Bob Costas has agreed to a new long-term contract with NBC
Sports that will run through 2002. According to NBC Sports
President Dick Ebersol, Costas will continue to be a "presence"
on all major NBC sporting events, including a return to NFL
coverage as a "special correspondent" for the "NFL on NBC" pre-
game show. Costas will be the prime-time host of NBC's Olympics
coverage for Atlanta '96, Sydney 2000 and Salt Lake 2002. Costas
also will continue as host of "NBA Showtime" and be the main
play-by-play announcer on NBC's MLB coverage. Costas, who will
appear on MSNBC when the new cable channel launches in July:
"While I will continue to be involved with NBC News, I am looking
forward to this renewed emphasis on sports" (NBC Sports). The
deal, which includes a six-month sabbatical from March-September
'97 during which Hannah Storm will handle NBA duties, will carry
Costas to age 50. After that point, he held open news,
entertainment or local sportscasting as possibilities (Michael
Hiestand, USA TODAY, 6/19). Costas is believed to be making "a
little bit more than" $1M per year in his existing deal with NBC
("Sports View," CNBC, 6/18).
MORE NBC NEWS: The final numbers for Game 6 of the NBA
Finals (18.8 rating and a 35 share) gave NBC an average of
16.7/31 for the series, confirming predictions it would be the
second highest rated NBA Finals ever. The NBA helped NBC win the
week in a "landslide" and extended the network's longest
demographic winning streak (among adults 18-49) to 30 weeks
(HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 6/19). All four of NBC's '96 Finals games
placed in the top four in prime-time programs during the two-week
series (NBC Sports).
