Gary Zenkel

President, NBC Olympics

By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/27/2012 12:01:00 AM

NBC’s $4 billion deal to snag the rights for four more Olympics starting in 2014 means that even as new ownership has come in, the Olympics will be a mainstay for the company. Now, for the first time since Comcast and Dick Ebersol formally broke up (he is still on board for this summer’s Games), it is up to Gary Zenkel to continue that legacy.

The talk in the business will continue to be about break-even— NBC lost $223 million last time around—but the Olympics has always been great television, and it dominates TV for weeks on end. It is up to Zenkel and the team to keep the five-ring circus a leading force this year in London and beyond. Oh—and some of the events will be carried in 3D this year. Yeah, we don’t really care, either.