Snoop Dogg attends the women’s artistic gymnastics preliminaries on day two of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris on July 28, 2024.
Arturo Holmes | Getty Images Sports | Getty Images
Millions of viewers in the United States tuning As preparations for the Paris Summer Olympics get underway, many fans are getting their fill of Snoop Dogg’s music as part of that.
According to NBC Sports, the average viewership over the five days following the opening ceremony was 34 million across daytime and primetime viewers, up 79% from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. release.
Executives of ComcastNBCUniversal, which is televising and streaming the Olympics in the US, has touted not only the success of its production, but also the celebrities and talent it has used in its coverage, particularly Snoop Dogg.
The hip-hop artist turned sports commentator and entertainer has been on the sidelines of the Paris Games speaking to athletes and their families, experiencing sports alongside Olympic stars and trying his hand at analysis.
Molly Solomon, executive producer of NBC’s Olympics, called Snoop Dogg an “ambassador of happiness” during a press conference this week.
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised by his popularity, but you should never underestimate Snoop Dogg,” Solomon said, praising him for “his amazing blend of confidence and positivity, and his charisma and vibe is so positive.”
Snoop Dogg carries the Olympic torch during the final stages before the Opening Ceremony on July 26, 2024 in Seine-Saint-Denis, France.
Victoria Valdivia | Hans Lucas | AFP | Getty Images
Snoop Dogg is Participated Her work as an Olympic torchbearer began with a video of her cheering on Olympic athletes with their families. Take lots of selfies With athletes and bystanders, including tennis legends Billie Jean King.
He made some splashes, including cheering on U.S. swimmer Caleb Dressel with his wife and young son as the U.S. team won its first gold medal. Dancing in the crowd The U.S. women’s gymnastics team fought back from the mat.
His swimming lesson A quote from Olympic legend Michael Phelps also went viral online.
“The first time I saw him perform on Olympic coverage was in June at the track and field preliminaries,” said Chrissy Birdsall, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who added that the time difference from Paris encouraged her to watch more of the Olympics. “He was such an interesting athlete. He kind of brought a different perspective to the world of track and field.”
Excited audience
NBCUniversal has been banking on the success of the Paris Olympics and Snoop Dogg for the past few years.
The rapper, previously known for hits like “Gin and Juice,” made his Olympic debut by hosting a highlights show with comedian Kevin Hart on Peacock in 2021. Viewership numbers for the Tokyo Olympics that year were weak, and few events were broadcast live on Peacock, but their show drew audiences and various clips went viral.
Snoop Dogg is interviewed during the beach volleyball competition on day five of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Eiffel Tower Stadium in Paris on July 31, 2024.
Carl Lesine | Getty Images Sports | Getty Images
“Snoop lit up the Olympic world in Tokyo,” Solomon said in an interview with CNBC. The following year, NBC executives met with Snoop Dogg to discuss his future role in Olympic broadcasts, Solomon said.
“He really wanted to go to the Olympic sites and tell the athletes’ stories,” Solomon said.
Solomon and “Primetime in Paris” host Mike Tirico spoke at a press conference in July about Snoop Dogg’s pre-Olympic activities, including his early arrival before the opening ceremony and his rapport with the athletes.
Meanwhile, Snoop Dogg made his prep work seem a little easier.
“The way I prepare for prime time is to be myself,” he told reporters, adding, “I’ve been sliding into different teams’ practice facilities. … I’m the type of guy who likes to get involved.”
Ahead of the Games, Snoop Dogg attended the Olympic Trials earlier this summer and has been spotted out and about since then, wearing the same Ralph Lauren blazer as the American athletes while interviewing them as Tirico, singer Kelly Clarkson and former National Football League star Peyton Manning led the opening ceremonies.
“Snoop Dogg is just one of those people who is so transcendent and so talented,” said Kendall Wright, a student at Northwestern University.
he deck He stepped out in USA gear, including an NBC jacket with his name on it and T-shirts bearing the faces of stars like Coco Gauff and Kelly Chen.
Snoop Dogg will be cheering on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Wally Scalisi | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
“The Olympics is a sporting event, but the audience is not a traditional audience,” 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 a lot of different events, and he’s such a personality that you can relate to the audience as a fan. That’s really what makes him so appealing.”
Snoop Dogg will remain with NBC, so fans can expect to see more of him on NBC and Peacock this fall, as he joins the coaching staff. “voice”.
“I understand why Snoop Dogg and Alex Cooper were featured in the Olympics, especially for the millennial and Gen X audiences,” said Jenna Mindes, a human resources professional in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
She’s a big gymnastics fan and attended the Olympic Trials in Minneapolis this summer, but she’s not happy about celebrities being included in the Olympics.
“I think in gymnastics and maybe other less mainstream sports, the die-hard fans are kind of the gatekeepers that take the sport very seriously, and it almost seems like having celebrities in the conversation dilutes the sport,” she said.
“There’s a lot more pop culture, a lot more celebrities and a lot more Snoop than we’ve had before,” NBC Sports president Rick Cordella said, adding that this helped boost the popularity of the Paris Olympics.
Snoop Dogg poses for a photo with American sportscasters Bob Costas (L) and Al Michaels at a beach volleyball match on day five of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games at the Eiffel Tower Stadium on July 31, 2024 in Paris.
Carl Lesine | Getty Images Sports | Getty Images
Meanwhile, Peacock’s “Gold Zone,” a similar show that broadcasts multiple live sports at once and is hosted by “NFL Red Zone” host Scott Hanson, has been a big hit, as has a watch-along show hosted by “Call Her Daddy” podcast host Alex Cooper.
“We’ve taken a very different path in terms of how we’ve approached this issue,” Cordella said of Peacock’s Olympics strategy, which accounts for a big chunk of its viewership.
The success of the Paris Olympics follows the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, which recorded the lowest viewership on record, and the Beijing Olympics in 2022, which also saw low viewership.
The Tokyo Olympics faced a host of challenges: The COVID-19 pandemic caused a one-year delay, families and fans were unable to attend the events, very little of the action was available to watch on streaming service Peacock and time zone issues were a real problem for U.S. viewers.
According to NBC Sports, viewership for the Paris Olympics has been strong since July 26. The Opening Ceremony on the Seine River was watched by 28.6 million viewers, far surpassing the 17.9 million viewers for the Tokyo Olympics and the 26.5 million viewers for the 2016 Rio Olympics, making it the most-watched opening ceremony since the 2012 London Olympics.
During the period Recent Interviews In an interview with NBC Nightly News’ Lester Holt, Snoop Dogg said he never dreamed he’d end up playing the role, especially since watching the Olympics as a kid.
“I’m the biggest kid in the crowd,” he told Holt about cheering on U.S. athletes at the Olympics.
Disclosure: CNBC’s parent company, NBCUniversal, owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics, which holds the U.S. broadcast rights to all Summer and Winter Olympic Games through 2032.
