Follow live coverage of day 12 of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with 21 gold medals on the horizon
Bow-wow-wow, yippie-yo, yippie-yay, Snoop Dogg may continue to play a major role in NBC’s Olympic coverage.
Requested by The Athletics This week, two key members of NBC Universal’s leadership answered in the affirmative when asked whether NBC Universal plans to ask Snoop to return to work at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics and beyond.
“Snoop did everything and more than we ever expected him to do here in the Paris Games,” NBC Sports president Rick Cordella said. “He was excited. He was optimistic. I think we would be thrilled to have Snoop come back in whatever capacity he wanted to come back.”
Cordella’s boss, Mark Lazarus, the Chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group, When asked if the company would ask the artist to return to the Olympic family, he quickly responded, “Yes.”
Snoop Dogg has been ubiquitous in NBC’s Olympic coverage and at various venues in Paris. He has become such a part of the Olympics that BBC News ran a headline tagging him as: America’s Olympic cheerleader.” The 52-year-old had a small role at the 2021 Tokyo Games as part of a recap commentary show on Peacock alongside comedian Kevin Hart, but has exploded in Paris, where he has put himself in all sorts of situations with athletes and sports as a roving correspondent. It has resonated.
Watch #Olympic Games in Paris steeplechase got us thinking about Snoop Dogg’s unforgettable commentary. 😂
📺 NBC & Pauw photo.twitter.com/GawPPJXoDO
— NBC Sport (@NBCSports) August 5, 2024
“This all dates back to Tokyo 2021. Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg co-hosted a comedy highlights show on Peacock called “Olympic Highlights,” and there were several clips that went viral, but what also stood out to me was Snoop’s passion for the Olympics, and also, in his own unique way, his awe for the athletes and their stories,” said Molly Solomon, the executive producer and president of NBC Olympics Production and the liaison who championed Snoop’s increased visibility on the air.
“We’ve been working with Snoop for the past year and a half and really brainstorming about what this role could be. I called him an ambassador of happiness. If you watch his content, everyone wants to meet Snoop, take a selfie with Snoop, and just be with Snoop. We’ve been pleasantly surprised by his popularity, but you should never underestimate Snoop Dogg. He’s a great mix of swagger and positivity and just his charisma and vibes are so positive. He has an undeniable curiosity about the Olympics.”
Said Snoop for The Associated Press this week: “This opportunity for me was nothing more than a chance to show the world what it should look like when you put the right person in the right environment.”
#FollowTheDog Snoop and Phelps!! Tune in tonight 😁😆🔥💪🏿 🏊🏽♂️ 8/7c on @nbc & @peacock photo.twitter.com/6EuMHgVjBR
— Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) July 30, 2024
The artist has been part of an Olympics that has been hugely successful for NBC Universal so far. Over the first full 11 days of the Games, NBCUniversal said it had an overall average audience of 32.6 million viewers during the combined live primetime in Paris (2-5 p.m. ET) and U.S. primetime (8-11 p.m. ET/PT).
“We judge success here primarily by having a product that appeals to the audience that comes in large numbers — and that’s clearly what happens at the Olympics,” Lazarus said. “The last few weren’t as big as we thought they would be. These Games have exceeded all of our expectations.”
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(Photo: Tom Weller/VOIGT/GettyImages)
