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Sammy Linebaugh Reporting Television commercials are already running for NBC's coverage of the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino. The networks' goal is to get Americans in the Olympic mood, especially the younger crowd.
producers are turning to the athletes themselves, like 23-year old Jeremy Bloom, to score big ratings with Generation X. If you've already seen the commercial, then you know the NBC script that which ties Jeremy Bloom's college football days with his stardom on the slopes as the defending world cup mogul champion heading to Torino.
Jeremy Bloom: "I'd love to be filming this commercial in Maui on the beach."
Bloom spent a stormy day at Snowbird this past spring shooting the ad now airing on the network and on the internet. The target audience is teens and 20-somethings.
Barbara Blangiardi: "What we're trying to do is look for things that are in the games that they'll find relevant, that resonate with them, and showcase them. And the number one thing is the athletes."
Jeremy Bloom: "In 2002 I was 19 and I'd never been to an Olympics and it really seemed like an unattainable goal, so when I got there it was like Christmas to a five-year old."
Now 23 he heads to Torino a relative veteran with a natural appeal to the millions of young viewers NBC producers hope to capture come February.
Barbara Blangiardi: “The athletes are their age, their mindset, and the athletes think the Olympics are cooler than anything."
Jeremy Bloom: "Some of the parts that I really truly love about the Olympics is the personal stuff -- getting to know where the athlete came from before they won, and really getting to know those people."
The bottom line, if you're between the ages of 18 and 24, NBC wants you to tune into all 17 days of the Olympics. And they want your parents and grandparents too.
With a promise that the 2006 Olympic Games will have its share of the unexpected. Once again, KSL will have full coverage of the Olympics along with NBC. We're sending several crews to Torino to track Jeremy Bloom and the other athletes. The games begin in just 31 days.
