
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
Print This Story
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
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
15/09/2025
Steve Zahn, Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, and Janeane Garofalo star in Ben Stiller&...
15/09/2025
Global K-Pop sensation aespa is redefining what it means to be rich with the r...
15/09/2025
Every day, millions of people around the world turn to Spotify to enjoy the audi...
15/09/2025
After months of intensive planning and implementation, Brembo SGL Carbon Ceramic...
15/09/2025
A U.S. Marine launches a Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile during a training exercise. (Photo credit: U.S. Marine Corps)...
15/09/2025
AMSTERDAM TV Tech has named its Best of Show Awards winners for IBC2025, which wraps up today. Entrants were judged by a panel of industry experts on the criter...
15/09/2025
Unique sports content orchestration platform builds momentum among SES's cus...
15/09/2025
Paris, France - September 15, 2025 -- Space42 (ADX: SPACE42), the UAE-based AI-p...
15/09/2025
Back to All News
The Great Flood' Teaser Trailer Previews A Gripping Struggle for Survival
Entertainment
15 September 2025
GlobalSouth Korea
Link copi...
15/09/2025
Back to All News
From Hardship to Hope: Typhoon Family' Presents a Tale of...
15/09/2025
Back to All News
Gloom Goes Global as Wednesday's' The Doom Tour Hit...
15/09/2025
-- Opens door to growth in renewable energy New Delhi, India - 15th September -- Global business and industry leaders from around the world are joining technol...
14/09/2025
Partnership to address business and technical challenges of DMF adoption
he Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU...
14/09/2025
WARNER BROS. TELEVISION'S THE PITT (HBO MAX) WINS FIVE EMMY AWARDS, INCLU...
14/09/2025
Back to All News
Mantis' Trailer Previews High-Stakes Rivalries to Be No. ...
13/09/2025
ATLANTA Cox Media Group has announced that the company's vice president of news, Misty Turnbull has been inducted into the National Academy of Television Ar...
13/09/2025
AMSTERDAM Shotoku Broadcast Systems, a major developer of robotic systems, has announced plans to take studio robotics to the next level at IBC2025 by debuting ...
13/09/2025
At IBC2025 in Amsterdam, Riedel Communications unveiled Bolero Mini, the company's lightest and flattest wireless intercom beltpack to date. Designed to del...
13/09/2025
Shotoku Broadcast Systems, the international developer of dependable, userfriendly robotic systems, is taking studio robotics to the next level at IBC 2025 with...
13/09/2025
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming solutions, today released the 9th annual Video Developer Report 2025/26, offering an in-depth look at the evolvi...
13/09/2025
Bitmovin, the leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with StreamShark, the trusted video platform for enterprise...
13/09/2025
Ikegami has chosen IBC 2025 in Amsterdam as the launch venue for a major addition to its range of viewfinders. The new VFE-P711AD is a 7-inch high resolution OL...
13/09/2025
Founder-led Merger to Fast Track R&D, Asset Library Upgrades, Tools and More; No Disruption to Pricing or Support for Users
Today, KitBash3D, a pioneer in 3D a...
13/09/2025
With NDI certification, Atomos integration, Grass Valley collaboration, and a new Monitor app, at this year's IBC, Mavis is showcasing a series of powerful...
13/09/2025
Creamsource, maker of artisan LED lighting for film and television, has unveiled the Vortex24 Soft (V24S), a 1950W native soft light and the largest soft source...
13/09/2025
When international sports streaming service DAZN secured the global rights to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup football tournament, it set out to deliver an unmatch...
13/09/2025
Riedel Communications today announced the acquisition of hi human interface from Broadcast Solutions, bringing a powerful, vendor-agnostic control system to it...
13/09/2025
Building on its long-term relationship with audio metering specialist RTW, Calrec has integrated the company's brand new TMxCore metering platform across it...
13/09/2025
Calrec is expanding its family of future-ready self-contained Argo M control surfaces at IBC2025, with the addition of a brand new powerful 48-fader console. Co...
13/09/2025
Celtic languages - including Cornish, Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh - are the U.K.'s oldest living languages. To empower their speakers, the UK-LLM sover...
13/09/2025
Harmonic's Software-Based XOS Advanced Media Processor Provides Unparalleled Efficiency and Unlocks New Business Models SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 13, 2025 -...
13/09/2025
Researchers find brain region that fuels compulsive drinking Study by Scripps Research scientists shows how the brain learns to seek alcohol for relief, not jus...
12/09/2025
College Football Kickoff 2025: Fox Sports Ups Look as Canon, Sony Power Shallow ...
12/09/2025
ABC/ESPN Excited For WNBA Postseason Coverage In Revamped FormatThe Finals moves to a best-of-seven series in 2025By Mark J Burns, SVG Contributor
Friday, Sep...
12/09/2025
(L-R) Jade Croot, Rosy McEwen, and Bryn Chainey attend the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Rabbit Trap at Eccles Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park ...
12/09/2025
For fans, we know how important it is to stay plugged into music culture and dis...
12/09/2025
Link ping, Sweden and Shipley, United Kingdom, September 12, 2025 - Agama, the expert in video observability and analytics for service quality and customer expe...
12/09/2025
IBC2025 began on Sept. 12, with exhibits and conferences running through Sept. 15 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center. Explore the full TV Tech coverage of t...
12/09/2025
The Best Fictional Bands (and the Artists Who Make Them Great) With Spinal Tap II: The End Continues hitting theaters and songs from KPop Demon Hunters ruling...
12/09/2025
Industry veteran Tom Baldassare has joined Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, as a Se...
12/09/2025
Maxon, maker of powerful, approachable software solutions for creators working in 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, visual effects, and more, today announced a...
12/09/2025
PlayBox Neo, a leading provider of media playout solutions, has partnered with AI-Media, pioneering developers of AI-powered captioning technology, to integrate...
12/09/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
12/09/2025
New alliance strengthens the IT channel in Germany and Switzerland in protecting business-critical SaaS data.
Keepit, the world s only independent, cloud-nativ...
12/09/2025
Fincons Group, an international IT business consultancy and systems integrator company with more than 40 years of experience in the market, is proud to announce...
12/09/2025
Following its acquisition of Telemetrics, EVS continues its push into robotics with an announcement at IBC2025 that it is acquiring XD motion....
12/09/2025
TORONTO The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA) has announced the appointment of Eduardo Ruiz Sanchez, deputy director, broadcast operations at Telev...
12/09/2025
Ed Miller, a longtime broadcast engineer in Ohio and a former national president of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, has died....