NBCUniversal said it will have a commercial-free hour during its live coverage of the historic opening ceremony of the Paris Summer Olympics on the River Seine.
The uninterrupted hour will start at 1:30 p.m. on Friday with sponsors Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, Eli Lilly, Toyota, Visa and Comcast’s Xfinity brand each acknowledged as sponsors for 10 minutes.
The sponsors will be mentioned by NBC and Peacock commentators and their logos will be displayed on screen.
Unlike past Olympics, when the opening ceremony centers on a parade of athletes inside a stadium, in Paris thousands of athletes from 200 countries will float down the Seine in a four-mile-long flotilla of nearly 90 boats. It is supposed to be a spectacular scene, watched from the shores by millions of spectators.
Dan Lovinger, president, Olympic & Paralympic Partnerships atNBCUniversal. told Broadcasting+Cable that when Molly Solomon, the executive producer for NBC’s Olympic coverage, got a first look at the run of show for the opening ceremony, she said, “We’re not going to want to break away.”
NBCU went to the ring-holder sponsors of its Olympic coverage, official sponsors with the right to place their logos alongside the Olympic rings and other trademarks, and they agreed to the commercial-free arrangement as part of their overall ad packages.
“They’re going to get a lot of exposure, but we’re never going to leave the action,“ Lovinger said. “It will be a spectacle like nothing else,” he said, noting that opportunities like this show that “there are real tangible benefits to being a ring holder.”
"At The Coca-Cola Company, we believe in the real magic that can happen when the world comes together, so being a part of this spectacular presentation of the Opening Ceremony on NBC is a tremendous opportunity to celebrate and share those unifying and inspiring moments,” Coca-Cola North America VP, integrated marketing Robin Triplett said. “We’re proud of our 96-year-long relationship with the Olympic Movement and look forward to bringing our portfolio of brands to fans throughout the Olympic Games Paris 2024.”
The Paris Olympics have generated more than $1.2 billion in advertising revenue, a record for NBCU and its parent Comcast.
Coverage of the opening ceremonies will be hosted by NBC Olympics primetime host Mike Tirico, alongside Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning. NBC Sports’ Maria Taylor will be on the Team USA boat, while Today hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb will cover the ceremony from a bridge along the route.
Opening ceremony reporters include Melissa Stark and Andrea Joyce, who will report from the red carpet.
Award-winning director Thomas Jolly is the artistic director for the opening ceremony.
