The opening ceremonies of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics will be broadcast live in the U.S.
Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, and viewers can see the July 23 ceremonies on NBC at 7 a.m. EDT, 4 a.m. EDT in Los Angeles, according to The Associated Press.
“I think became very clear that it will be an incredibly moving moment in sports and in the world when the world comes together,” NBC Olympics executive producer and president Molly Solomon told the AP. “We recognized we had to make our production plans be equal to the challenge of these unprecedented challenging times. And that meant a live opening ceremony and an enhanced primetime broadcast where most of the folks will gather to watch it.”
According to NBC, the ceremonies will be followed by a special edition of the “Today Show” with reaction and athlete interviews and a three-hour daytime show previewing the events. NBC will then re-air the ceremony, beginning at 7:30 p.m. EDT.
While COVID protocols have delayed many events, Solomon said she remains confident events will still air live in the U.S., even if there are any scheduling changes after continued discussions with the International Olympic Committee.
NBC plans to air more than 7,000 hours of Olympics coverage across its networks. There will also be live streaming of each of the events on its NBCOlympics website.