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NBCUniversal’s Paris Olympics coverage to include more pop culture, drama

USA TODAY
                                Snoop Dogg watches during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Hayward Field on Sunday.
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USA TODAY

Snoop Dogg watches during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Hayward Field on Sunday.

Comcast’s NBCUniversal will modernize its coverage of the Paris Olympics by including more behind-the-scenes footage and discussion of pop culture, the media company said today.

“We’ll have the best drama, the best reality and the best comedy show all rolled into one,” said Rick Cordella, president of NBC Sports, during a presentation in New York City to mark one month until the opening ceremony.

The global sporting event is a crucial opportunity for NBCUniversal, which holds the rights to air the games in the U.S., to rake in advertising revenue and viewers, who have long eschewed cable and traditional television in favor of streaming services.

Live sports remains one of the few reasons for audiences to tune into broadcast networks, and NBCUniversal paid $7.65 billion to renew its rights to air the Olympics in the U.S. through 2032, the largest deal in the world for the games.

The Paris games are the first Olympics to return to full capacity after the pandemic delayed the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and restricted attendance at the Beijing 2022 games, which drew the smallest primetime viewership since the broadcaster began airing the Olympics.

NBCUniversal opened its presentation with a poignant video featuring athletes who spoke about winning medals in Tokyo and Beijing, but missing their family and friends who could not witness the moment in the stands.

“The families are back,” read text across the screen.

As part of its effort to broaden its coverage of the games, NBCUniversal will bring back rapper Snoop Dogg as an Olympic correspondent to interview Team USA athletes as well as their parents.

The media company will also send 27 influencers to Paris to film their own content in partnership with social media platforms, hoping to lure more younger viewers.

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