The increasing complexity caused by (what else?) NBC Wednesday announced that it will address the COVID-19 pandemic. We will not send announcers or majority of hosts to BeijingFor its coverage of this winter’s Olympic games. Instead, the network’s play by play coverage and the majority of other coverage will be handled from the Stamford, Connecticut headquarters of NBC sports.
“Something significant has changed virtually every day for the last three months, forcing us to adjust our plan numerous times. And I expect that to continue as well as the challenge of doing the Olympics,” said Molly Solomon, the head of NBC’s Olympics production unit,” Molly Solomon, NBC’s head of Olympics production, In a statement.
“With COVID’s changing conditions and China’s zero-tolerance policy, it’s just added a layer of complexity to all of this, so we need to make sure we can provide the same quality experience to the American viewers. That’s why we are split between the two cities,” Solomon continued.
The cancelation of most on-scene coverage won’t otherwise impact NBC’s coverage of the Olympics; the network has been the exclusive broadcaster of the Summer games in the U.S. since 1988 and the Winter Games since 2003. NBC’s deal with the International Olympic Committee will last until 2032.
This rather surprising news comes amid a current wave of infections caused by Omicron variant, which has also resulted in the cancellation of parts of Sundance Film Festival 2022 as well as Palm Springs International Film Festival.