2024 Summer Olympics: Is NBC Relying Too Much on Celebrity Cameos?

Hey, did you know that Snoop Dogg is in attendance at the 2024 Summer OIympics in Paris? Well, if you’ve watched …

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Hey, did you know that Snoop Dogg is in attendance at the 2024 Summer OIympics in Paris?

Well, if you’ve watched even a few minutes of NBC’s coverage, then the answer is almost certainly yes.

The hip hop legend seems to be in attendance at every major event, and he’s always rocking his NBC-branded jumpsuit.

And, of course, he’s usually not alone in the VIP section.

A Star-Studded Olympiad

Tom Cruise has been a highly visible presence at this year’s games, as have Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Steven Spielberg, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Peyton Manning, and many more.

That’s no great surprise, of course.

Related: Celebrity Cameos, Faster-Paced Coverage Among NBC Olympics Success Strategies

After all, Paris might be the number one international destination for American celebs.

The stars descend on the City of Light for relatively minor events like spring and fall fashion weeks, so it makes sense that they would show up en masse for something as major as the Olympics.

But that doesn’t mean NBC needs to fill our screens with all those famous faces every single night — does it?

Actors Over Athletes?

Look, this a pop culture site, and we love our favorite actors, directors, and musicians every bit as you might expect.

But part of the appeal of the Olympics has always been the opportunity to shine a light on uniquely talented individuals who are unaccustomed to center stage.

Sure LeBron James and Simone Biles are household names, but that’s not true of most of the US athletes who have shined so bright at this year’s games.

Simone’s fellow gymnasts are mostly unknown.

As are the fencers, skateboarders, archers, and other esoteric athletes who have made this year’s games such a fun ride so far.

But 23-year-old Jagger Eaton from Mesa, Arizona isn’t likely to pull in an audience numbering in the mid-eight-figure range, regardless of how well he executes his 540 McTwist

And NBC execs are likely aware of this.

Mind you, this network just shelled out over $7 billion for the exclusive rights to broadcast the Olympics through 2032.

Related: Can NBC’s Olympics Coverage Tear Americans Away From Our Political Drama?

It’s a huge investment, and they need massive ratings to justify the expense.

The Race For Ratings Gold

And for all their fanfare and thrilling moments, the Paris Olympics are facing several major hurdles:

First, there was the controversy involving the opening ceremonies.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, many Christians are angry over the presentation of a tableau vivant that they feel was a mockery of the Last Supper.

Whether you think the uproar is fully justified or outrageously absurd, there’s no denying the extent of the furor, and a heated controversy is the exact opposite of how NBC wanted to start this year’s games.

And that’s just one factor that might potentially drive viewers away.

Sure, the aforementioned Simone Biles will be on hand, along with fellow A-list athletes like LeBron James and Steph Curry.

But outside of the gymnastics and basketball squads, Team USA is lacking in recognizable stars on par with Michael Phelps.

And that might go a long way toward explaining why the cameramen have been directing so much of their attention toward the stands.

Olympic-Sized Apathy

There are other issues we could point to that might explain why enthusiasm for these Olympics seems a bit lower than in years past.

Political tensions have left many Americans with the feeling that there are more important issues demanding their attention.

(Plus, it’s hard to root for your nation when you believe that it’s under attack from within, which is a surprisingly common feeling on both sides of the aisle these days.)

Related: Why Are Streaming Services So Bad at Promoting Their Shows?

And then there are time zone differences that have many of the night’s biggest events taking place in the middle of the workday for stateside viewers.

Despite all of that, NBC is reporting that ratings are up significantly

But there are two caveats there:

The first is that much of that reported audience is watching on Peacock, and streaming figures tend to be more difficult to corroborate than numbers reported by broadcast or cable outlets.

The other is that in the absence of a compelling storyline — like Phelps pursuing a record for individual medals — Olympic ratings tend to start strong and decline as the games enter their second week and the public loses interest.

Of course, the actual numbers are immaterial, as our main complaint here is not with factors beyond NBC’s control but with the decision to try and bolster ratings by drawing attention away from the athletes and directing it toward the stars in the stands.

Americans might always be obsessed with celebrities, but the situation is not as severe as it used to be.

Sure, there’s the occasional Taylor Swift-caliber A-lister who attracts a cult of devoted worshippers.

But these days, it’s IPs, not actors, who play the biggest part in a film’s box office.

And the “famous for being famous” environment that led to the rise of Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian has mostly disappeared from the mainstream and retreated to the realm of TikTok.

If Ellen DeGeneres posed for an “epic” selfie with a bunch of famous actors in 2024, as she did in 2014, the public’s response would likely take the form of one big collective shrug.

We’re not sure what caused this relatively sudden shift.

Maybe it was the deepening political divisions of the past decade, or perhaps the Covid pandemic underscored the extent to which most stars are living lives that are entirely unlike our own.

Related: TV Nation: Would America Be Less Divided If We Still Watched the Same Shows?

Whatever the case, stars don’t lure us in the way they used to.

But apparently, NBC hasn’t received the memo.

What do you think, TV fanatics? Are the Paris Olympics too celebrity-focused?

Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts.

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