Once Snoop Dogg had waded through electrical cords on the floor and ambled his lanky frame around the disorderly equipment in a partially constructed television studio in Paris, he was able to peer out over a balcony overlooking the Eiffel Tower and survey the city he hopes to conquer during the Olympics.
“This is my home,” he said triumphantly to himself. Below, a handful of people flashed their phones.
The man who NBCUniversal hopes will become the breakout star of the Paris Games was right where he wanted to be.
The Olympics are always about the athletes, and as usual the focus this year will be on the brightest ones: Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Noah Lyles, Novak Djokovic, LeBron James.
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But the event’s billing as the pinnacle of athletic achievement has not been enough to prevent NBC’s Olympics television ratings from skidding amid a fractured media landscape, and the network hopes Snoop Dogg’s aura as one of the most recognized and beloved figures in pop culture will energize viewers of all ages.
Ratings for the Summer Games have dropped steadily since an average of 31.1 million prime-time viewers watched 2012 London Olympics. NBC executives cite pandemic-related restrictions and an unfavorable time zone for Americans as reasons the Tokyo Games averaged 15.5 million prime-time viewers, its lowest audience ever.
