Paris 2024: A Look Behind the Scenes of NBCs Daily Gold Zone Production By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. Thursday, August 8, 2024 - 4:18 pm
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NBCUniversal has offered up no shortage of ways to consumer the Paris 2024 Olympics. From live coverage streaming on Peacock and airing on NBC, USA Network, or E! (plus CNBC on weekends) during the day to curated, deeper storytelling at night on NBC's Primetime From Paris, fans have a multitude of flavors to get their Olympics fix.
The Gold Zone studio in Stamford is manned by four hosts, including Scott Hanson (seconf from left)
However, with little argument to be had, the most buzzed-about and beloved medium has been Gold Zone. The daily whiparound show reminiscent of NFL Redzone offers fans non-stop action ranging from Athletics at Stade de France to Handball at Stade Pierre-Mauroy to water polo at Paris La D fense Arena and anywhere else where key moments and potential medals are to be had.
It's all about the idea of discovery, says Amy Rosenfeld, SVP of Olympics and Paralympics production. We want to expose people to more sports than just [the big events like] swimming, gymnastics, and track and field. Gold Zone shows key moments in equestrian, Judo, and fencing. Hopefully, through that discovery, we're growing Olympic fans for that sport.
A 16-box multiviewer is available to the Gold Zone on-air talent and production team to monitor the action.
While the concept of Gold Zone is nothing new - NBC first debuted the coverage model at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics - the comprehensive execution has taken things to a new level for Paris. And the eyeballs have followed.
There's so much live competition going on that there's simply no way you could sit in front of one screen and drink it all in, says Darryl Jefferson, SVP, engineering & technology, NBC Sports & Olympics. So with Gold Zone, we're able to quick cut to whatever action is most exciting or relevant at any given moment. Maybe we just heard something hot is happening over at water polo or rugby - we just cut to that feed and you're right in the middle of the action. So it's a really high energy show.
The Gold Zone production team is split into two shifts: 7 a.m.-12 p.m. and 12-5 p.m. ET with a shift change at noon that takes under two minutes. Each shift has one director and two producers - one producer is in the chair executing, the other is directing traffic and keeping an eye on everything taking place in in 16-box Multiview. Several other traffic cops help guide the organized chaos , while ADs monitor what feeds are going into the router at any given moment.
It is organized chaos in the most beautiful way possible because so many feeds are coming in, says Rosenfeld. What's amazing is, we ran out of space on the router in that room so these folks are like Liberace, trying to pound on the router and get stuff in the right place. We go through some stretches when we'll have one gold medal after another every few minutes, so you better have great chemistry with your colleagues. There's no time to think; you just have to react.
Housed in PCR 12 - one of two new fully ST 2110 IP control rooms (along with) at NBC's Stamford, CT broadcast center - Gold Zone is by far the most fast-paced in NBC's army of Olympics production units with as many as 60 feeds streaming into the control room from Paris at once.
It's been one of the more interesting productions because it's just a different tempo and pace than our other shows, says Jefferson. It's a bit ADHD with everything always moving, moving, moving.
PCR12 serves as the Gold Zone control room
PCR 12, which was built primarily for NBC's golf remote productions, was specifically designed to look and feel like a production-truck environment. This makes it ideal for the quick-cut style needed for Gold Zone.
Studio 3, a new state-of-the-art facility normally housing NBC's Premier League coverage, serves as the home of Gold Zone. The 360-degree studio is equipped with a jib and a Steadicam, which allow for plenty of movement inside the studio, as well as a slick new LED floor.
It's great for Premier League because it gives you multiple areas to get up and move around the studio between the home base, the hero standups, and the telestrator area says Tom Popple, VP, Studio Operations, NBC Sports. For Gold Zone it's even more unique because it's such a fast-paced show. The flexibility in there is awesome and it looks spectacular.
Since a lot of it is voicing over live feeds and it's not all on camera, they have a lot more flexibility in how they can use that studio - both [on-air] and as a way to track all 16 feeds coming in, continues Popple. They can shoot this 360 and are ok with [the audience] seeing researchers, runners, and producers right on the floor during the show. They're not protective of seeing certain things on the camera, which I think adds a fun different kind of element.
NBC's four Gold Zone hosts Matt Iseman, Jac Collinsworth, Andrew Siciliano and Scott Hanson are able to see both the 16-box Multiview on a massive LED wall display as well as a four-box breakout on a monitor right in front of them.
With as many as 40 events happening at once, it's up to the team in the control room to split the 16-box Multiviewer up based on the most pressing action, while the host can call for specific feeds in their personal four-box multiviewer.
Studio 3 is typically home to NBC Sports Group's Premier League coverage.
We understood how challenging the show would be to execute, and particular people were put on the show very purposefully because this takes a certain type of personality and skillset, says Rosenfeld. The show has been incredible so far and keeps getting better ev
