Al Michaels is going to have a voice in NBCUniversal‘s coverage of the Paris Olympics — but he perhaps won’t strike the tone that many might expect.
The veteran sportscaster will deliver personalized recaps of the media company’s coverage, all of it tailored to fans’ specific interests. Each morning, NBC’s Peacock streaming hub will deliver a video summary of the last day of coverage, built out of clips and ahigh-qualityAI re-creation of Michaels’ voice,which was trained using past appearances on NBC andmatches hissignature way of speaking.
“When I was approached about this, I was skeptical but obviously curious,” said Michaels — presumably the real one — in a prepared statement. “Then I saw a demonstration detailing what they had in mind. I said, ‘I’m in.’”
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NBC projects that nearly seven million personalized variations of “Your Daily Olympic Recap on Peacock” could be streamed across the U.S. during the Games. All of them will be compiled from 5,000 hours of live coverage from the Paris Games, which will result in hundreds of clips. The recaps will come in the form of a ten-minute video “playlist” that will spotlight stand-out moments from the previous day while offering a look ahead at NBC’s next primetime show. NBC says a team of editors will review all content, including audio and clips, for quality assurance and accuracy before the recaps are made available to users.
NBCU unveils the interesting new feature as it prepares for significantly more sports fans to sample the Olympics via streaming rather than linear TV. The company has vowed to make all Olympics events available live, as they happen, on Peacock, and using primetime hours on NBC for a curated broadcast of various events along with a healthy mix of guests and celebrities.
Fans who wish to receive “YourDaily Olympic Recap on Peacock,”can visit the Olympic hub and Home page of Peacock starting July27and select the types of highlights they would like to see, including their three favorite sports and preferred topics. The first edition on July 27 will offer highlights from the Opening Ceremony. Personalized versions for each individual will be available after the first full day of events on July 28.
Michaels has worked a combined nine Olympic Games for ABC Sports and NBC Sports — all using his actual voice and perspective in real time. He is famous for his iconic “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” call at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics. Michaels joined NBC Sports in 2006 and served as the voice of NBC “Sunday Night Football” through 2021. .
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