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Olympic Opening Ceremonies 2016: TV Broadcast and Online Live-Stream Info

Chris Roling@@Chris_RolingX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistAugust 1, 2016

Friday's ceremony in Rio kicks off the 2016 Olympics in style.
Friday's ceremony in Rio kicks off the 2016 Olympics in style.Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

The 2016 Olympic Games call Rio de Janeiro home, with Maracana Stadium hosting Friday's much-anticipated Olympic opening ceremony.

Competition officially gets underway Wednesday, but the theatrical ceremony stands as the true starting point, a global event reflecting the themes and culture of the host country as well as the ceremony featuring the torch for the Games.

As was the case with Sochi and those before it, Rio's Friday event isn't the easiest to break down beforehand. As such, here's a look at everything observers need to know.

When: Friday, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m. ET

Where: Maracana Stadium, Rio de Janeiro

TV: NBC (8 p.m. EST)

Live Stream: Telegraph Sport, BBC One

Viewing Details and Reasoning

NBC will broadcast the ceremony once again this year—with a catch.

Despite the event taking place in Rio, which is only one hour ahead of the East Coast in the United States, NBC will air the event on an hour delay, meaning the broadcast begins at 8 p.m EST.

Mark Lazarus, an NBC Sports Group chairman, explained the situation, according to Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

We think it's important to give the context to the show. These Opening Ceremonies will be a celebration of Brazilian culture, of Rio, of the pageantry, of the excitement, of the flair that this beautiful nation has. We think it's important that we're able to put that in context for the viewer so that it's not just a flash of color. So we will air that on a one-hour delay.

As Tannenwald pointed out, this isn't anything new. NBC hasn't broadcast the event live since the 2010 ceremony in Vancouver, and a summer event hasn't reached live air since 1996 in Atlanta.

Instead of waiting for the live broadcast, viewers can watch the event online at Telegraph Sport or BBC One, two places promising live-stream coverage, according to the former.

By all accounts of what the host country has in store, it's important viewers understand the options and find a way to watch the historic showcase.

What to Expect

Expect nothing short of a showcase deserving of the global stage Friday.

Event organizers have recruited major movie directors such as Fernando Meirelles, and 6,000 volunteers will dance in the event.

In fact, while we're on the topic of dancing, the Daily Mail's Caroline Graham described the upcoming event as the "sexiest ever," and it's not hard to see why. Supermodel Gisele Bundchen, Tom Brady's wife, will act as "The Girl from Ipanema."

Bundchen is only one part of the equation, though. The Olympic flame honors may go to the legendary Pele, who recently spent some personal time with it at his museum:

Olympic Flame @OlympicFlame

The king of ⚽️ @Pele 😱 #OlympicFlame https://t.co/SgD05e9ZgT

Per Michael McCarthy of Sporting News, NBC will roll out Brazilian models Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima alongside Ryan Seacrest as on-air personalities.

It sounds costly, but this year's event is actually much cheaper than those in the past. According to Meirelles, it's 10 percent of the cost of London's spectacle in 2012. The Chicago Tribune's Tim Bannon spoke with Meirelles to unearth these details and also took a closer look at the themes behind Friday's event:

Rio officials say the ceremony will emphasize "originality" over "luxury." Meirelles said the ceremony will be a vision of the country "and what I hope it will become." "We don't have high culture," he explained. "Of course we have some pianists, some maestros and some orchestras, but that's not us. We come from the roots. The beauty of Brazil comes from the roots."

Friday sounds like an event that not only has the proper focus but also sports plenty of fashion. One doesn't organize an event led by a legendary supermodel and not have the right flair, with Team USA's Ralph Lauren uniforms leading the way.

NBC Olympics and the U.S. Olympic Team provided a first look at the classy design, which features a backlit logo:

NBC Olympics @NBCOlympics

Here are the @TeamUSA Opening Ceremony uniforms! #RoadToRio https://t.co/XuyP63ozxK https://t.co/LzpfGvzaja

U.S. Olympic Team @TeamUSA

#TeamUSA and @RalphLauren debut the Opening Ceremony uniforms for #Rio2016 on the @TODAYshow! https://t.co/aYmJxiGhP5

The above is just the beginning of the stylistic vision sure to capture the attention of the globe Friday. 

With an inspired celebration of Brazilian culture and originality on the way, it's hard to imagine the Olympics could begin in more impressive fashion. All the globe has to do is wait.

All stats and info via Olympic.org unless otherwise specified.

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