FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 2nd, 2017
NBC OLYMPICS PRESENTS EXTENSIVE & UNPRECEDENTED COVERAGE OF 2018 U.S. WINTER OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS BEGINNING THURSDAY, NOV. 16
NBC Olympics to Provide 51.5 Hours of Trials Coverage, Including 42.5 Hours of Live Coverage & 10+ Hours in Primetime on NBCSN
Curling, Speed Skating, Short Track, Ice Hockey and Ski Jumping to Air on NBC, NBCSN, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app
Coverage Begins with U.S. Curling Trials Thursday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN
STAMFORD, Conn. – Nov. 2, 2017 – Beginning Thursday, November 16, NBC Olympics will present an unprecedented 51.5 total hours of coverage of the 2018 U.S. Winter Olympic Team Trials across NBC, NBCSN, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app – including more than 42 hours of live coverage – in the months leading up to the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. NBC Olympics’ Trials coverage spans five sports – curling, speed skating, short track, ice hockey, and ski jumping.
Yesterday, NBCUniversal celebrated the 100-day countdown to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games with Olympic athlete appearances across the NBCU portfolio.
NBC Olympics’ 51.5 hours of comprehensive coverage marks the most ever for the U.S. Olympic Trials on the winter side, topping the 32 hours of coverage in 2014. The Trials will feature some of the most anticipated stories and athletes of the PyeongChang Olympics, including short track speed skater and three-time Olympic medalist J.R. Celski, a 2014 silver medalist in the men’s 5000 relay; long track speed skater Heather Bergsma, who won two world titles in 2017; and two pre-Olympic contests between the Canadian and U.S. women’s hockey teams. The 2018 Olympic Winter Games mark the 20th anniversary of Team USA’s gold-medal performance in the debut of women’s ice hockey in 1998.
Trials coverage begins on Thursday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN with curling finals from Omaha, Neb., and concludes on Sunday, Jan. 7, at 6 p.m. ET with speed skating from Milwaukee, Wis. Jason Knapp (play-by-play), Pete Fenson (analyst) and Trenni Kusneirek (reporter) will provide coverage of the Curling Trials on-site from Baxter Arena in Omaha beginning Nov. 16.
In addition to streaming NBCSN’s coverage of the Curling Trials, there will also be digital-only live streaming of 30-plus early-round games on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app from Nov. 11-15. Supplemental digital-only coverage of the Short Track and Speed Skating Trials in December and January will be available on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app.
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platforms for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide streaming coverage of the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team Trials via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are powered by Playmaker Media and available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.
CURLING – THURSDAY, NOV. 16, AT 7 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBCSN will present 31 hours of Curling Trials coverage from Omaha, Neb., (men’s and women’s finals), and Blaine, Minn. (mixed doubles). Coverage of the men’s and women’s finals begins Thursday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN, and concludes on NBCSN on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
NBCSN’s coverage of mixed doubles from Minnesota begins Thursday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. from Fogerty Arena. Coverage concludes with the mixed doubles final on Sunday, Dec. 17, at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Three women’s and four men’s teams will compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials at Baxter Arena on Nov. 16. The field includes six Olympians, including 2006 bronze medalist John Shuster. The men’s field also features Team McCormick, the top-performing U.S. men’s team on the World Curling Tour this past season, skipped by Heath McCormick. Headlining the women’s field are Team Sinclair, led by skip Jamie Sinclair, which placed first in the 2017 National Championships, and the Nina Roth rink, which placed fifth at the 2017 World Championships.
Eight teams will compete at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Mixed Doubles Curling in Blaine. Brother-sister duo Matt and Becca Hamilton, who earned a spot for the U.S. in the Olympic tournament at the 2017 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships, headline the field.
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Thurs., Nov. 16 | Men’s & Women’s Finals – Match 1 | NBCSN | 7 p.m. (LIVE) |
| 10 p.m. (Taped) | |||
| Fri., Nov. 17 | Men’s & Women’s Finals – Match 2 | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. (LIVE) |
| 10:30 p.m. (Taped) | |||
| Sat., Nov. 18 | Men’s & Women’s Finals – Match 3 (if necessary) | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. (LIVE) |
| 10:30 p.m. (Taped) | |||
| Thurs., Dec. 14 | Mixed Doubles – Round Robin | NBCSN | 7 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Fri., Dec. 15 | Mixed Doubles – Round Robin | NBCSN | 4 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Sat., Dec. 16 | Mixed Doubles – Semifinal | NBCSN | 10 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Sun., Dec. 17 | Mixed Doubles – Final | NBCSN | 4 p.m. (LIVE) |
ICE HOCKEY – SUNDAY, DEC. 3, AT 4 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBCSN will present live coverage of two of the U.S. women’s national team’s pre-Olympic contests against Canada as part of The Time is Now Tour, presented by Toyota, beginning Sunday, Dec. 3, at 4 p.m. ET, in St. Paul, Minn., followed by a second game on Friday, Dec. 15, at 10 p.m. ET, in San Jose, Calif.
The U.S. team is highlighted by two-time Olympic silver medalists Kacey Bellamy, Meghan Duggan and Hilary Knight. Overall, the team includes 12 members of the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team. The U.S. women’s hockey team has won a medal in every Olympics since the sport debuted in 1998, having claimed gold in the first-ever tournament and silver in three of the last four Games. The U.S. and Canada have faced each other in four of the five Olympic gold-medal games, including in Sochi. Canada is 3-1 in those contests.
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Sun., Dec. 3 | U.S. Women vs. Canada | NBCSN | 4 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Fri., Dec. 15 | U.S. Women vs. Canada | NBCSN | 10 p.m. (LIVE) |
SHORT TRACK – FRIDAY, DEC. 15, AT 8:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBC and NBSCN will combine to present five hours of Trials coverage for short track, highlighted by two windows of live coverage on NBC. Coverage begins with the men’s and women’s 1500m on NBCSN on Friday, Dec. 15, at 8:30 p.m. ET, from Kearns, Utah, and concludes on Sunday, Dec. 17, with the men’s and women’s 1000m at 1 p.m. ET on NBC.
The U.S. won silver in the men’s 5000m relay during the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The team included J.R. Celski, who also won two medals at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
SKI JUMPING – SUNDAY, DEC. 31, AT 1 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Coverage of Trials for ski jumping will begin on Sunday, Dec. 31, at 1 p.m. ET, on NBC, from Utah Olympic Park. At the Olympics, the women will compete in individual normal hill, while the men will compete in two individual competitions, as well as a team event.
The Trials are highlighted by 2013 world champion Sarah Hendrickson, the only returning member of the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team, and Kevin Bickner, who set an American record (244.5 meters) in March 2017 in Vikersund, Norway.
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Sun., Dec. 31 | Ski Jumping | NBC | 1 p.m. (LIVE) |
SPEED SKATING – TUESDAY, JAN. 2, AT 6 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBCSN will provide coverage of Speed Skating Trials beginning Tuesday, Jan. 2, at 5:30 p.m. ET, from Milwaukee, Wis.
Two-time Olympian Heather Bergsma, four-time Olympic medalist Shani Davis, and current 1000m world record holder Brittany Bowe headline the field. The U.S. has won more Olympic medals in speed skating than any other winter sport and the 67 medals won by American speed skaters ranks third all-time behind only Netherlands (105) and Norway (80).|
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Tues., Jan. 2 | Women’s 3000 & Men’s 5000 | NBCSN | 5:30 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Wed., Jan. 3 | Men’s & Women’s 1000 | NBCSN | 6 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Thurs., Jan. 4 | Women’s 5000 & Men’s 10,000 | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Fri., Jan. 5 | Men’s & Women’s 500 | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Sat., Jan. 6 | Men’s & Women’s 1500 | NBCSN | 6 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Sun., Jan. 7 | Men’s & Women’s Mass Start | NBCSN | 6 p.m. (LIVE) |
2018 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS TELECAST SCHEDULE
| Date | Sport | Coverage | Network | Time |
| Thurs., Nov. 16 | Curling | Men’s & Women’s Finals – Match 1 | NBCSN | 7 p.m. (LIVE) |
| 10 p.m. (Taped) | ||||
| Fri., Nov. 17 | Curling | Men’s & Women’s Finals – Match 2 | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. (LIVE) |
| 10:30 p.m. (Taped) | ||||
| Sat., Nov. 18 | Curling | Men’s & Women’s Finals – Match 3 (if necessary) | NBCSN | 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. |
| 10:30 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. (Taped) | ||||
| Sun., Dec. 3 | Ice Hockey | U.S. Women vs. Canada | NBCSN | 4 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Thurs., Dec. 14 | Curling | Mixed Doubles – Round Robin | NBCSN | 7 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Fri., Dec. 15 | Curling | Mixed Doubles – Round Robin | NBCSN | 4 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Short Track | Men’s & Women’s 1500m | NBCSN | 8:30 p.m. (LIVE) | |
| Ice Hockey | U.S. Women vs. Canada | NBCSN | 10 p.m. (LIVE) | |
| Sat., Dec. 16 | Short Track | Men’s & Women’s 500m | NBC | 2:30 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Curling | Mixed Doubles – Semifinal | NBCSN | 10 p.m. (LIVE) | |
| Sun., Dec. 17 | Curling | Mixed Doubles – Final | NBCSN | 4 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Short Track | Men’s & Women’s 1000m | NBC | 1 p.m. (LIVE) | |
| Sun., Dec. 31 | Ski Jumping | Ski Jumping | NBC | 1 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Tues., Jan. 2 | Speed Skating | Women’s 3000m & Men’s 5000m | NBCSN | 5:30 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Weds., Jan. 3 | Speed Skating | Men’s & Women’s 1000m | NBCSN | 6 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Thurs., Jan. 4 | Speed Skating | Women’s 5000m & Men’s 10,000m | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Fri., Jan. 5 | Speed Skating | Men’s & Women’s 500m | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Sat., Jan. 6 | Speed Skating | Men’s & Women’s 1500m | NBCSN | 6 p.m. (LIVE) |
| Sun., Jan. 7 | Speed Skating | Men’s & Women’s Mass Start | NBCSN | 6 p.m. (LIVE) |
— PYEONGCHANG 2018–
