FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, January 5th, 2014
2014 Sochi Olympic Media Guide – NBC & NBCSN TO PROVIDE UNPRECEDENTED 116 HOURS OF COVERAGE FOR SOCHI 2014 & RIO 2016 PARALYMPIC GAMES
On September 24, 2013, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced that NBC Olympics and the United States Olympic Committee partnered to acquire the U.S. media rights to the next two Paralympic Games.
NBC and NBCSN will combine to air 50 hours of television coverage for March’s Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, starting on March 7 with the Opening Ceremony. It will be followed by daily coverage of all five Paralympic sports in the Sochi program, before the Games’ Closing Ceremony is broadcast on March 16.
“We are absolutely delighted to announce this two-Games agreement with NBC and the USOC as it provides more airtime of the Paralympics than ever before in the U.S.,” said Sir Phillip Craven, president of the IPC.
“With the support of the IPC, USOC and leading corporate sponsors, we are thrilled to provide an unprecedented level of coverage for the Paralympic Games from both Sochi and Rio,” said Gary Zenkel, president of NBC Olympics. “We look forward to telling the inspiring stories of the athletes and capturing the compelling competition across NBC and NBCSN.”
“We are thrilled with NBC Olympics’ commitment to growing the Paralympic Movement in the United States,” said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. “With the expanded coverage to be provided through this NBC and USOC partnership, the competition from the Paralympic Games in both Sochi and Rio, and the stories of our country’s best physically disabled and visually impaired athletes, will unfold every day and night. We are proud to have a partner that understands the importance of the Paralympic Movement and is committed to growing its impact.”
Over 10 days, the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games will feature nearly 700 athletes with a physical disability or visual impairment from 45 countries competing in seven disciplines of five sports. The Games feature 72 medal events (34 men, 34 women, four mixed).
Team USA will compete in each of the sports contested in Sochi with an estimated team of 77 athletes. For the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, the U.S. sent 50 athletes, winning four gold medals, five silver medals and four bronze medals, finishing fifth overall in the medal count. In 2010, Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas), a U.S. Army veteran, won a bronze medal in the men’s sitting 2.4-kilometer individual pursuit biathlon event, becoming the first U.S. biathlete to medal at an Olympic or Paralympic Winter Games.
NBCSN will broadcast 46.5 hours of competition from Sochi while NBC will air an additional 3.5 hours of coverage. The comprehensive programming will feature Paralympic competition in alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, sled hockey, wheelchair curling and the new discipline of snowboard cross.
In Sept. 2016, NBC and NBCSN will show 66 hours of coverage from the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, an increase of 60.5 hours from the coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. The 2016 Games are set to be the biggest yet with more than 4,300 athletes competing in 22 sports, and aim to build on the success of London 2012 which were broadcast to a global cumulative audience of 3.8 billion in 115 countries.
–NBCUNIVERSAL–
