NBC fails in bid to change opening ceremony
Seeking to maximize its prime-time audience for the Olympics, US TV network NBC tried but failed to change the order of the teams in the opening ceremony, Brazilian organizers said Wednesday.
NBC wanted the countries to parade in alphabetical order by their names in English, instead of Portuguese, which would have put the United States near the end of the August 5 ceremony, instead of the beginning.
The United States, which is accustomed to arriving near the finale, is in fact called Estados Unidos in Portuguese, the language spoken in Brazil.
Organizers in host city Rio de Janeiro said they were open to the idea, but could not change the rules set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
"We wanted (the change) too. We think their request was pertinent," said Mario Andrada, spokesman for the Rio2016 organizing committee.
But "IOC guidelines say that it's according to the alphabetical order in the local language, so there will not be any change," he said.
NBC, a subsidiary of cable giant Comcast, has been the exclusive broadcaster of the Olympics in the United States since 1988.
It has signed a $12-billion deal to keep the privilege through the 2032 Games -- the IOC's biggest contract.
The 2012 London Games were the most-watched sports event in the network's history and earned it $120 million in profits.
Seeking the biggest possible audience, NBC has announced it will broadcast the Rio opening ceremony with a one-hour delay, starting at 8:00 pm Eastern US time (0000 GMT August 6).
It has successfully persuaded organizers to schedule the swimming finals late in the day.
Swimming is one of the most popular events in the United States, thanks largely to the presence of American star Michael Phelps.