NBC To Air Tokyo Olympic Opening Ceremony In First Live Morning Broadcast

Denise Petski
·3 min read
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For the first time ever, NBC will air a live morning broadcast of an Olympic opening ceremony. The four-hour Tokyo Opening Ceremony on July 23 will kick off a full day of Olympic programming on NBC. It will be 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 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.

The Opening Ceremony will air live on NBC across all time zones starting at 6:55 a.m. ET/3:55 a.m. PT. With Tokyo 13 hours ahead of the East Coast, the Opening Ceremony begins at 8 p.m. in Japan, which is 7 a.m. ET/4 a.m. PT.

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The Tokyo Opening Ceremony will be the first major global gathering since the worldwide pandemic began last year. Japan’s prime minister announced in March 2020, that due to the pandemic, the Olympic games would be postponed until at least summer 2021. They were originally scheduled to begin on July 24, 2020.

The NBC primetime broadcast will feature special coverage of Team USA, along with the performances, pageantry, and the Parade of Nations. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT on NBC. The NBC primetime coverage of the Tokyo Opening Ceremony will be replayed overnight.

“Following the unprecedented challenges presented by the global pandemic, the world will come together in Tokyo for what could be the most meaningful and anticipated Opening Ceremony ever,” said Pete Bevacqua, Chairman, NBC Sports Group. “Given the magnitude of this event, we want to provide viewers with as many ways to connect to it as possible, live or in primetime.”

More information about NBC Olympics’ coverage of the Opening Ceremony, along with digital and streaming plans for the Games, will be announced at a later date.

“We are delighted to offer live coverage of the Opening Ceremony for those who want immediacy, and, later in the day, build on NBC Olympics’ terrific primetime legacy with a full celebration of these much anticipated Tokyo Olympics, complete with expert analysis and enhanced coverage of Team USA,” said Molly Solomon, Executive Producer and President, NBC Olympics Production.

Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics: “Athletes are the heart of the Olympic movement, and the Opening Ceremony will be a global celebration of their dedication and resilience during their long journey to Tokyo. The same holds true for the IOC, the Japanese government, and the Tokyo Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, who are navigating unimaginable challenges to provide the athletes with what for so many is a once in a lifetime opportunity to compete on the world’s biggest stage.”

NBC Olympic Broadcast Schedule on July 23

Eastern Time

6:55-11 a.m. — Live Opening Ceremony Coverage
11 a.m.-1 p.m. — Special Edition of TODAY
1-4 p.m. — Tokyo Olympics Daytime
7:30 p.m.-12 a.m. — Primetime Opening Ceremony
12:35-5 a.m. — Overnight Replay of Opening Ceremony
Pacific Time

3:55-8 a.m. — Live Opening Ceremony Coverage
8-10 a.m. — Special Edition of TODAY
10 a.m.-1 p.m. — Tokyo Olympics Daytime
4:30-9 p.m. — Primetime Opening Ceremony
9:10 p.m.-1:10 a.m. — Opening Ceremony Primetime Encore
1:10-5 a.m. — Overnight Replay of Opening Ceremony

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