NBC’s primetime Olympic broadcast on Friday, July 26, 2024, was centered around the pomp and circumstance of the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremonies, with little coverage dedicated to specific athletes and sports.
On the men’s side, the only sports to get 30 seconds or more of coverage were basketball (due to Team USA’s Lebron James being one of the flag bearers), swimming, and track & field.
On the women’s side, the only sports that received 30 seconds or more of coverage were basketball, gymnastics, tennis (due to Team USA’s Coco Gauff being a flag bearer), track and field, and water polo.
Overall, coverage of men’s events accounted for 49.9% of NBC’s primetime Olympic broadcast on Friday night. Women’s events received 50.1% of the coverage. Mixed sex events (e.g., equestrian) received 0% of NBC’s coverage.
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When mixed sex events are excluded, men’s sports received 49.9% of NBC’s coverage compared to 50.1% for women’s sports.
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Regular updates about NBC’s primetime coverage of men’s and women’s sports will be posted throughout the 2024 Paris Summer Games on FiveRingTV.com. Additional updates will also be posted on the @FiveRingTV X feed. A mid-Olympic report, with complete sport-by-sport coverage breakdowns, will also be issued.
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Method: The percentage of primetime devoted to men’s, women’s and mixed sex sports is calculated by a single researcher, utilizing a stopwatch and DVR or DVD time codes, measuring (to the millisecond) the total amount of time devoted to each event. Any time spent at the actual athletic site, on a profile about an athlete, promos about a specific athlete or sport, and host commentary about a specific sport or athlete is recorded. Split screens combining commercials and live coverage are included in the calculations, but commercial breaks are not included. The NBC broadcast network East Coast feed is used for the calculations. Olympic coverage on cable networks and live streaming are not included. Network overruns beyond 11:00pm up to the break for local news are included within the calculations.
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Olympic Television: Broadcasting the Biggest Show on Earth contains a detailed 20-year examination of how male and female athletes have been covered within primetime Olympic broadcasts. The book also has analyses of how race/ethnicity and nationality impact Olympic coverage, interviews with NBC personnel about the content and production of Olympic broadcasts, and a detailed overview of Olympic television history. Published by Routledge, it is available in hardcover, paperback and ebook formats at Amazon.com, the Routledge website, and other outlets.
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