Olympics: US network NBC plans 3,600 hours of Olympic coverage

The coverage will spread over 19 days, seven networks and a website US television network NBC is undertaking what it's touting as the most massive project in media history, producing 3,600 hours of coverage of the Olympics spread over 19 days, seven networks and a website with the marquee opening ceremonies set to air tomorrow night. That's 1,038 hours more than the total amount of coverage in the US for all of the past-televised summer Olympics, and about 2,900 hours of the programming are to be live. "It's staggering to me," NBC Sports Chairman Dick Ebersol said. "... The enormity of what we're doing just blows me away." NBC, which paid the International Olympic Committee $894m in rights fees, will present most of the marquee events - such as gymnastics, swimming, track and field - in prime time despite the time difference... [read full story]