NBC Looks to Make Olympic Coverage Omnipresent

NEW YORK (AP) — Fresh off the Super Bowl, NBC begins more than two weeks of Winter Olympics coverage on Thursday with a new host, some new wrinkles and the hope that its business model keeps pace with the different ways people experience events on television and online.

After a few events Thursday, NBC will stream Friday's opening ceremony live and repeat it on television Friday night. Mike Tirico replaces Bob Costas as NBC's prime-time host and, for the first time, its coverage will run live simultaneously across the country.

Because of changes in how Americans watch TV, NBC's evening coverage is virtually certain to have a smaller audience than Sochi four years ago. So NBC is emphasizing how many people experience the Olympics through all of its platforms, including cable networks and online.