For the first time ever, the Opening Ceremony for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will include a commercial-free hour. Starting at 1:30 p.m. ET on Friday, NBC and Peacock will air the ceremony without ads.
Of course, nothing in this world is ever really for free. This ad-free hour is sponsored by six Team USA partners: The Coca-Cola Company, Delta, Lilly, Toyota Motor Corporation, Visa and Xfinity. Brand logos for each sponsor will appear onscreen throughout the hour and rotate in 10-minute increments.
“We are proud to partner with these six Team USA partners to bring fans the first-ever commercial-free hour of coverage for an Opening Ceremony,” Dan Lovinger, president of Olympic and Paralympic Partnerships for NBCUniversal, said in a statement to press. “The Opening Ceremony will be packed with emotion and evoke a profound sense of unity for everyone watching. Running commercial-free will help to amplify this grand spectacle.”
Set on the River Seine, the Opening Ceremony will feature a four-mile-long flotilla of nearly 90 boats. Those boats will carry thousands of athletes from more than 200 countries who will all be competing for their respective countries. Thomas Jolly, the award-winning director and former artistic director of the theater company La Piccola Familia, serves as the artistic director of the Opening Ceremony.
NBC’s coverage of the Opening Ceremony will be hosted by NFL commentator Mike Tirico. He will be joined by the Grammy-winning Kelly Clarkson and pro football Hall of Fame quarterback and two-time Super Bowl champion Peyton Manning.
Other stars who will be present in NBC’s coverage include NBC Sports’ Maria Taylor, who will be featured on the Team USA boat. Additionally, “TODAY Show” hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb will cover the ceremony on a bridge along the route. Melissa Stark and Andrea Joyce will report from the Opening Ceremony’s red carpet.
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