Stamford-based NBC Sports to air live summer Olympics opening ceremony

STAMFORD — NBC Sports has unveiled plans for “unprecedented coverage” of the July 23 opening ceremony of the summer Olympics in Tokyo, which were postponed from last year in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The opening ceremony of the July 23-Aug. 8 games will broadcast live on the NBC network […]

STAMFORD — NBC Sports has unveiled plans for “unprecedented coverage” of the July 23 opening ceremony of the summer Olympics in Tokyo, which were postponed from last year in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The opening ceremony of the July 23-Aug. 8 games will broadcast live on the NBC network across all time zones, marking the first time that Stamford-based NBC Sports’ NBC Olympics division has broadcast an opening ceremony live in the morning. The event will start at 7 a.m. ET, or 8 p.m. local time in Tokyo.

“Following the unprecedented challenges presented by the global pandemic, the world will come together in Tokyo for what could be the most meaningful and anticipated opening ceremony ever,” NBC Sports Group Chairman Pete Bevacqua said in a statement. “Given the magnitude of this event, we want to provide viewers with as many ways to connect to it as possible, live or in prime time.”

Following the ceremony, NBC will air a special edition of the “Today” show, with reactions and athlete interviews before its first-ever Olympic daytime show on the first Friday of the games.

An NBC primetime broadcast at 7:30 p.m. ET that day will focus on Team USA, and will also include coverage of the ceremony’s performances and Parade of Nations.


“We are delighted to offer live coverage of the opening ceremony for those who want immediacy, and, later in the day, build on NBC Olympics’ terrific prime-time legacy with a full celebration of these much anticipated Tokyo Olympics, complete with expert analysis and enhanced coverage of Team USA,” Molly Solomon, executive producer and president of NBC Olympics production, said in a statement.

Primetime coverage of the opening ceremony will be replayed overnight.

COVID-19’s worldwide spread last year led to the postponement of the Tokyo games, which had originally been scheduled for summer 2020. Last month, the International Olympic Committee reiterated its commitment to holding the Olympics and Paralympics this summer.

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