The Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games will receive an unprecedented 116 hours of combined television coverage in the United States, according to an International Paralympic Committee news release.
The coverage is the result of a partnership between NBC Olympics and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), which acquired the US media rights for the next two Paralympic Games.
The Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, will receive 50 hours of coverage between NBC and NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) beginning with the opening ceremonies on March 7, 2014. Daily coverage will feature all the sports on the Sochi Program, which includes alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ice sledge hockey, wheel chair curling and para-snowboard, and conclude with the closing ceremonies on March 16, 2014.
The 2016 Summer Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will receive 66 hours of combined coverage on NBC and NBCSN, which is an increase of 60.5 hours from the 2012 London Paralympics.
“We are absolutely delighted to announce this two-Games agreement with NBC and the USOC as it provides more airtime of the Paralympics than ever before in the US. Following the success of London 2012, we said it was absolutely essential for the growth of the Paralympic movement and the Paralympic Games that, in future years, US audiences had a greater opportunity to watch some of the world’s best elite athletes in action,” Sir Philip Craven, International Paralympic Committee president, stated in the release. “This is tremendous news for sports fans, many of whom will be able to watch a Paralympic Games live for the first time. I am sure they will be as captivated and emotionally enthralled as the billions around the world who tuned into London 2012 last summer.”
The USOC will also provide live online coverage of both Paralympic Games at TeamUSA.org.
