Snoop Dogg watches the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Qualification on day two of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris on July 28, 2024.
Arturo Holmes | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
Millions of viewers in the US are tuning at the Summer Olympics in Paris — and many of them are getting a heavy dose of Snoop Dogg as part of the experience.
Starting with the opening ceremony, the five-day total audience delivery average was 34 million viewers, combining daytime and prime time, a 79% increase from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, according to an NBC Sports. release.
Executives of ComcastNBCUniversal – the US broadcaster and broadcaster of the Games – touted not only the success of their production, but also the celebrities and personalities employed as part of the coverage, namely Snoop Dogg.
The hip-hop artist turned sports commentator and entertainer was on the sidelines at the Games in Paris, talking to athletes and their families, sampling Olympic star sports and taking a crack at analysis.
Molly Solomon, NBC’s executive producer for the Olympics, referred to Snoop Dogg as an “ambassador of happiness” during a press conference this week.
“We’ve been pleasantly surprised by his popularity, but you never underestimate Snoop Dogg,” Solomon said, saying “the great mix of surprise and positivity and just the charisma and the vibes are so positive.”
Snoop Dogg carries the Olympic flame during the final leg of the Olympic torch before the opening ceremony in Seine-Saint-Denis, France, on July 26, 2024.
Victoria Valdivia | Hans Lucas | AFP | Getty Images
Snoop Dogg, who they joined the Olympic torch relay, has created quite a buzz on social media – from clips of him cheering along with Olympian family members to taking lots of selfies with athletes and those on the fringes, including the tennis legend Billie Jean King.
He’s sparked some viral moments, including cheering with the wife and baby son of American swimmer Caeleb Dressel when Team USA won its first gold medal and dancing in the crowd as the USA women’s gymnastics team responded from the mat.
His swimming lesson from Olympic legend Michael Phelps also made the rounds on the internet.
“The first time I really watched him in Olympic coverage was the track and field trials in June,” said Krissy Birdsall, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, adding that she watches more of the Games because of the favorable time difference in Paris. “He was quite entertaining. And he brought a different perspective to the world of athletics.”
Mass audience
NBCUniversal had built on the success of the Paris Olympics and Snoop Dogg in recent years.
The rapper, once known for hits like “Gin and Juice,” made his first foray into the Olympics in 2021 when he hosted a show with comedian Kevin Hart at the Peacock. While viewership for the Tokyo Games that year was weak and few live events were broadcast on the Peacock, their show captivated audiences, with various clips going viral.
Snoop Dogg is interviewed at the beach volleyball event on day five of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Eiffel Tower Stadium in Paris on July 31, 2024.
Carl Recine | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
“Snoop set the world on fire at the Tokyo Olympics,” Solomon said in an interview with CNBC. The following year, NBC executives met with Snoop Dogg to discuss his future position in broadcasting the Olympics, he said.
“He really wanted to go to the Olympic city and tell the story of the athletes,” Solomon said.
Solomon and “Primetime in Paris” host Mike Tirico talked about Snoop Dogg’s work leading up to the Games during a press conference in July, noting his early arrival before the opening ceremony and his relationships with athletes.
For his part, Snoop Dogg made his preparation sound a little simpler.
“My preparation for prime time is just being me,” he said during the press conference, adding that he’s “slipped into practice facilities with different teams. … I’m one of those people who likes to be involved.”
Ahead of the Games, Snoop Dogg was also in attendance at the Olympic trials earlier this summer and has since appeared in various places. While Tirico, singer Kelly Clarkson and former National Football League star Peyton Manning led the opening ceremony, Snoop Dogg interviewed American athletes wearing the same Ralph Lauren blazer as them.
“Snoop Dogg is one of those people who can transcend and be versatile,” said Kendall Wright, a student at Northwestern University.
Has been ornate with apparel in the US, including an NBC jacket with his name on it and T-shirts with the faces of star athletes like Coco Gauff and Kelly Cheng.
Snoop Dogg cheers on the USA women’s gymnastics team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Wally Skalig | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
“It’s a sporting event, but it’s not your traditional audience,” John Fortunato, a professor of communication and media management at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business, said of the Olympics. “You see him at the various events and he has such a personality that he can connect with the audience as a fan. That’s really where his appeal is.”
Snoop Dogg sticks with NBC. Fans will see more of him on NBC and the Peacock this fall when he joins the coaching staff at “The voice.”
“I understand why Snoop Dogg and Alex Cooper have joined the Olympics, especially for the millennial and Gen X audience,” said Jenna Mindes, an HR professional from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.
She is a big fan of gymnastics and went to the Olympiacos tryouts in Minneapolis this summer. However, she did not like the inclusion of celebrities in the Olympics.
“I think for gymnastics and maybe less mainstream sports, the big fans are kind of gatekeepers who take their sports very seriously … and celebrities coming into the conversation almost seem to dilute the sport,” she said.
There’s been “a lot more pop culture, celebrities and a lot more Snoop than we’ve had before,” NBC Sports president Rick Cordella said, adding that it helped promote the Paris Olympics.
Snoop Dogg poses for photos with American sportswriters Bob Costas (L) and Al Michaels during beach volleyball on day five of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Eiffel Tower Stadium in Paris on July 31, 2024.
Carl Recine | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
Meanwhile, the “Gold Zone” show on the Peacock, which airs several live sports simultaneously and is hosted by Scott Hanson of “NFL Red Zone” in a similar format, has become a big hit, as has the show-along show led by by Alex Cooper, host of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.
“We’ve really taken a different path in how we approach this,” Cordella said of the Peacock’s strategy for the Olympics, which has been a big part of the viewership numbers.
The success of the Paris Olympics follows the lowest-rated Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, as well as the lower-rated Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022.
The Tokyo Olympics faced a myriad of problems. They were delayed a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. no family and fans were present at the events. Few, if any, events were available on the Peacock streaming service. and there was a big time difference for American viewers.
According to NBC Sports, as of July 26, Paris Olympics audiences are on a roll. The opening ceremony, which took place on the Seine River, had 28.6 million viewers, compared to 17.9 million for Tokyo and 26.5 million for the Rio Games in 2016, making it the most-watched opening ceremony since 2012 in London.
During one recent interview with NBC Nightly News’ Lester Holt, Snoop Dogg said he never expected to play this role “in his wildest dreams,” especially after watching the Olympics as a kid.
“I’m the biggest kid in the crowd,” he told Holt of cheering on the U.S. athletes at the games.
Disclosure: CNBC parent NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics is the US broadcast rights holder for all Summer and Winter Games through 2032.
