NBC today announced the on-air lineup for its coverage of the London Games. Bob Costas will return as the primetime host -- the ninth time he will serve in that capacity. Dan Patrick will make his Olympic hosting debut during NBC's live weekday and weekend daytime coverage. Al Michaels will also return to that role. Mary Carillo will revive her role as the NBC late night show host. Carillo also will serve as an Olympic correspondent during NBC's primetime coverage, along with media personality Ryan Seacrest, tennis player John McEnroe and former U.S. Olympics gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi (NBC).
BBC OUT IN LARGE NUMBERS: The GUARDIAN's Owen Gibson reports the BBC will employ a staff of 765 people to cover the London Games, a larger team than the 550 athletes who will represent Team Great Britain. The broadcaster "will deliver a record" 2,500 hours of live action from the Games, including 26 channels "dedicated to each sport." The BBC had 493 staff members covering the '08 Beijing Games. BBC London '12 Dir Roger Mosey said that the increase "was inevitable given the increased output, with four times as many TV channels and an extra radio station compared" with '08. Mosey "pointed out that the contingent at the London games from US broadcaster NBC would number" 2,800 and that Sky Sports had a staff of 130 for a single EPL game (GUARDIAN, 4/26). The BBC "declined to disclose the cost of covering the Olympics, claiming that it was commercially sensitive" (LONDON TIMES, 4/26). The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Stuart Kemp notes the BBC's "planned coverage already includes 24 digital HD channels, a new, albeit temporary digital radio station and 33 hours a day across the BBC’s bouquet of channels including BBC One, Two, and Three." Mosey said releasing the staffing levels was part of the BBC's "commitment to being completely transparent about what we're up to" ahead of the Games (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 4/26).
RECORD-SETTING BROADCAST DEALS: Games organizers said that global broadcast deals for the Paralympics are "set to raise a record" US$16.2M. LOCOG and the Int'l Paralympic Committee are "banking on unprecedented levels of exposure in coverage led by Channel 4 in the UK and China's CCTV which is the world's largest national broadcasting network." There is "also NHK, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation and the nation's only public broadcaster." It has "signed up to showcase the Paralympics to the national population of more than" 125 million. It is "hoped that the deal with Globo TV will help reach many" of its 190 million users in Brazil (London TELEGRAPH, 4/26).
