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The rapper Snoop Dogg has become the unlikely face of NBC’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics, which is drawing million of viewers every day and has blown past the ratings of the last Summer Olympics.
NBC’s presentation of the opening ceremony reached a five-day total audience average of 34 million viewers, up 79% from 2021 Olympics opening ceremony, which reached 19 million.
Viewership for the opening Tuesday of Paris Olympics competition reached a total audience of 34.7 million viewers across NBC platforms, nearly double the 18 million viewers that tuned for the opening Tuesday of competition for the Tokyo Olympics.
And nearly 32 million viewers tuned in on Thursday, August 1.
When asked during a press call how NBC managed to attract more viewers this year despite competition results being already known due to the time difference between France and the U.S., NBC Sports president Rick Cordella attributed the success in part to Snoop Dogg.
Cordella said that this year’s Olympics have “a lot of more pop culture, celebrities, and a lot more Snoop than we’ve had before.”
He added, “I think it’s a case where, historically, the fear has been if results were known people would tune out and go somewhere else. But when you add the entertainment level that we’ve added to the prime-time show, we’re seeing people come back and see it in a different light.”
Snoop Dogg has become a central figure in NBC’s entertainment-focused strategy this year. The rapper first partnered with NBC during the 2021 Olympics, where he co-hosted a highlights show with comedian Kevin Hart.
This year, he has been attending various olympic events in person, celebrating with and interviewing the athletes and their families.
“If you watch his content, everybody wants to meet Snoop, take a selfie with Snoop and just be around Snoop,” said Molly Solomon, the executive producer and president of NBC Olympics Production, on the call. “We’ve been pleasantly surprised by his popularity, but you never ever underestimate Snoop Dogg.”