BOB COSTAS TO HOST NBC'S PRIMETIME RIO OLYMPICS COVERAGE

Record 11th Primetime Olympic Assignment for Costas

2016 Rio Olympic Games Begin August 5 on the Networks of NBCUniversal

STAMFORD, Conn. -- February 10, 2016 -- Bob Costas will serve as NBC's primetime Olympic host for a U.S. television record 11th time when the world's top athletes gather for the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, August 5-21, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Costas has served as primetime host for every Olympics on NBC since 1992, including the 2012 London Games, which is the most-watched television event in U.S. history, reaching 217 million viewers.

The Rio assignment is Costas' seventh as primetime host of a Summer Games - also the most in U.S. television history. This will be Costas' 12th Olympics for NBC, as he served as NBC's late night host at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

"For a quarter-century, Bob has been NBC's pilot of primetime at the Olympics, and over that span, the scope of our coverage has constantly evolved, with Rio set to become the most live event in U.S. television history. Given his vast experience and uncanny expertise, simply put there is no one better than Bob to tell the stories of the athletes, take our viewers inside the world's biggest sports event, and introduce them to one of the most spectacular cities on the planet," said Jim Bell, Executive Producer, NBC Olympics.

"The Olympics are a unique television event," Costas said. "They involve classic sports coverage, of course, but also many elements of storytelling and travelogue aspects that are not as much a part of the typical sports broadcast. In a way, the Olympics are a three-week mini-series which, if done well, should bring viewers not only memorable athletic performances, but a sense of the host city and country, and an appreciation of what is a truly global gathering."

Costas has won 26 Emmy Awards, more than any other sports broadcaster. He is the only broadcaster in television history to have won Emmys for sports, news, and entertainment. His broadcasts have received awards and nominations for hosting, play-by-play, reporting, writing, feature programming, and journalism. Costas serves as the host of the critically-acclaimed and most-watched weekly studio show in sports, Football Night in America, each Sunday during the NFL season. He also hosted pre-game coverage on NBC for Super Bowl XLIX, the most-watched program in U.S. television history, as well as five other Super Bowls.

Costas, who has the longest tenure of the network's sports announcers (36 years), hosts NBC's coverage of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. He contributes to a variety of NBC News programs, including NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and TODAY. Additionally, he handles play-by-play duties and is a commentator for MLB Network.

THE OLYMPICS BEGIN AUGUST 5, 2016

About NBC Olympics

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal's Olympic coverage. It is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. The 2012 London Olympics were watched by 217 million Americans across the networks of NBCUniversal, making it the most-watched event in U.S. television history.