Viewers numbers on the Paris Summer season Olympics are rising, Snoop Dogg is inflicting a stir
Snoop Dogg competes in the women's artistic gymnastics qualification on the second day of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 28, 2024 at the Bercy Arena in Paris.
Arthur Holmes | Getty Images Sports | Getty Images
Millions of viewers in the United States are watching the Summer Olympics in Paris – and many of them are getting a heavy dose of Snoop Dogg as part of the experience.
Beginning with the opening ceremony, the five-day average total viewership (daytime and primetime coverage combined) was 34 million, a 79% increase over the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, according to an NBC Sports press release.
Executives of ComcastNBCUniversal – the TV and streaming broadcaster of the games in the USA – has praised not only the success of its production, but also that of the celebrities and personalities who were hired for the coverage, most notably Snoop Dogg.
The hip-hop artist turned sports commentator and entertainer was on the sidelines at the Paris Games, talking to athletes and their families, trying out sports with Olympic stars and trying his hand at analysis.
Molly Solomon, NBC's executive producer of the Olympics, called Snoop Dogg an “ambassador of happiness” during a press conference this week.
“We were pleasantly surprised by his popularity, but you can never underestimate Snoop Dogg,” Solomon said, praising his “wonderful mix of confidence and positivity. His charisma and charisma are just so positive.”
Snoop Dogg carries the Olympic flame during the final leg of the Olympic torch before the opening ceremony in Seine-Saint-Denis, France, on July 26, 2024.
Victoria Valdivia | Hans Lucas | AFP |
Snoop Dogg, who participated in the Olympic torch relay, has been making quite a splash on social media, from clips of himself cheering alongside Olympians' families to numerous selfies with athletes and courtside spectators, including tennis legend Billie Jean King.
He has created several viral moments, including when he cheered alongside U.S. swimmer Caeleb Dressel's wife and young son as the U.S. team won its first gold medal and when he danced in the crowd as the U.S. gymnasts reacted from the mat.
His swimming lesson with Olympic legend Michael Phelps also circulated on the Internet.
“The first time I saw him on the Olympic broadcasts was at the track and field qualifying competitions in June,” said Krissy Birdsall, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, adding that she saw more of the Games in Paris because of the convenient time difference. “He was quite entertaining. And he brought a different perspective to the world of track and field.”
Excited audience
In recent years, NBCUniversal has relied on the success of the Olympic Games in Paris and on Snoop Dogg.
The rapper, once known for hits like “Gin and Juice,” made his first appearance at the 2021 Olympics, hosting a highlights show with comedian Kevin Hart on Peacock. Although viewership of the Tokyo Games this year was sparse and few live events aired on Peacock, their show captivated audiences and several clips went viral.
Snoop Dogg is interviewed during the beach volleyball event on the fifth day of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Eiffel Tower Stadium in Paris on July 31, 2024.
Carl Recine | Getty Images Sports | Getty Images
“Snoop set the Olympic world on fire in Tokyo,” Solomon said in an interview with CNBC. The following year, NBC executives met with Snoop Dogg to discuss his future place in the Olympic broadcast, she said.
“He really wanted to go to the Olympic city and tell the story of the athletes,” Solomon said.
Solomon and “Primetime in Paris” host Mike Tirico spoke about Snoop Dogg’s work during a press conference in July before the Games, noting his early arrival before the opening ceremony and his relationships with the athletes.
Snoop Dogg, for his part, made his preparations sound a little simpler.
“My preparation for prime time is to be myself,” he said during the press conference, adding that he “gets into practice facilities with different teams. … I'm one of those guys who likes to get involved.”
Before the Games, Snoop Dogg was also present at the Olympic Trials this summer and has appeared at various venues since then. While Tirico, singer Kelly Clarkson and former National Football League star Peyton Manning presided over the opening ceremony, Snoop Dogg interviewed American athletes wearing the same Ralph Lauren blazer as them.
“Snoop Dogg is one of those people who can completely transcend himself and be versatile,” said Kendall Wright, a student at Northwestern University.
He was dressed in USA gear, including an NBC jacket with his name and T-shirts with the faces of star athletes such as Coco Gauff and Kelly Cheng.
Snoop Dogg cheers on the US women's gymnastics team at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Wally Skalij | Los Angeles Times |
“It's a sporting event, but it's not the traditional crowd,” John Fortunato, a professor of communications and media management at Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business, said of the Olympics. “You see him at the different events and he has so much personality that he can put himself in the shoes of the crowd as a fan. That's his real appeal.”
Snoop Dogg is staying with NBC. Fans will see more of him on NBC and Peacock this fall when he appears as a coach on “The Voice.”
“I understand why Snoop Dogg and Alex Cooper were included in the Olympia program, especially because of the millennial and Generation X target audience,” says Jenna Mindes, a human resources professional from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
She is a huge gymnastics fan and competed in the Olympic trials in Minneapolis this summer, but she was not thrilled about celebrities participating in the Olympics.
“I think in gymnastics, and maybe in lesser-known sports, big fans are kind of gatekeepers who take their sport very seriously … and when celebrities come into the conversation, it almost seems to dilute the sport,” she said.
There was “a lot more pop culture, celebrities and a lot more Snoop than ever before,” said Rick Cordella, president of NBC Sports, adding that this helped make the Paris Olympics more popular.
Snoop Dogg poses for photos with American sports reporters Bob Costas (left) and Al Michaels playing beach volleyball on the fifth day of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Eiffel Tower Stadium in Paris on July 31, 2024.
Carl Recine | Getty Images Sports | Getty Images
Meanwhile, the show “Gold Zone” on Peacock, which broadcasts several live sports simultaneously and is hosted in a similar format by Scott Hanson of “NFL Red Zone”, has become a huge success, as has the watch-along show by Alex Cooper, the host of the podcast “Call Her Daddy”.
“We really took a different approach,” Cordella said of Peacock's Olympic strategy, which played a big part in its viewership.
The success of the Paris Olympics follows the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which had the lowest ratings ever, and the lesser-watched 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The Tokyo Olympics faced numerous problems. They were postponed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic; events were without family or fans in attendance; few or no events were available on the Peacock streaming service; and there was a significant time difference for U.S. viewers.
According to NBC Sports, the Paris Olympics audience has been at its peak since July 26. The opening ceremony, which took place on the Seine, had 28.6 million viewers, compared to 17.9 million in Tokyo and 26.5 million at the 2016 Rio Games, making it the most-watched opening ceremony since London in 2012.
In a recent interview with Lester Holt of NBC Nightly News, Snoop Dogg said he never “in his wildest dreams” expected to play the role, especially after watching the Olympics as a child.
“I’m the biggest kid in the crowd,” he told Holt about cheering on U.S. athletes at the Games.
Disclosure: CNBC parent company NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics is the U.S. broadcast rights holder for all Summer and Winter Games through 2032.
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