It will be a summer of firsts for Mike Tirico and the NBC Olympics primetime show beginning in July in Tokyo.
Tirico, who makes his debut as the Summer Olympics primetime host, will anchor the show outdoors from a fifth-floor deck with a panoramic view of the Tokyo skyline, highlighted by the landmark Rainbow Bridge. The location marks the first time that the host of NBC Olympics’ primetime presentation will anchor from outdoors (NBC’s first Olympics was the 1964 Tokyo Games).
“We are excited to bring the energy of this vibrant host city to our primetime audience each night as Mike opens the show and interviews the stars of the Games from a spectacular vantage point,” said Molly Solomon, Executive Producer & President, NBC Olympics Production.
After serving as a daytime host from an open-air set on Copacabana Beach at the 2016 Rio Olympics and anchoring NBC Olympics’ primetime and late-night coverage of PyeongChang 2018 from an indoor 3,500 square-foot geodesic dome studio, Tirico will host this summer’s primetime show in Tokyo’s morning and afternoon sunshine (Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time).
“Tokyo is one of the great cosmopolitan cities in the world. The chance to use the city as our daily setting will help bring our viewers back in the States even closer to the Olympic experience,” Tirico said.
The outdoor presentation space, designed by NBC Olympics coordinating director Michael Sheehan and his team, will be enhanced by virtual graphics and an array of monitors. The TODAY show will also broadcast from this NBC Olympics outdoor set each day.
“We’re thrilled to be able to incorporate the live Tokyo cityscape into our most technologically advanced Olympics studio setup,” Sheehan said.
Sheehan, who has been leading the NBC Sports studio design team since 2014, also created with his team a technology-laden indoor presentation space, which can project sweeping cityscape backdrops similar to those seen on NBC’s Football Night in America studio show, which he directs.
NBC Olympics’ studios in Tokyo are designed by set designer Bryan Higgason, and the team of New York based HD Studio. Lighting for the studios is designed by LDG led by Steve Brill, and all fabrication is done by blackwalnut. The entire scenic project is supervised by NBC Olympic Vice President of Production Operations Atila Ozkaplan.
NBC will provide unprecedented coverage of the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics on Friday, July 23, creating a full day of Olympic programming on NBC that culminates in what is always one of the most-watched nights in television with the primetime presentation of the Ceremony.
From the Kentucky Derby to the Ryder Cup
Mike Tirico joined NBC Sports Group in July 2016 to work on an array of high-profile properties, including the Olympics, NFL, horse racing, golf, Notre Dame Football, and other big events. In February 2017, Tirico was named NBC’s primetime Olympic host, with his first assignment coming at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
In August 2018, Tirico was named studio host for Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports, leading into Sunday Night Football, primetime television’s #1 show. The 2018 season was the 23rd for Tirico as an NFL primetime studio host or play-by-play voice. He served as FNIA’s on-site host for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
In February 2019, Tirico was named host of NBC Sports’ inaugural coverage of the Indianapolis 500. Earlier in the same month, he called play-by-play for his first-ever NHL game, after previously hosting the 2018 Stanley Cup Final, 2019 NHL Winter Classic, and 2019 NHL All-Star Game.
In May 2017, Tirico was named NBC’s play-by-play voice for Thursday Night Football, alongside analyst Cris Collinsworth. NBC/NFL Network Thursday Night Football was primetime television’s #2 show in the 2016-17 TV season and the #3 show in the 2017-18 TV season.
“The chance to use the city as our daily setting will help bring our viewers back in the States even closer to the Olympic experience.”
— Mike Tirico
Tirico was named the full-time lead play-by-play voice of NBC Sports’ Notre Dame Football coverage in August 2017. In the spring of 2017, Tirico debuted as the host of NBC’s Triple Crown horse racing — covering the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.
Tirico made his NBC Sports Group debut in July 2016 as host of NBC Sports’ live coverage of The Open from Royal Troon in Scotland. Shortly thereafter, he made his Olympics debut as host for NBC’s daytime coverage of Rio 2016. Also that fall, Tirico served as host of The Ryder Cup and NBC’s primetime coverage of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
Tirico joined NBC after 25 years at ESPN/ABC (1991-2016), where he established himself as a preeminent broadcaster on properties and events including Monday Night Football, The Open, The Masters, NBA, college football, college basketball, FIFA World Cup, and tennis’ U.S. Open and Wimbledon. Tirico, the voice of ESPN’s Monday Night Football from 2006-2015, is one of four play-by-play announcers to work primetime NFL games for at least 10 seasons (Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Mike Patrick). He was named the 2010 Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA), an award voted on by his industry peers.
A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal’s coverage of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. NBC Olympics is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history.
NBCUniversal owns the US media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032. NBC Olympics also produces thousands of hours of Olympic sports programming throughout the year, which is presented on NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, Peacock and NBC Sports digital platforms.