NBC Coverage of Sochi 2014 to Begin Early

NBC have announced that their coverage of the 2014 Sochi Winter Games will begin early, apoplectic because the first competition is scheduled before the Opening Ceremony.

Coverage will start on 6 February instead of 7 February and marks the first time a broadcaster in the USA has dedicated primetime coverage to the Olympics before the Opening Ceremony.

Team figure skating and slopestyle snowboarding, which are new to the Olympics, will be the first events broadcast on NBC.

“Our recent Olympic coverage has clearly demonstrated that the viewer’s appetite for Olympic content continues to grow,” Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Sports Group, said. “Due to the new events, it’s our pleasure to provide and 18th night of primetime coverage, a first in Olympic history that will benefit viewers, advertisers, affiliates, and all of our Olympic constituents.”

“Our primetime roadblock is emblematic of our ability to utilise the scale of NBCU to market the Olympic Games to great effect,” John Miller, CMO, NBC Sports Group, said.

“Our one-year-out campaign begins what will be the largest marketing effort ever by NBCU for an Olympic Winter Games. The eight-tier marketing plan we employ has been honed over the past twenty-plus years.

“When finished, it will reach every American several times over. And it officially begins tomorrow, one year out from the first day of the competition.”