Figuring out how to see the Olympics should be fairly easy.
Basically, the games will be available all the time, everywhere. NBC is going for sheer bulk.
All previous Olympics, the network says, totaled 2,562 hours of TV coverage. This year alone, there will be 3,600; most of it (almost 2,900 hours) will be live, despite the time difference in China.
To do this, NBC is assembling many of its cable channels. Bravo was spared, but the plan involves five major cable channels, plus temporary ones for soccer and basketball.
The bulk approach also applies to commentators. There will be 106 of them, including 42 former Olympians. The NBC crew has won 25 gold medals, five silver and 12 bronze.
Many of these will be veterans. This will be the eighth Olympics for Bob Costas (the seventh as host), the 14th for Jim Lampley.
Others are new, however. Rulon Gardner is known for his upset wrestling victory in 2000 and for leaving his shoes in the ring in 2004, signifying retirement; Bela Karolyi coached eight Olympics gymnastics teams, including the historic team gold. Both will attend their first Olympics as broadcasters.
Here are some key details:
Starts: 8 p.m. Friday, with the ceremonies on NBC. That continues until midnight and includes the parade of all 205 nations. As usual, Greece will be first and the host country (China, in this case) will be last.
Prior to that, however, a couple of U.S. soccer games will be shown early on MSNBC: the women from 7:30-10 a.m. Wednesday against Norway; the men from 5-7 a.m. Thursday against Japan.
Ends: Aug. 24
Where: NBC
• Many of its cable channels -- USA, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen and the Spanish-language Telemundo.
• Also (on many cable systems), Universal HD and two temporary outlets - NBC Olympic Soccer Channel, NBC Olympic Basketball Channel
• Plus www.nbcolympics.com
The hosts:
• NBC has Bob Costas in prime time, with Jim Lampley in the afternoons and Mary Carillo late night.
• CNBC has Alex Flanagan, with Fred Roggin anchoring "Boxing in Beijing."
• USA has Matt Vasgersian and Flanagan.
• MSNBC has Melissa Stark and Bill Patrick.
• Oxygen has Lindsay Czarniak.
Overall color:
• Carillo, Cris Collinsworth, Jimmy Roberts.
Sport-by-sport:
Some of the sportscasters and analysts include:
• Gymnastics: Al Trautwig; with Andrea Joyce, Tim Daggett (a gold medalist) and Elfi Schlegel; Bela Karolyi is in the studio
• Track and field: Tom Hammond, with seven analysts and reporters, including Dwight Stones
• Swimming: Dan Hicks, with Rowdy Gaines (who has three gold medals) and Andrea Kremer
• Diving: Ted Robinson, with Cynthia Potter, a bronze-medalist
• Basketball: Mark Breen; the analysts are Doug Collins (men) and silver-medalist Ann Meyers (women)
• Boxing: Bob Pappas with Teddy Atlas
• Soccer: J.P. Dellacamera, with Marcelo Balboa and gold-medalist Brandi Chastain
• Beach volleyball: Chris Marlowe and gold medalist Karch Kiraly
• Indoor volleyball: Kevin Barnett and gold-medalist Paul Sutherland
• Wrestling: Matt Devlin and gold-medalist Rulon Gardner
Additional Information:
Olympic coverage
Here's a sampling from NBC and the major cable channels for the first few full days of the Olympics. Everything is subject to change, with updates on www.nbcolympics.com :• Saturday: NBC, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., 8 p.m. to midnight, 12:30-2 a.m. Also, USA, 2 a.m. to 2 p.m.' CNBC, 2-4:30 a.m., 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.; MSNBC, 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Aug. 10: NBC, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., 7 p.m. to midnight, 12:35 a.m. to 2 a.m. Also, CNBC, midnight to 4:30 a.m., 4-7 p.m.; USA Network, 2 a.m. to 2 p.m.; MSNBC, 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Aug. 11: NBC, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.; 1:05 to 2:30 a.m.. Also, CNBC, midnight to 9:30 a.m.; 5-8 p.m.' USA Network, 2 a.m. to noon; MSNBC, 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Oxygen, 6-8 p.m.
