NBC today unveiled coverage plans for three of its cable channels around the '14 Sochi Olympics in February, as CNBC, MSNBC and USA Network will combine to present 124 hours of coverage. CNBC will air 36 hours of curling through a daily weekday show, while MSNBC will air 45 hours of live hockey and curling. USA Network also will air 45 hours of live curling and hockey, including three Team Canada men’s hockey games. The Sochi programming slate for NBC and NBCSN will be released soon. It has already been announced that NBCOlympics.com will live stream all Olympic competition (NBC). MULTICHANNEL NEWS' Mike Reynolds wrote given the addition of NBCSN into the mix, the other three supplemental nets will collectively "offer far less programming from Sochi than they did" during the '10 Vancouver Games. CNBC will "run Olympic fare daily" from 5:00-8:00pm ET, "except for Sunday, Feb. 16" when coverage will air from 4:00-7:00pm. MSNBC will "telecast live hockey on 11 of its 12 days, including medal-round games" (MULTICHANNEL.com, 11/3).
RESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM: NBC Sports Group Chair Mark Lazarus said of how his division would cover news regarding Russia's anti-gay laws, "We have to acknowledge they exist and are a potential issue for the Games. If they affect the Games, we are responsible to report they are affecting the Games, either through the way athletes are demonstrating or through any issues that take place with Russian authorities ... We will be responsible journalists from the sports side and news side. When they are out of our boundaries, we will turn it to news. But we are not going to ignore it when they are in our boundaries" (SI.com, 11/3).
