slam” idea.
“We can bring together different parts of the U.S., in one tent, to get a feel for the game, and have them stay for 17 days,” he said. “That's our plan and that's our goal. We're very happy to have people like Snoop, Payton and Kelly on board.”
In addition to the Megan Thee Stallion and Manning commercials, several promotional spots have already aired on NBC. Rapper Cardi B appears in a promo, getting her nails done at a nail salon with track and field athlete Sha'Carey Richardson. Actress Lily Collins reprises her role from “Emily in Paris” to pitch executives new costume ideas for sprinter Noah Lyles. Paris Hilton helped unveil the Olympic logo. Dolly Parton collaborated with NBC to create a cover video of “We Are the Champions/We Will Rock You” that was used to promote the coverage.
“We wanted to be part of the cultural zeitgeist,” said Molly Solomon, executive producer and president of NBC Olympic Productions. “We wanted people to feel like this was more than just a sporting event. This is an entertainment and pop culture event with the stories of the athletes at the center.”
So far, the commercials have performed well in the ratings: Collins' spot has attracted more than 30 million viewers across NBC's platforms, Megan Thee Stallion's ad has been viewed 12 million times, and Snoop Dogg's has garnered just under 10 million views across social media channels, according to NBC.
“We've tried to stay true to our audience and our content placement,” said Jennifer Storms, NBC's chief marketing officer for entertainment and sports. “We're working with the talent on how they can keep their storylines continuous leading up to and throughout the Olympics.”
Storms wants to bring the stories of Olympians to the forefront through public voices: Singer John Legend will speak about gymnast Simone Biles, WWE star Cody Rhodes will speak about wrestler David Taylor and “Chicago Fire” actor Eamonn Walker will speak about Lyles, she said.
“That means telling the stories of athletes that the American public may not know yet,” Storms said, “so talent is key to getting people's attention.”
Manning hopes to produce influential figures and is looking forward to delving into the backgrounds of Olympians such as Biles and swimmer Katie Ledecky.
“Athletes might share information with each other that they wouldn't tell anyone else,” Manning said.
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More AP coverage of the Paris Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
