“If there was any doubt that Dressel is not the fastest in the world, he has validated everything.” – Dan Hicks on Caeleb Dressel, who won five gold medals in Tokyo

“I have never, ever, ever seen anything like this in my life.” – Rowdy Gaines on Bobby Finke’s final lap to win gold in the men’s 1500m freestyle

 “She’s worked her way all the way back and repeats as Olympic champion and puts herself in very elite company.” – Ato Boldon on Elaine Thompson-Herah winning gold in the women’s track & field 100m final

Sunday Highlights: All-Around Tokyo Gold Medalist Suni Lee Highlights Uneven Bars Gold Medal Contenders Live Sunday Morning at 4 a.m. ET on Peacock; Track & Field Finals and Semifinals Coverage Featuring Men’s 100m Contender Trayvon Bromell Live in Primetime on NBC

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 31, 2021 – NBC Olympics continued its primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics tonight on NBC. Mike Tirico serves as NBC Olympics primetime host and opened coverage on NBC.

Highlights of upcoming coverage include:

• • Women’s gymnastics vault and uneven bars finals will be presented live Sunday morning at 4 a.m. ET on Peacock. All-around Tokyo gold medalist Suni Lee will headline the uneven bars gold medal contenders and fellow Americans MyKayla Skinner and Jade Carey are expected to contend for medals in the vault finals. Coverage of both finals will also be presented in primetime at 7 p.m. ET on NBC;
  • NBC will present track & field finals and semifinals coverage Sunday evening, featuring Trayvon Bromell contending for a gold medal in the men’s 100m final as well as first-time Olympian Keni Harrison in the women’s 100m hurdles final. Peacock will also present live coverage of track & field finals and qualifying rounds Sunday morning beginning at 6:10 a.m. ET;
  • The U.S. women’s basketball team, which will advance to the quarterfinals with a victory, face France in its final game of group play Sunday live at 12:40 a.m. ET/9:40 p.m. PT on USA Network;
  • Live coverage of the men’s and women’s beach volleyball elimination rounds will feature Americans April Ross/Alix Klineman (vs. Cuba) in primetime Sunday on NBC and CNBC, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

 

Following are highlights from tonight’s primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics on the networks of NBCUniversal:

SWIMMING – NBC

Dan Hicks on Caeleb Dressel winning gold in the men’s 50m freestyle: “If there was any doubt that Dressel is not the fastest in the world, he has validated everything.”

Rowdy Gaines on Dressel’s start in the 50m freestyle: “Everything – everything comes down to that start. Exploding off the block, coming off the line like Aaron Donald.”

Hicks on Bobby Finke’s final lap to win gold in the men’s 1500m freestyle: “Finke has turned on the jets in Lane 5. He says, ‘I’ve got another gear, guys!’ Bobby Finke doing what he did in the 800m. Just blasting by…Finke, the hero in the 800m, is going to beat them all in the 1500m!”

Gaines on Finke’s finish in the 1500m freestyle: “I have never, ever, ever seen anything like this in my life. What he does the last 50 meters.”

Hicks: “It’s like he’s got a gear. He knows he has it, he bided his time…and somehow, some way, Bobby Finke passes them again down the stretch.”

Elizabeth Beisel, who has trained with Finke: “It’s unbelievable to see this guy train and practice day after day. And that’s why he’s able to hang with guys like Wellbrock and Romanchuk. And they don’t know how Finke races because Finke has never raced on an international stage like this.”

Hicks on the U.S. winning gold in the men’s 4x100m medley relay: “From Lane 1 this time, the U.S. is 15-for-15 (in the men’s 4×100 medley relay)! World record, gold medal again.”

Gaines on Australia’s Emma McKeon winning gold in the women’s 50m freestyle: “What an amazing Olympic Games this 27-year-old woman has had. Unbelievable! … I know Swimming World comes out with their Swimmer of the Year, well this one is a slam dunk on the women’s side.”

Gaines on Team USA finishing second to Australia in the women’s 4x100m medley relay final: “Relays come down to exchanges. Abbey Weitzeil do not hang your head. You were brilliant…There is nothing, absolutely nothing to be disappointed about in that race. They left their heart out there.”

Katie Ledecky to Mike Tirico on the feeling after winning gold in the 800m freestyle yesterday: “It felt really good. It hurt, and I had to fight for every inch of that race. It was just a really great feeling to finish on a good note. I wanted to finish on a good note, and I knew that if I didn’t finish on a good note it would linger with me, so I was very motivated to get the job done yesterday.”

Ledecky on her future: “I’ve just been so focused on Tokyo right now that I’m going to let this sit for a little bit until I get back into training…But I’m passionate about a lot of other things as well and I’m looking forward to pursuing those passions to the fullest and maybe going to grad school at some point. I don’t know if that will be before Paris or after Paris. Again, I just hope that I’ll be in Paris. It’s never a given that you’re on the Team USA swim team.”

***

TRACK & FIELD – NBC

Ato Boldon on Elaine Thompson-Herah winning gold in the women’s 100m final: “It’s taken her five years to look like the sprinter that won the double five years ago in Rio, but she’s worked her way all the way back and repeats as Olympic champion and puts herself in very elite company.”

Boldon on the importance of the 100m Olympic race: “On the one hand, this is the day you wait for, you spend the other 364 days of year waiting for this. On the other hand, so much is riding on this – your legacy, your contract. Everything. You’re remembered as a sprinter for how you did in the Olympic final.”

***

BEACH VOLLEYBALL – NBC

Kevin Wong on the controversial challenges in the last set during Americans Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil’s loss to Canada in the Round of 16: “This is the second Olympic Games we’ve done, hundreds of matches. That was probably the closest play we’ve ever seen…I’ve never seen this…My eyes are seeing it, my head is not comprehending. Two challenges on the same play came up with two opposite answers.”

***

ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic Games. NBC Olympics is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. NBC Olympics also produces thousands of hours of Olympic sports programming throughout the year, which is presented on NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms.

— NBC OLYMPICS —

 “That was not my last swim. I’m at least going to ‘24, maybe ’28.” – Katie Ledecky to Michele Tafoya on her future after winning gold in the women’s 800m freestyle

“There is more to Katie Ledecky than her records and her success. There’s a whole complete person who is one of the best representations of the United States you’ll ever find.” – Mike Tirico on Ledecky

“He leaves everybody at the altar there. He just breaks all of their hearts that first 15 meters.” – Rowdy Gaines on Caeleb Dressel’s start in his world record swim winning gold in the men’s 100m butterfly

 “You see why we think we’re going to get another world record here? Because that was phenomenal.” – Ato Boldon on Sydney McLaughlin’s 400m hurdles heat

Saturday Highlights: U.S. Men’s Basketball Team Face Czech Republic in Final Game of Group Play Live Saturday Morning at 8 a.m. ET on Peacock; Caeleb Dressel (50m Freestyle) Goes For Gold Live in Primetime on NBC

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 30, 2021 – NBC Olympics continued its primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics tonight on NBC. Mike Tirico serves as NBC Olympics primetime host and opened coverage on NBC.

Highlights of upcoming coverage include:

• • Kevin Durant and the U.S. men’s basketball team face Czech Republic in its final game of group play live Saturday morning at 8 a.m. ET on Peacock and in the afternoon at 4 p.m. ET on NBC. The U.S. will advance to the quarterfinals with a win;
  • USA Baseball, led by former MLB players Todd Frazier and Edwin Jackson, plays its second game of group play against South Korea Saturday morning live at 6 a.m. ET on NBCSN;
  • In primetime on NBC on Saturday, Caeleb Dressel is a gold medal favorite in the men’s 50m freestyle and Abbey Weitzeil headlines the women’s 50m freestyle. The U.S. is also expected to contend for the gold medal in the men’s and women’s 4x100m medley relays;
  • Track & field finals in the mixed 4x400m relay and women’s 100m will be presented Saturday in primetime on NBC beginning at 8 p.m. ET;
  • The final round of the men’s golf competition will be presented Saturday live at 6:30 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel;
  • The men’s and women’s beach volleyball elimination rounds will begin Saturday night in primetime on NBC, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

 

Following are highlights from tonight’s primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics on the networks of NBCUniversal:

SWIMMING – NBC

Katie Ledecky to Michele Tafoya on her future after her final swim in Tokyo, winning gold in the 800m freestyle: “Oh that was not my last swim. I’m at least going to ‘24, maybe ’28. We’ll see. No, I just knew it was going to be my last swim here. You never take anything for granted, you don’t know if you’re going to be back at the next Olympics so just try to soak it all in.”

Rowdy Gaines on Ledecky: “This is the First Lady of Swimming to me. The greatest female swimmer in history. She has an amazing family…They are the First Family of Swimming.”

Dan Hicks: “The pain you endure as a distance swimmer, I can’t even imagine what it’s like. Every day in practice, the training, the type of training that you have to do to be this good for this long…This is nine years after that 15-year-old breakthrough in London.”

Gaines on Ledecky: “Just like it’s been a thrill to have been part of Michael Phelps career for so long, it’s been a joy to call a few of these with Katie Ledecky too.”

Hicks: “Any time you get a chance to help document the greatest ever, whatever sport they’re in, it is a treat and a privilege indeed.”

Mike Tirico on Ledecky: “She has shown, with her joy in the team, her appreciation of the accomplishment of (Ariarne) Titmus who pushed her, and even what she showed with Katie Grimes, the 15-year-old who swam in the 800 with her tonight, there is more to Katie Ledecky than her records and her success. There’s a whole complete person who is one of the best representations of the United States you’ll ever find.”

Gaines on Caeleb Dressel’s world record performance winning gold in the men’s 100m butterfly: “Best start of the Olympic Games for Caeleb Dressel…he leaves everybody at the altar there. He just breaks all of their hearts that first 15 meters.”

Gaines on Dressel competition in three events tonight: “It’s really a situation that nightmares are made of for Caeleb Dressel. But having talked to him over the past five years, he has trained for this every minute.”

***

TRACK & FIELD – NBC

Sanya Richards-Ross on Anna Cockrell advancing to the semifinals of the women’s 400m hurdles: “She looked a little bit heavy on the track, especially in the closing 100 meters of that race. That happens a lot to collegiate athletes who have had a very long season, which Anna Cockrell has had plus some. She’ll definitely need to shake that off and see if she can get better through the rounds…She’ll need to find that bounce and that lightness back if she wants to be on the podium here in Tokyo.”

Ato Boldon on Cockrell: “I see an athlete who’s been running since the indoor season for USC. But she’s at the Olympic Games and she will find a way to figure it out. She’s such a great competitor. Very few collegians made this U.S. Olympic Team but Anna Cockrell is one of them because of how well she competes.”

Boldon on McLaughlin advancing to the women’s 400m hurdles semifinals: “You see why we think we’re going to get another world record here? Because that was phenomenal.”

Boldon on the false start at the women’s 400m hurdles heat: “I think this is the first time that no spectators in the stands has actually affected the competition.”

Leigh Diffey: “It’s caused an echo.”

Boldon on Keni Harrison winning her 100m hurdles heat: “Despite the false start, she reacted well to the gun…She’s just better than everybody else in this heat.”

***

BEACH VOLLEYBALL – NBC

Kevin Wong on Americans Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil’s win over Brazil: “This is a huge match with big implications. This is the kind of match which sets off a path where you can get to a medal match.”

***

ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic Games. NBC Olympics is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. NBC Olympics also produces thousands of hours of Olympic sports programming throughout the year, which is presented on NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms.

— NBC OLYMPICS —

More than 100 Million Americans Have Watched NBC’s Tokyo Olympics on TV

2 BILLION Streaming Minutes of Tokyo Olympics Content Consumed – UP 19% from 2016 Rio Olympics & UP 74% from 2018 PyeongChang Olympics

NBC’s Tokyo Olympics Averaging 17.5 Million Primetime Viewers, Pacing to Join NBC’s Sunday Night Football as Top 2 Shows of 2020-21

NBC Extends Dominance Streak as Summer Olympics Ranks #1 in Primetime for 125^th Consecutive Night

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 30, 2021 – With American Suni Lee winning gold in the women’s gymnastics all-around, multiple U.S. medal-winning performances in the pool (Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky swim for gold tonight in primetime on NBC), and the beginning of the track & field competition, NBC’s Thursday primetime presentation delivered the highest-rated night of the Tokyo Olympics (10.8 HH rating), based on official live plus same day data provided by Nielsen and digital metrics from Adobe Analytics.

“We continue to deliver massive Tokyo Olympic audiences which are dominating the media landscape throughout the day and across all platforms,” said Pete Bevacqua, Chairman, NBC Sports “The greatest weekend in sports is now upon us, and we look forward to continuing the momentum.”

NBC Olympics achieved milestones across multiple platforms on Thursday:

• • Since the beginning of the Tokyo Olympics, NBCUniversal coverage has reached more than 100 million TV viewers.
  • Viewers have streamed two billion minutes of Tokyo Olympics content across NBCOlympics.com, the NBC Sports app and Peacock – up 19% though the same point in the 2016 Rio Olympics and a 74% increase from the comparable date in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
  • The Tokyo Olympics continued the event’s streak as the most dominant in media, easily winning primetime for the 125^th consecutive Summer Olympics night.

 

NBC Olympics’ primetime coverage is averaging a Total Audience Delivery of 17.5 million viewers through Thursday night — pacing to rank with NBC’s Sunday Night Football as the two most-watched primetime shows in 2020-21.

Thursday night’s presentation, which averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 19.5 million viewers across NBC, cable and live streaming, ranks as the most-watched Thursday primetime show since last September’s NFL Kickoff Game on NBC (9/10/20).

In addition, last night’s Tokyo Olympics television viewership (18.9 million) more than tripled combined primetime viewership of ABC, CBS and FOX (5.2 million).

NBC Sports Digital delivered an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 624,000 viewers on Thursday night across NBC Olympics.com, the NBC Sports app, and Peacock.

ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic & Paralympic Games. NBC Olympics is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. NBC Olympics also produces thousands of hours of Olympic & Paralympic sports programming throughout the year, which is presented on NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms.

–NBC OLYMPICS–

“I can’t begin to tell you how many times Caeleb and I have sat down together and talked about his start…He wins the race in the first 15 meters.” – Rowdy Gaines on Caeleb Dressel winning gold in the men’s 100m freestyle

 “That last 50 meters will be remembered for a long time in USA Swimming history.” – Gaines on Bobby Finke’s gold in the men’s 800m freestyle

Thursday Highlights: Four Swimming Medal Events Featuring Lilly King, Ryan Murphy, and More Live in Primetime on NBC; Gymnastics Women’s All-Around Competition Live Thursday Morning at 6:50 a.m. ET on Peacock

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 29, 2021 – NBC Olympics continued its primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics tonight on NBC. Mike Tirico serves as NBC Olympics primetime host and opened coverage on NBC.

Highlights of upcoming coverage include:

• • Four swimming medal events live in primetime on NBC on Thursday, featuring American contenders including Lilly King, Annie Lazor, Ryan Murphy, Chase Kalisz, and Michael Andrew;
  • The gymnastics women’s all-around competition, expected to feature Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Suni Lee and Jade Carey of Team USA, will be presented live Thursday morning at 6:50 a.m. ET on Peacock, and in primetime Thursday evening at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.;
  • The opening track & field qualifying rounds of the Tokyo Olympics will be presented live in primetime at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network, which are expected to feature American medal contenders Rai Benjamin, Athing Mu, and Ajee’ Wilson;
  • In pursuit of a seventh consecutive gold medal, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and the U.S. women’s basketball team face Japan in group play live at 12:40 a.m. ET (9:40 p.m. PT Thursday) on USA Network.

 

Following are highlights from tonight’s primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics on the networks of NBCUniversal:

SWIMMING – NBC

Rowdy Gaines on Dressel’s start in the 100m freestyle: “I can’t begin to tell you how many times Caeleb and I have sat down together and talked about his start. He just explodes off the back foot…He wins the race in the first 15 meters. But who cares? Who cares how he won it? He won it!”

Gaines on Dressel joining him as a gold medalist in the men’s 100m freestyle: “My man, welcome to our club, buddy. So glad you can join us.”

Dan Hicks on Bobby Finke’s surge in the final to lap to win gold in the men’s 800m freestyle: “He just bided his time. It looked like he wasn’t going to have it, but Finke was saving something we didn’t know he had.”

Rowdy Gaines on Finke’s final lap: “I knew he had gas left in the tank. I didn’t know he had that much…He goes by those guys like they’re standing still. What a swim! … That last 50 meters will be remembered for a long time in USA Swimming history.”

Gaines on Katie Ledecky in Team USA’s silver in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay: “She gave it a run. How do you measure the heart of a champion? … She was running her down all the way. That made for a great race.”

Gaines on Ryan Murphy in the 200m backstroke semifinal: “Ryan Murphy has looked so good here in Tokyo…I don’t want to overstate this, I thought Ryan Murphy looked better in this 200 than he did in Rio five years ago.”

***

GYMNASTICS – NBC

Nastia Liukin on Sam Mikulak and the looseness he brings to Team USA: “He said that after these Olympic Games, he will be retiring from the sport and so he has realized that there’s so much more life beyond gymnastics, and that is what he is trying to figure out and find.”

Tim Daggett on Brody Malone in his first Olympics: “He is something else. I don’t know if I’ve seen anybody do it better than him, being just a novice in this arena and being able to deal and deliver…I don’t think (the pressure) is affecting him at all.”

***

DIVING – NBC

Cynthia Potter on Andrew Capobianco and Michael Hixon’s final dive en route to a silver medal in the men’s synchronized springboard: “That is amazing composure. And as they walked up, it reminded me of what Tiger Woods did before this last injury, of when he would walk up the fairway very  slowly. They controlled their breathing and their composure through all the things that they’ve been working on.”

***

BEACH VOLLEYBALL – NBC

Kevin Wong on Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena’s victory over Argentina in pool play: “What’s bigger than any of the blocks for me, it’s the passion, it’s the energy, it’s the excitement. We haven’t seen this level of fire from the Americans maybe in eight years.”

***

ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic Games. NBC Olympics is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. NBC Olympics also produces thousands of hours of Olympic sports programming throughout the year, which is presented on NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms.

— NBC OLYMPICS —

NBC’s Tuesday Night Tokyo Olympics Coverage Averages Total Audience Delivery of 16.2 Million Viewers & Ranks as Most-Watched Tuesday Since Presidential Debate Last September

Tuesday Marks Fourth Consecutive Night with At Least 15 Million Tokyo Olympics Viewers – Longest Streak for Any Network since 2018 PyeongChang Olympics on NBC

Peacock Records Best Tuesday Usage Ever; NBC Sports Digital has Delivered Four Most-Streamed Olympic Primetime Nights Ever in First Four Nights of Tokyo Olympic Competition

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 28, 2021 – NBCUniversal continues to deliver large Tokyo Olympic audiences throughout the day and across all platforms.

NBC Olympics’ primetime coverage highlights that trend, averaging a Total Audience Delivery of 17.5 million viewers through Tuesday night — pacing to rank with NBC’s Sunday Night Football as the two most-watched primetime shows in 2020-21.

Tuesday night’s primetime show, which featured swimming, women’s gymnastics, and indoor volleyball, averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 16.2 million viewers, based on official live plus same day data provided by Nielsen and digital metrics from Adobe Analytics.

With 15.7 million TV viewers last night, it marks the first time since the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics on NBC that any network delivered an average viewership of at least 15 million on four consecutive nights.

In addition, last night’s Tokyo Olympics viewership more than tripled the combined primetime viewership of ABC, CBS and FOX (4.3 million) and marks the most-watched Tuesday night since the Presidential Debate on Sept. 29, 2020 (17.9 million on Fox News).

NBC Sports Digital delivered an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 571,000 viewers on Tuesday night, highlighted by Peacock’s most-consumed Tuesday ever. NBC Sports Digital has delivered the four most-streamed primetime nights in Olympics history over the first four nights of competition.

Additional viewership and consumption highlights:

• • Tuesday morning’s Tokyo Olympics coverage on USA Network and NBCSN (8 a.m.-Noon ET) averaged 1.48 million viewers – up 24% from opening Tuesday cable viewership for the Rio Olympics (1.20 million).

• • NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, which is live in Tokyo, averaged 8.5 million viewers on Sunday – the show’s largest Sunday audience since February – and was the week’s most-watched non-sports broadcast.

• • NBC Olympics has registered 102.5 million Twitter video views through Tuesday night – more than doubling the number of Twitter video views during the entire PyeongChang Olympics (50.2 million), based upon data provided by Shareablee.

 

ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic & Paralympic Games. NBC Olympics is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. NBC Olympics also produces thousands of hours of Olympic & Paralympic sports programming throughout the year, which is presented on NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms.

–NBC OLYMPICS–

“We carry a lot of weight on our shoulders and it’s challenging, especially when we have the lights on us and all of these expectations that are being thrown on top of us.” – Michael Phelps on Simone Biles and the pressure of the Olympics

“She hasn’t ruled it out and I think, most importantly, she just wanted people to know that she was thinking about the team. And that’s so admirable.” – Nastia Liukin on possibility of Biles returning to competition

 “I just think of all the great female swimmers the U.S. has had that haven’t had that opportunity to swim that event…and I’m so glad we could do it in the best possible way today.” – Katie Ledecky to Michele Tafoya on winning gold in the Olympic debut of the women’s 1500m freestyle

Wednesday – Katie Ledecky & Caeleb Dressel Look to Add to Their Medal Count in Primetime on NBC; Brody Malone & Sam Mikulak Lead Team USA in Men’s Gymnastics All Around Live at 6:15 a.m. ET on Peacock

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 28, 2021 – NBC Olympics continued its primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics tonight on NBC. Mike Tirico serves as NBC Olympics primetime host and opened coverage on NBC.

Highlights of upcoming coverage include:

• • Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel look to add to their Tokyo Olympics medal count in the women’s 4x200m freestyle and men’s 100m freestyle, respectively, in primetime on Wednesday on NBC;
  • Brody Malone and Sam Mikulak lead Team USA in the men’s gymnastics all around tomorrow morning live at 6:15 a.m. ET on Peacock;
  • Four Americans – Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Reed – headline the 60-man field in the men’s golf tournament, as the first round gets underway from Kasumigaseki Country Club live Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel;
  • In pursuit of a seventh consecutive gold medal, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and the U.S. women’s basketball team face Japan in group play live at 12:40 a.m. ET (9:40 p.m. PT Wednesday) on USA Network.

 

Following are highlights from tonight’s primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics on the networks of NBCUniversal:

HIGHLIGHTS OF MIKE TIRICO’S CONVERSATIONS WITH MICHAEL PHELPS AND NASTIA LIUKIN ON SIMONE BILES:

Phelps on impact of being a star athlete: “The Olympics is overwhelming. There are a lot of emotions that go into it…I could talk about this for an hour. I think athletes, and Olympic athletes in general, I mean talk about ‘weight of gold,’ we need someone who we can trust. Somebody that can let us be ourselves and listen. Allow us to become vulnerable. Somebody who’s not going to try and fix us. We carry a lot of weight on our shoulders and it’s challenging, especially when we have the lights on us and all of these expectations that are being thrown on top of us. It broke my heart. But also, if you look at it, mental health is something over the last 18 months that people are talking about.”

Tirico: “You’ve talked about it a lot, with the pandemic, when that came up and your honesty about you dealing with your mental health. You have said, you have made it public, ‘Hey, it’s okay to not be okay.’ And it’s the phrase you have used, not just for you, but to help the people you can touch with your platform.”

Phelps: “We’re humans, right? We’re human beings. Nobody is perfect. It is okay to not be okay. It is okay to go through ups and downs and emotional rollercoasters. But I think the biggest thing is that we all need to ask for help sometimes, too, when we go through those times. I can say for me personally that it was something that was very challenging. It was hard for me to ask for help. I felt like I was carrying, as Simone said, the weight of the world on my shoulders.”

Tirico: “Is there a place that you think now…is there an understanding now that maybe, as a country, the U.S. can give more support to Olympians for the mental health portion of this?”

Phelps: “I hope this is an eye-opening experience. I really do. I hope this is an opportunity for us to jump on board and to even blow this mental health thing more wide open. It is so much bigger than we can ever imagine. For me, when I started on this journey five years ago, I knew it was big. I knew it was going to be challenging. Five years into it now, it’s even bigger than I can comprehend. So this is something that is going to take a lot of time, a lot of hard work, and people that are willing to help.”

Tirico: “Your Michael Phelps Foundation is helping people learn how to swim for safety, but also making sure there is a balance to it. I’m going to tell you, I think that might be more of your legacy than 23 golds and 28 medals.”

Phelps: “Thank you. With the Foundation, it’s so important to teach kids at a young age to take control of their physical and mental health. You guys hear me talk about that so much. If we’re not taking care of both, how are we ever expecting to be 100%?”

Nastia Liukin on Simone Biles: “In talking to her, she did the right thing. She really wanted to focus on the team, and I think when you actually take a look at what happened on that vault, she got lost. And any gymnast knows – we call it the ‘twisties’ – and she basically was supposed to do a whole ‘nother rotation and got completely lost in the air. It’s a mental kind of error essentially that every single gymnast goes through.”

Liukin on gymnasts getting lost in the air: “It does happen often and I think the most dangerous part is getting lost on a skill like that, and pretty much on every single event that she does, the level of difficulty that she competes is so high and if you are not 100% sure of yourself and where you are in the air, it can be very dangerous.”

Liukin on possibility of Biles returning to competition in Tokyo: “When I spoke with her, she was actually on her way to training. I know she doesn’t even know yet. I think she’s taking it day by day, hour by hour, going to see how training goes. But she hasn’t ruled it out and I think, most importantly, she just wanted people to know that she was thinking about the team. And that’s so admirable.”

Liukin on Biles’ teammates: “The reason we all love the Olympics is what we have seen from the U.S. team tonight. A star obviously unable to compete, but staying on the floor to support her teammates, and then you have three athletes here at their first Olympic Games losing their leader under enormous pressure with the entire world watching. But they continued to fight until the end.”

Tirico closed tonight’s primetime coverage with his thoughts on athletes and the importance of mental health. Click here to watch.

***

SWIMMING – NBC

Dan Hicks on the end of the women’s 1500m freestyle: “Erica Sullivan is going to follow the greatest female swimmer of all time, Katie Ledecky, to the wall, who will win gold, and here comes 20-year-old Erica Sullivan to pick up the silver!”

Katie Ledecky to Michele Tafoya on winning gold in the Olympic debut of the women’s 1500m freestyle: “I just think of all the great female swimmers the U.S. has had that haven’t had that opportunity to swim that event. I think of Debbie Meyer, Janet Evans, Chris Von Saltza, Kate Ziegler, Katie Hoff. So many people that I looked up to, I still look up to, they’re great friends of mine, and I’m so glad we could do it in the best possible way today.”

Elizabeth Beisel on the 1500m freestyle: “It’s so hard. Thousands of hours, thousands of meters are put into training for an event like the 1500 and that’s something that Katie Ledecky has done every single day for the past year. Swimmers are really only on the world stage at the Olympic Games. Those four years training for it leading up to it, they are doing the same work they’re doing every single day to get themselves here to compete at this level, and that’s a lot of work to put in.”

Michael Phelps on Caeleb Dressel not competing in the men’s 4×200 freestyle relay: “It’s shocking. In my opinion, he’s probably the best in the 200 freestyle in the world. He can probably put up one of the best times that we’ve seen, and leaving him off that relay, to me, I think it makes it a lot harder to win the gold medal.”

Rowdy Gaines on Ariarne Titmus winning gold in the women’s 200m freestyle: “Nobody is better in the world right now than Ariarne Titmus in the last 50 meters.”

***

GYMNASTICS – NBC

Tirico on Biles: “”

Terry Gannon on Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, and Grace McCallum: “Think about what they have been through tonight. For so long, they have been asked the question repeatedly, ‘What is it like to compete with Simone Biles?’ Tonight, one of the first questions they’ll be asked is, ‘What is it like to compete without Simone Biles?’”

Jordan Chiles to Maria Taylor on unexpectedly competing in two events: “I was shocked, I was overwhelmed. After (Simone Biles) did her vault, (coach) Cecile (Canqueteau-Landi) had came up to me and was like, ‘Jordan, put your grips on.’ I was in so much shock that I didn’t know if she was being serious or not, so I was putting my grips on and I was just like, ‘What am I doing?’”

***

ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic Games. NBC Olympics is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. NBC Olympics also produces thousands of hours of Olympic sports programming throughout the year, which is presented on NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms.

— NBC OLYMPICS —

“Alaska has an Olympic gold medalist!” – Dan Hicks on Lydia Jacoby winning gold in the women’s 100m breaststroke

“They have one 50-meter pool in the entire state of Alaska!” – Rowdy Gaines on Jacoby

“To see a 17-year-old accomplish a lifetime dream – the future of our sport in the U.S. is phenomenal.” – Michael Phelps following Jacoby’s gold medal win

“The shot of the Olympics so far? Seward, Alaska!” – Mike Tirico on Jacoby’s hometown celebration

“It’s almost two different strokes…If I had to pick right now, I don’t think she’s going to lose the (1500m).” – Michael Phelps on Katie Ledecky going for the double in the 200m and 1500m freestyle finals tomorrow

Tuesday – Simone Biles & Team USA in Women’s Gymnastics Team Final Live at 6:45 a.m. ET on Peacock; Katie Ledecky & Caeleb Dressel Highlight Team USA Medal Contenders in Swimming Beginning Live at 8 p.m. ET on NBC

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 26, 2021 – NBC Olympics continued its primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics tonight on NBC. Mike Tirico serves as NBC Olympics primetime host and opened coverage on NBC.

Highlights of upcoming coverage include:

• • Simone Biles will lead Team USA in the women’s gymnastics team final competition Tuesday morning live at 6:45 a.m. ET on Peacock. The competition will also air in primetime at 8 p.m. ET on NBC;
  • In the pool tomorrow, Katie Ledecky, who will compete in both the 200m and 1500m freestyle finals, and Caeleb Dressel headline a number of Team USA medal contenders in swimming across five medal events beginning live at 8 p.m. ET on NBC;
  • The U.S. Women’s soccer team plays its final match in group stage play against Australia live Tuesday morning at 4 a.m. ET on USA Network. The U.S. will advance to the quarterfinals with either a win or draw;
  • The American softball team, which has gone undefeated during Olympic play, faces Japan in the gold medal match on Tuesday morning live at 7 a.m. ET on NBCSN.

 

Following are highlights from tonight’s primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics on the networks of NBCUniversal:

SWIMMING – NBC

Dan Hicks on 17-year-old Alaska-native Lydia Jacoby winning gold in the women’s 100m breaststroke: “Alaska has an Olympic gold medalist! … Lydia Jacoby just shocked the field.”

Rowdy Gaines on Jacoby: “Oh my gosh. They have one 50-meter pool in the entire state of Alaska!”

Tirico on the reactions of Lydia Jacoby’s family and friends in Alaska: “We just wished mom would put the iPad down so we could see her face. We’ve got this recorded for you, Leslie! Congratulations. Their elation was extraordinary. But the shot of the Olympics so far? Seward, Alaska! About 6:30 on Monday night – go crazy, folks. One of your high schoolmates, Lydia Jacoby, is a gold medalist for Team USA. What a sweet moment.”

Michael Phelps on Jacoby and Team USA: “I look at our team and there are so many young rookies. Our team is just under 70% rookies, so for me to be able to see something like that, see a 17-year-old accomplish a lifetime dream – the future of our sport in the U.S. is phenomenal.”

Gaines on Katie Ledecky placing first in her women’s 200m freestyle semifinal heat: “She’s right up there with a great sprinter on reaction times. How about that for a middle distance and distance swimmer?”

Michael Phelps on Ledecky going for the double in the women’s 200m and 1500m freestyle finals tomorrow: “The hardest part is really just making sure you’re taking care of yourself. Making sure you’re getting the rest you need, the recovery – the ice tub, massages, food right into your system. You have to be on top of all those small things, especially when you have a double like she has tomorrow.”

Phelps on Ledecky’s 200m and 1500m freestyle races: “It’s almost two different strokes…If I had to pick right now, I don’t think she’s going to lose the (1500m). I think the 200 free, that’s a good field. Obviously, we saw (Ariarne) Titmus swim a great 400m, a perfect race in that 400, so it will be fun to watch.”

Gaines on Ryan Murphy winning bronze in the men’s 100m backstroke: “This sport is draining because of the tightness of these races. How close was that? 21 hundredths of a second between first and third…Bronze medal, nothing to shake your head about, but I know he wanted the gold there.”

***

GYMNASTICS – NBC

Nastia Liukin on Team USA men’s gymnastics through the high bar portion of the final: “So far, they have been as consistent as we have ever really seen them in an international team competition.”

Tim Daggett: “They have been consistent. The problem is they started the competition about four points behind the top three teams in terms of difficulty.”

***

DIVING – NBC

Cynthia Potter on Great Britain’s Tom Daley, who won gold in the men’s 10m synchronized platform with Matty Lee: “I think Tom Daley is a different diver with that balance in his life, and (his husband) Dustin Lance Black told me that his job is to take the pressure off of Tom when he’s diving and when he’s at home concerning diving.”

Potter on Daley and Lee’s final dive: “This was spectacular. You could see it as pressure or an opportunity, and I have to believe that Tom Daley, in his more-balanced life than he’s ever had, saw it as an opportunity.”

***

ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic Games. NBC Olympics is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. NBC Olympics also produces thousands of hours of Olympic sports programming throughout the year, which is presented on NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms.

— NBC OLYMPICS —

“This is everything that was advertised…The queen is not done. Don’t give up on Katie Ledecky. She’s got a lot left.” – Rowdy Gaines on Katie Ledecky and her battle with Australia’s Ariarne Titmus in the  Women’s 400m Freestyle Final

 “When you’re the greatest ever, you want everything you do to be the greatest ever, and we haven’t seen that from her tonight.” – Tim Daggett on Simone Biles’ qualifying performance

Monday’s Competition Headlined by Katie Ledecky, Ryan Murphy and Lilly King Seeking Medals in the Pool; Brody Malone and Sam Mikulak Lead Team USA in Men’s Gymnastics Team Final Live Tomorrow at 6 a.m. ET on Peacock

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 25, 2021 – NBC Olympics continued its primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics tonight on NBC. Mike Tirico serves as NBC Olympics primetime host and opened coverage on NBC.

Highlights of upcoming coverage include:

• • In the pool tomorrow, five-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky, Olympic gold medalist Ryan Murphy and two-time Olympic gold medalist Lilly King will lead Team USA as swimming medals will be awarded in the men’s 200m freestyle, women’s 100m backstroke, men’s 100m backstroke and women’s 100m breaststroke live on NBC in primetime;
  • Brody Malone and Sam Mikulak lead Team USA in Men’s Gymnastics Team Final live tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. ET on Peacock;
  • U.S. Women’s Basketball begins its quest for a seventh consecutive gold medal when they play Nigeria live at 12:40 a.m. ET (9:40 p.m. PT Monday) on USA Network;
  • Preliminary pool play continues in women’s beach volleyball when April Ross and Alix Klineman face Elsa Baquerizo and Liliana Fernandez of Spain live at 8 p.m. ET on CNBC.

 

Following are highlights from tonight’s primetime coverage of the Tokyo Olympics on the networks of NBCUniversal:

SWIMMING – NBC

Dan Hicks on the women’s 400m freestyle final featuring Katie Ledecky and Ariarne Titmus: “We have been waiting for this one ever since we arrived to Tokyo…It features greatness, it features a rivalry, it features the United States and Australia, and anytime you get them together in the pool with a lot on the line, it is fireworks.”

Hicks as Titmus won gold and Ledecky took silver: “Ariarne Titmus is going to get that gold for Australia and knock off the legend in the biggest stage of the sport!”

Rowdy Gaines on the 400m freestyle and Ledecky: “This is everything that was advertised…The queen is not done. Don’t give up on Katie Ledecky. She’s got a lot left.”

Hicks on Titmus’ coach Dean Boxall’s reaction to her win: “He is going crazy, my goodness. He’s putting on a show like Mick Jagger.”

Ledecky to Tafoya on her and Titmus driving each other: “We’re really friendly. She’s said, ‘She couldn’t have done it without me,’ and I could say the same about her. She’s really pushed me and I think it’s really great for the sport. It was a really fast field overall and I think we both pushed this event forward.”

Michael Phelps to Tirico on Katie Ledecky: “When she has a goal, she knows exactly what she needs to do to reach that goal. She knows that there are probably going to be steps along the way that are going to be difficult, but her mental toughness is better than anybody I’ve seen in the game right now.”

Gaines on performances of Zach Apple and Bowe Becker and Team USA winning gold in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay: “What a big anchor from Zach Apple, and how about Bowe Becker? This is a rookie! … This was just a magnificent swim. Not a lot of people picked (Becker) to even make the Olympic team, much less the relay here.”

Hicks on Caeleb Dressel winning gold as part of the relay team: “Dressel cheering (Apple) home. It reminds you a little bit of Michael Phelps through the years, right? Caeleb Dressel has been waiting, what seems like, a long time to start off another Olympics after the two golds on the relay in Rio.”

Phelps on why significance of winning the 4x100m freestyle relay: “That’s one of the important things that we always want going into a meet. Relays are so big – they’re big momentum builders. Being able to win that one especially…those boys are excited and they’re ready to swim.’

***

GYMNASTICS – NBC

Nastia Liukin on Simone Biles: “I think what she is doing off of the competition floor, using her voice and having the platform that she has, is creating such an impact not just for herself and her team, but the future – the next generation and the next generation after that as well.”

Tim Daggett on Biles: “She’s really set an example for athletes across all sports that they have the power to effect change. So, use your platforms, do some good.”

Daggett on Biles’ performance and qualifying for each individual final: “When you’re the greatest ever, you want everything you do to be the greatest ever, and we haven’t seen that from her tonight…She had not a good day for her at all, and still that just demonstrates how great she is.”

Liukin on Biles: “She does some of the most difficult skills in the entire world, but what sets her apart beyond just the difficult skills is the way that she performs them, the execution. When you  take a look at both of the scores, execution scores are just as high as some of the athletes doing half the difficulty.”

Daggett on what separates Biles from the other gymnastics greats: “Everything. She has every single quality that you need to be a great gymnast. She’s unbelievably quick, super powerful, flexible enough, and she has incredible air awareness. She’s like a cat – she knows where she is.”

Liukin on Team USA’s Jordan Chiles: “Three years ago she wanted to quit the sport, and now she’s competing and shining so bright on the world’s biggest stage.”

***

TRIATHLON – NBC

Tirico on the boat interrupting the start of the men’s triathlon: “You always want to get your week off to a good start, right? Somebody didn’t get their 6:30 a.m. wake-up call. Who? The person running the boat. This is the start of the triathlon. The 50-plus athletes are ready to jump in and the boat’s in the way! Get out of the way and get out of the water!”

Steve Schlanger on Kristian Blummenfelt: “Kristian Blummenfelt is soaring to gold, he puts his hands on his head, he can’t believe it! … A guy notorious for his rigorous training regimen – some eight hours a day – it only takes an hour and 45 minutes to win his first-ever Olympic gold medal.”

***

ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic Games. NBC Olympics is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. NBC Olympics also produces thousands of hours of Olympic sports programming throughout the year, which is presented on NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms.

— NBC OLYMPICS —

ON SATURDAY, NBC PRIMETIME TAD RATING UP 26% FROM OPENING CEREMONY SHOW

 

NBC Primetime Plus (Midnight-2 a.m.) Up 13% from Rio & Dominates Other Networks’ Combined Primetime Audiences; Morning Cable Viewership Up 24% from Rio

NBC Extends Dominance Streak as Summer Olympics Ranks #1 in Primetime for 120^th Consecutive Night

Tonight in Primetime (7 p.m. ET) on NBC: Team USA Looks to Build Upon Saturday’s Success in the Pool with Katie Ledecky & Caeleb Dressel Aiming for Gold; Simone Biles Makes Tokyo Olympics Primetime Debut

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 25, 2021 – NBCUniversal delivered multiple streaming milestones on the opening Saturday of the Tokyo Olympics, as Peacock recorded its most-consumed Saturday ever and NBC Sports Digital set the record for the most-streamed Olympics primetime show ever (summer or winter).

With Saturday’s competition featuring swimming, softball, skateboarding, beach volleyball and gymnastics, Peacock delivered its best Saturday usage ever, while NBC Sports Digital’s primetime show delivered a record Average Minute Audience of 648,000 viewers (data from Adobe Analytics).

Through Saturday, viewers have streamed 371 million total minutes of Tokyo Olympics content – up 21% from the comparable time period for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Additional highlights from NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Tokyo Olympics:

• • With momentum building as the competition began, Saturday night’s primetime show recorded a Total Audience Delivery 8.2 household rating across NBC, USA Network, NBCSN and CNBC – up 26% from Friday’s primetime Opening Ceremony rating (6.5), based upon data from Nielsen.

• • Live competition drove additional growth in the morning and late-night dayparts. The Primetime Plus show (midnight-2 a.m.) averaged a TAD of 4.4 million viewers – up 13% over the opening Saturday in Rio. Late-night viewership also topped by more than 80% the combined primetime viewership of ABC, CBS and FOX. Saturday morning cable coverage (9 a.m.-Noon ET) on USA Network and NBCSN posted a TAD of 1.5 million viewers — up 24% from the corresponding day in Rio.

• • The Tokyo Olympics continued the event’s streak as the most dominant in media, easily winning primetime for the 120^th consecutive Summer Olympics night.

• • Based upon preliminary figures, Saturday’s Tokyo Olympics primetime coverage registered a Total Audience Delivery average of approximately 15.3 million viewers.

• • Team USA looks to build upon Saturday’s success – including six medals in the pool, the most on the opening day of Olympic competition since at least 1960 – with tonight’s competition (7 p.m. ET on NBC) as Katie Ledecky and Caeleb Dressel compete for gold medals. Also in primetime tonight, Simone Biles makes her Tokyo Olympics primetime debut as the U.S. women’s gymnastics team competes in qualifiers.

 

ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic & Paralympic Games. NBC Olympics is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. NBC Olympics also produces thousands of hours of Olympic & Paralympic sports programming throughout the year, which is presented on NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms.

–NBC OLYMPICS–