When NBC Sports activities’ flip within the rotation to televise a Tremendous Bowl coincided with additionally broadcasting the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the month of February was considered an all-out rankings wipeout, leaving others networks within the mud.
Up to now, that has but to materialize with the Beijing Video games being tuned out in report numbers and Sunday’s Tremendous Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals hoping to herald 100 million viewers to assist decide up the slack.
Executives from NBCUniversal spoke on a convention name Thursday to debate their plans and whereas rankings have been down greater than 40% for the Olympics, optimism stays.
Final Thursday’s broadcast was seen by eight million viewers, the bottom primetime Olympics viewers in historical past.
Viewership did decide up barely throughout the weekend telecasts.
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NBC Sports activities Chairman Pete Bevacqua admits that there have been struggles making an attempt to tug each occasions off.
“Excited about all of the preparation that has gone into these video games, to have had two Olympics in six months with the required COVID protocols, every part to carry these video games to life throughout a worldwide pandemic; it has been a troublesome setting to tug these video games off,” Bevacqua stated. “There isn’t any means round that.”
Bevacqua stated the rankings are what the community has been anticipating, underneath the circumstances of the time zone distinction and different components, and famous that Peacock streaming numbers have been sturdy.
NBC’s Sunday, which they’re billing as “Tremendous Gold Sunday,” will start with Olympic protection within the morning after which go straight into the Tremendous Bowl LVI Pregame Present with host Mike Tirico beginning at 1 p.m. ET. After the Lombardi Trophy is handed out in Los Angeles, then it is again to dwell Olympics protection on NBC.
NBC’s plan was for Tirico to be in Beijing and proceed internet hosting duties, then fly to Los Angeles for the community’s Tremendous Bowl protection earlier than returning to China all through the Olympics.
As a substitute, Tirico flew again to the USA and hosted Wednesday’s primetime protection (and can accomplish that Thursday) from NBC Sports activities headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut earlier than heading out west. He will not return to Beijing after Tremendous Bowl 56 however will as an alternative return to Connecticut.
“With out query, the Tremendous Bowl is the largest occasion in America and with out query, the Olympics are the largest sporting occasion on the earth,” Tirico stated. “The possibility to do each as soon as in a profession is past perception and past desires.”
