LOS ANGELES.- NBC put the flavor of pop culture to spectacle biggest sports car in the world: from Megan Thee Stallion dancing with dressage horses at the Palace of Versailles to Peyton Manning riding a giant baguette-shaped blimp over the Eiffel Tower, the US chain has strategically partnered with big names to generate anticipation for the Paris Olympic Games.
Recruiting a plethora of non-Olympic entertainers and athletes is designed to draw in viewers after the network, and the long-standing Olympic broadcaster in the United States, saw mediocre ratings for the recent Summer Olympics, in Tokyo, and the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. Held amid the coronavirus pandemic, those Games unfolded with quiet fanfare and few presenters on site.
But with more than 11 million people expected to attend the two-week Summer Games starting July 26, NBC, which has broadcast rights to the Olympics through 2032, wants to attract more viewers by bringing the games to life. to Olympic stories with popular and diverse personalities.
“We speak to a broader audience,” said Snoop Dogg, who has been hired as NBC’s prime-time correspondent for 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 at the Paris Olympics
Snoop Dogg will be on the ground in Paris at the end of July, exploring the city’s iconic locations and attending competitions and events. He has already had casual video interviews with some Olympians about their respective sports, including women’s basketball player Aja Wilson, gymnast Sunisa Lee, figure skater Jagger Eaton and beach volleyball players Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng.
“We have different perspectives and different points of view,” Snoop Dogg said of the recruited artists. The world we live in right now, it is appropriate for me to give our side of the story, because we have always been a great voice and a great instrument. But we have never been the conductor of the orchestra. Now I have the opportunity to play the role of conductor.
Following the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021, NBC created a new playbook to ramp up excitement for this summer’s coverage. The network’s researchers found that people ages 26 to 40 wanted an Olympic Games that infused more pop culture into everyday conversation.
Celebrities and commentators
Singer Kelly Clarkson and retired NFL star Peyton Manning will join sportscaster Mike Tirico in Paris as hosts of the opening ceremony along the Seine, which will be held for the first time outside a stadium. Comedian Leslie Jones contributes to on-air and social media coverage. Podcast host Alex Cooper of Call Her Daddy Host live interactive parties in Paris called Watch with Alex Coopera show where you will appear in an image view sharing your ideas and answering questions from fans in real time.
“I’m not a former Olympian, but they convinced me that we’re just celebrating these athletes and a little bit about what drives them,” said Manning, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and two-time Super Bowl winner. He is also the co-host of the program Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eliproduced by ESPN, with his brother and former NFL quarterback, Eli Manning.
Hart also returns, this time collaborating with Kenan Thompson on an eight-episode commentary series offering comic recaps of the best and most unexpected Olympic moments.
It’s under the umbrella of sports, but it’s actually a cultural celebration, said Tirico, who will host his fourth Olympic opening ceremony. He will join Jimmy Fallon along with former Olympians Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir for NBC’s closing ceremony coverage.
Tirico said integrating more pop culture elements into the coverage was an idea of grand slam.
“If we gather a small cross-section of the United States to give them a taste of the games and do it under a tent, we’ll keep them around for 17 nights,” he said. That’s our plan. Our objetive. We’re so happy to have people like Snoop, Peyton, Kelly and help us do it.
Collaboration of artists
Along with the Megan Thee Stallion and Manning commercials, several other promotional spots have already aired on NBC: Rapper Cardi B appeared in a promo, getting her nails done with track star ShaCarri Richardson. Actress Lily Collins reprized her role as Emily in Paris to present executives with a new wardrobe idea for sprinter Noah Lyles. Paris Hilton helped reveal the Olympic Games logo. Dolly Parton collaborated with the network on a video for her version of We Are the Champions/We Will Rock Youwhich has been used to promote coverage.
“We want to be part of the cultural moment,” said Molly Solomon, executive producer and president of NBC Olympics Production. We wanted to make sure it felt like more than just a sporting event. It’s really an entertainment and pop culture event that focuses on the athletes’ stories.
So far, the commercials have generated solid numbers. According to NBC, Collins’ promotional ad attracted more than 30 million viewers across the network’s platforms. Megan Thee Stallion’s ad garnered 12 million views, while Snoop Dogg garnered just under 10 million across his social media channels.
“We try to stay very true to our audiences and the location of the content,” said Jennifer Storms, director of marketing NBC Sports and Entertainment. We are working together on the talent and how they have an ongoing story before the Olympics and during the Olympics.
Olympic athletes at the forefront
Storms wants to bring the profiles of Olympic athletes to the forefront through popular voices. Stories are expected from the singer John Legend, about the gymnast Simone Biles; WWE star Cody Rhodes, on wrestler David Taylor; and the actor Chicago Fire Eamonn Walker, sobre Lyles.
That translates into telling the story around an athlete the United States may not know yet, Storms said. So talent is essential to capture people’s attention.
Manning hopes to leave an influential mark. He’s eager to delve into the lives of Olympic athletes like Biles and swimmer Katie Ledecky.
Maybe from athlete to athlete they will share some information that maybe they just wouldn’t tell anyone, Manning said.
FUENTE: AP
