Comprehensive Primetime Presentation at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC to be Complemented by NBC Olympics’ First-Ever Live Morning Broadcast at 6:55 a.m. ET on NBC
Savannah Guthrie & Mike Tirico Host Opening Ceremony; Lewis Johnson & Michele Tafoya Serve as Reporters
Highlights of Primetime Show:
- Interviews with Athletes from Team USA
- Dwayne Johnson Introduces Team USA
- Leslie Odom Jr. Tells Story of Olympic Hopes & Dreams
- Uma Thurman Narrates Special Feature Leading into Parade of Athletes
Special Edition of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Follows Opening Ceremony
STAMFORD, Conn. – July 21, 2021 – NBCUniversal will provide unprecedented full-day coverage of the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics this Friday, July 23. The day will culminate on NBC in what is always one of the most popular nights of the Olympics with the primetime presentation of the Ceremony. The day begins on NBC with the network’s first-ever live morning broadcast of an Opening Ceremony, followed by a special edition of TODAY with reaction and athlete interviews and then NBC’s first-ever Olympic Daytime show on the opening Friday of the Games.
The highly anticipated Tokyo Opening Ceremony will be the first major global gathering since the worldwide pandemic began last year.
Award-winning journalist and co-anchor of TODAY Savannah Guthrie will join NBC Olympics’ primetime host Mike Tirico to host the Opening Ceremony. Guthrie hosts her first Opening Ceremony, while Tirico handles his second (PyeongChang in 2018).
NBC Olympics’ track & field reporter Lewis Johnson and swimming reporter Michele Tafoya will serve as reporters for the Opening Ceremony, Johnson for the second time (Salt Lake in 2002) and Tafoya for the third consecutive Summer Games.
The NBC primetime broadcast, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT, will feature:
- Performances, pageantry and the Parade of Athletes
- Extensive coverage of Team USA, including athlete interviews with Johnson and Tafoya
- Dwayne Johnson introducing Team USA
- Leslie Odom Jr. telling the story of the hopes and dreams of Olympians, in an opening vignette
- Uma Thurman narrating a special feature, leading into the Parade of Athletes
In order to provide viewers with the opportunity to share this historic experience with people from around the world as it happens, the Tokyo Opening Ceremony will also be broadcast live on NBC across all time zones starting at 6:55 a.m. ET/3:55 a.m. PT, including participation by TODAY anchors who viewers welcome into their homes each morning. This marks the first time NBC Olympics will broadcast an Opening Ceremony live in the morning. With Tokyo 13 hours ahead of the east coast of the United States, the Opening Ceremony begins at 8 p.m. in Japan, which is 7 a.m. ET/4 a.m. PT.
A special edition of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon airs on NBC following the Opening Ceremony (times in chart below). In addition, throughout Olympic coverage will be the “Fallon Five,” five minutes of special “Tonight Show” content. The “Fallon Five” begins Thursday, July 29 and concludes Sunday, Aug. 8, the night of the Closing Ceremony. One special segment will include a new Olympic spin on the classic “Tonight Show” segment “Thank You Notes.”
The NBC primetime coverage of the Tokyo Opening Ceremony will also be encored overnight, allowing viewers another opportunity to experience this historic moment and creating a near Ceremony takeover of NBC.
JULY 23 TOKYO OLYMPICS PROGRAMMING ON NBC
All Times ET
| 6:55 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Live Opening Ceremony Coverage |
| 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Special Edition of TODAY |
| 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Tokyo Olympics Daytime |
| 7:30 p.m. – Midnight | Primetime Opening Ceremony |
| 12:35 a.m.-1:38 a.m.* | Special Edition of “Tonight Show” |
| 1:38 a.m. – 5:00 a.m.* | Encore of Opening Ceremony |
All Times PT
| 3:55 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. | Live Opening Ceremony Coverage |
| 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. | Special Edition of TODAY |
| 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Tokyo Olympics Daytime |
| 4:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. | Primetime Opening Ceremony |
| 9:10 p.m. – 1:10 a.m. | Opening Ceremony Primetime Encore |
| 1:10 a.m. – 2:13 a.m.* | Special Edition of “Tonight Show” |
| 2:13 a.m. – 5:00 a.m.* | Overnight Opening Ceremony Encore |
| *July 24 | |
ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS
A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. NBC Olympics is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. NBC Olympics also produces thousands of hours of Olympic sports programming throughout the year, which is presented on NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms.
--NBC OLYMPICS--
