Screentime
NBC Chases Olympics Gold in Tokyo Amid Lack of Fans, Missing Athletes
With sponsors paying $1.2 million for 30-second ads, NBC hopes summer games can outshine pandemic shadows.
Photographer: Steph Chambers/Getty Images
During the U.S. Olympic trials last month, star gymnast Simone Biles sprinted across the floor, sprung into the air, twisted like a corkscrew and stuck the landing. The crowd inside the St. Louis arena — a mix of masked and unmasked — erupted in a standing ovation.
But when Biles performs at the Tokyo Olympics, which begin on July 23, her performances will be met with fewer cheers. Olympics organizers have banned spectators at events in Japan’s capital as a resurgence of coronavirus cases has forced the government to declare a state of emergency.