In a reversal of its original declaration, NBC has announced that the 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony will be streamed live online when it kicks off at 4 p.m. ET. So those who want to see the entire enchilada without the TV commentary will be able to do so. Remember on the day of the Opening Ceremony, NBC had said the Opening Ceremony was too complex for Americans to understand without the commentary and instead, we were subjected to Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera talking too much and it was as if we were watching the third hour of the Today Show.
On TV, NBC will air the Closing Ceremony at 8:30 p.m. ET. Bob Costas and Al Michaels will co-host as they did on the Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony in Vancouver two years ago. For some reason, all around hack Ryan Seacrest will be involved in the broadcast so the online stream through NBCOlympics.com, the Olympics Live Extra App or those BBC streams that have been popular during the Games might be the way to go. Of course, I don’t endorse online piracy, but people have been finding them.
Here’s what NBC is saying its Closing Ceremony coverage tomorrow night.
Bob Costas to Host the Closing Ceremony of the Games of the XXX Olympiad on NBC with Al Michaels and Ryan Seacrest
Closing Ceremony Celebrates London in Spectacular Fashion with “A Symphony of British Music” & the Athletes of the London Olympics
Coverage Begins Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/PT with London Gold Hosted by Costas and Michaels
As previously announced, NBC will air a full episode of a commercial-free network preview of the new comedy, Animal Practice, immediately following the Closing Ceremony.
London Closing Party, with Special Musical Guests, to Follow Animal Practice and Late Local NewsLONDON – August 11, 2012 – NBC’s Olympic primetime host Bob Costas will host the London 2012 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony from Olympic Stadium alongside co-hosts Al Michaels, the host of NBC’s Olympic daytime coverage, and Ryan Seacrest, Olympic primetime correspondent. The Closing Ceremony will follow London Gold, a special presentation of the top moments and athletes of the 2012 Olympics. Coverage begins Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
Part of the Closing Ceremony will be “A Symphony of British Music,” celebrating one of Britain’s strongest cultural exports over the last 50 years, and featuring world-famous British musicians.
In the tradition of the Olympic Closing Ceremony, London will hand over the Olympic flag to Rio, the host of the next Summer Olympics in 2016. The flag will be turned over to Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes and there will be a samba- and Carnival-flavored cultural presentation by the next host city.
The Closing Ceremony features 4100 performers – 3500 adult volunteers and 380 schoolchildren from the six East London host boroughs.
LONDON GOLD: Preceding the Closing Ceremony, NBC Olympics will present London Gold (7-8:30 ET/PT). Hosted by Costas and Michaels, London Gold is a special presentation of the top moments and athletes of the 2012 Olympics, with features providing a fresh perspective on some of the most compelling stories of the Games that viewers haven’t seen before.
ANIMAL PRACTICE: Immediately following the Closing Ceremony, as previously announced, NBC will air a full episode of a commercial-free network preview of the new comedy, Animal Practice.
LONDON CLOSING PARTY: Following late local news is the London Closing Party, with special musical guests, which will wrap up the unprecedented 5,535 hours of coverage from the London Olympic Games.
CLOSING CEREMONY STREAMED LIVE: The entire Closing Ceremony will be streamed live on NBCOlympics.com and on the NBC Olympics Live Extra App on mobile devices and tablets beginning at 4 p.m. ET, to cable, satellite and telco customers who verify their subscriptions.
SUNDAY NIGHT NBC OLYMPICS SCHEDULE:
London Gold – 7-8:30 p.m. ET/PT
Closing Ceremony – 8:30-10:58 p.m. ET/PT
Preview of “Animal Practice” – 10:58-11:20 p.m. ET/PT
Local News – 11:20 p.m.-Midnight ET/PT
Closing Party – Midnight-12:35 a.m. ET/PT# # #
The 2012 London Olympics is Costas’ 10th for NBC and his ninth as primetime host. After serving as late night host in 1988 from Seoul, South Korea, Costas, a 23-time Emmy Award-winner, earned acclaim for his work as primetime host from Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, Salt Lake City, Athens, Torino, Beijing and Vancouver. Costas, who has the longest tenure of the network’s sports commentators, joined NBC in 1980.
Michaels, one of the most renowned commentators of all-time and whose legendary “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” call at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games 32 years ago stands as one of the most famous calls in sports history, is NBC’s weekend and weekday Olympic daytime host, his second straight Olympics for NBC. Michaels was the daytime host at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games in 2010, his first Olympic broadcast assignment in 22 years, when he covered hockey and hosted the Closing Ceremony at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics for ABC.
Emmy Award-winning producer and broadcaster Seacrest made his Olympic broadcasting debut in London. He served as a contributor for NBC’s primetime coverage from London, as well as joined the Today Show as a special correspondent throughout the Games, and contributed to E! News programming.
CLOSING CEREMONY CREDITS:
Executive Producer – Jim Bell
London marks Bell’s first Olympics as executive producer. Bell has worked on every Olympic Games NBC has broadcast since 1992, in either sports (1992, 1996, 2000, 2002 and 2004) or news (2006, 2008 and 2010). Bell also serves as executive producer of NBC News’ ‘Today.’Producer – Fred Gaudelli
Director – Drew Esocoff
This is Gaudelli and Esocoff’s second time as the producer/director for the Olympics Closing Ceremony, reprising their roles from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The duo has produced/directed Sunday Night Football on NBC since its inception in 2006, which has won the Emmy for Outstanding Live Sports Series in each of the past four years. Esocoff also directed the swimming coverage in London.
And I’ll have the schedule for Day 16 on NBCUniversal coming next.
