Beach volleyball athletes will be hard-pressed to ever play a venue that can top the iconic location at which they’ll compete in the Rio Games. And they’ll be joined on the famed Copacabana Beach by NBC’s daytime and late night studio.
For the first time in 24 years, NBC Olympics will have a major studio outside of the International Broadcast Center.
“Copacabana Beach is one of the most breathtaking sights in the world. It is the ideal backdrop for our daytime and late night studio,” said Michael Sheehan, Coordinating Director, NBC Olympics. “With the beach volleyball venue just steps away, and thousands of athletes and fans visiting Copacabana and Ipanema every day, we will be able to perfectly capture the excitement and celebration taking place in Rio during the Olympics.”
The set design for the state-of-the-art beach studio was unveiled Tuesday. It will feature one indoor set and one outdoor set, a main anchor desk, an interview area, and a news update desk. Each area will be situated to capture panoramic views of the beach, as well as Sugarloaf Mountain and the Rio coast line. The studio was designed by award-winning set designer Bryan Higgason, of New York-based HD Studio.
NBC Olympics’ morning show for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics was shot from the Athletes Village. Previously, the 1988 Seoul Games featured daytime and late night coverage from pagodas located outside the International Broadcast Center.
Ryan Seacrest will serve as host for NBC’s late night Olympic coverage, while daytime hosts will be announced soon. Bob Costas will serve as NBC’s primetime Olympic host for a U.S. television record 11th time, and primetime coverage will originate from the NBC Olympics studio inside the IBC.
