NBC Olympics announced today that Bob Costas will serve as host for NBC's Primetime and late night coverage of the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.
Costas has served as
Primetime host for every Olympics on
NBC since 1992, including the 2012 London Games, which was the most-watched television event in U.S. history with more than 217 million viewers.
With the 2014 assignment, Costas becomes U.S. television's first 10-time Olympic
Primetime host (Jim McKay hosted eight times for ABC). This is the second time that Costas will host both the
Primetime and late night shows (2000 Sydney Olympics). Costas also served as NBC's late night host at the 1988 Seoul Olympics
"With unmatched experience in the host chair, Bob's historical perspective and expertise will serve as a foundation for our Sochi coverage both in
Primetime and late night," said Jim Bell, Executive Producer of
NBC Olympics. "There is no one better than Bob to lead us in telling the stories of the athletes and competition that captivate fans around the world."
"The Olympics are a unique television event," Costas said. "They involve classic sports coverage, of course, but also many elements of storytelling and travelogue aspects that are not part of the usual sports broadcast. They are a three-week miniseries which, if done well, should bring viewers not only compelling athletic performances, but a sense of the host city and country, and an appreciation of what is a truly global gathering."
A 25-time Emmy Award winner, Costas is one of the most respected and honored broadcasters of his generation and has handled a wide array of assignments, including play-by-play, studio hosting and reporting. He serves as the host of the critically acclaimed and most-watched NFL studio show Football Night in America, an exclusive and complete look at each Sunday in the NFL. He also hosted pre-game coverage on
NBC for
Super Bowl XLVI, the most-watched program in U.S. television history.
Costas, who has the longest tenure of the network's sports announcers (34 years), co-hosts NBC's coverage of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. One of America's preeminent interviewers, Costas hosts Costas Tonight, an interview show that airs on NBCSN. He also contributes to a variety of
NBC News programs, including
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and TODAY. He also handles play-by-play duties and is a commentator for MLB Network.
THE OLYMPICS BEGIN FEB. 6, 2014
With more Winter Olympic events than ever before, competition for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games from Sochi, Russia, will begin one day prior to the Opening Ceremony. As a result,
NBC will begin its
Primetime coverage of the 2014 Sochi Olympics on Thursday, Feb. 6, one night before the broadcast network provides its traditional
Primetime coverage of the Opening Ceremony on Friday, Feb. 7. This marks the first time
NBC will air Olympic
Primetime coverage before the Opening Ceremony. The
Primetime broadcast on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014, is scheduled to include competition in snowboard slopestyle (men's and women's), in which two-time gold medalist Shaun White is expected to compete in slopestyle's Olympic debut; team figure skating, which is also in the Olympics for the first time; and women's freestyle moguls.
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