NBC announced on January 17, 2018 that Katie Couric would co-host the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics opening ceremony with Mike Tirico, who replaced Bob Costas as primetime host. NBC's Jim Bell said Hoda Kotb was the natural pick, but he did not want to burden her in her new Today job, so he called Couric, who had hosted three earlier opening ceremonies.

What did NBC announce about Katie Couric, and when?

NBC Sports Group announced on January 17, 2018 that Couric would co-host coverage of the February 9 opening ceremony alongside Tirico, in a press release issued by Jim Bell, president of NBC Olympics production and programming. The announcement came 23 days before the ceremony, not a week before it as the original version of this page said.

Couric did not replace Costas. The AP reported that Tirico replaced Costas as primetime host of the Games, and WPTV reported that Costas stayed with NBC Sports in a more limited role. Couric's assignment covered the opening ceremony.

The same announcement said NBCUniversal would live-stream the opening ceremony for the first time, starting at 6 a.m. Eastern, with a fully produced version airing at 8 p.m. Eastern. The AP reported that fans had asked for live access to the ceremony, after NBC allowed every competition but not the ceremony to stream live during Rio 2016.

Sources differ on how to count her history. NBC's release called Pyeongchang her fourth opening ceremony assignment with NBC Sports, counting the Sydney 2000, Salt Lake City 2002 and Athens 2004 ceremonies she co-hosted with Costas, according to Adweek. A Boston.com preview called it her third. This page uses the AP and Adweek description of three earlier ceremonies.

Why did NBC pick Katie Couric for Pyeongchang?

NBC's stated reason was a staffing one. The AP reported on January 17, 2018 that Bell said Hoda Kotb would have been the natural choice, but he did not want to burden her just after she was named lead host of Today, so he called Couric.

Adweek reported that Bell had been Couric's producer at Today for a time. In the NBC release Bell cited her experience, saying she had anchored Today from six previous Games as well as hosting three opening ceremonies. WPTV reported that Couric said in an NBC statement that she had loved covering the Olympics and showcasing athletes during her years at the network.

Tirico was making his first appearance as NBC's primetime Olympic host and his first opening ceremony, according to NBC's January 24, 2018 announcement of 89 commentators. The pairing therefore put one first-time ceremony host next to one with prior ceremonies.

How did critics and the press react to the casting?

Reaction was mixed, and the sourced coverage is thin. Fox News reported on January 18, 2018 that the announcement followed NBC's decision that Megyn Kelly would not travel to South Korea, and presented the Couric choice as a surprise. The same report quoted media analyst Jeffrey McCall calling the choice "really confusing."

That coverage came from a network that competes with NBC, so it should be read as one critical view. Other outlets, including the AP and NBC's own release, described the casting as a return of a former Today host with prior ceremony experience. No source reviewed shows a poll of viewers about the casting.

How many people watched the Pyeongchang opening ceremony?

NBC reported on February 10, 2018 that its opening ceremony coverage averaged 28.3 million viewers on a Total Audience Delivery basis, using Nielsen live-plus-same-day data and Adobe Analytics digital data. NBC said the audience peaked at 31.5 million and was up 6% from the Rio 2016 opening ceremony. NBC also said it was the most-watched Friday night program on any network since the 2014 Sochi opening ceremony, which drew 31.7 million.

These are NBC's own figures, and they are preliminary. Sports Media Watch later reported the NBC-only primetime average at 27.8 million. No source reviewed isolates how much of the audience came from the hosts, as opposed to the unified Korean team the AP said would march together in the ceremony, or the timing of the Games.

The AP reported that primetime viewership through February 18, 2018 averaged 21.3 million, down 7% from 2014. The opening ceremony was therefore a strong night in an otherwise weaker Games, and this site's working view is that host casting is too small a factor to explain either result.

What did this page argue in 2018?

The January 2018 version argued that NBC cast Couric as a late response to the geopolitical weight of the Games and to balance Tirico's lack of primetime experience. The sourced record points elsewhere. NBC's stated reason was Kotb's new Today role and Couric's prior ceremony experience, and no source reviewed ties the choice to geopolitics. The page also stated that Couric replaced Costas in the primetime chair, which was wrong.

This rebuild removed a quote attributed to Couric about educating herself on the Olympics, which no source confirmed. It also removed the 2026 "engine cycle" section, the claim that Tirico hosted the 2020, 2022 and 2024 Games, and the multi-decade NBC succession argument, none of which was sourced here.

Where does this case sit on this site?

This case belongs to the Sports PR hub. Related Olympic cases are Pyeongchang 2018 American travel, Tokyo 2020 costs and communication, the USOC and Larry Nassar case and Olympic sponsorships and endorsements.

Frequently asked questions about Katie Couric and NBC

Did Katie Couric replace Bob Costas?

No. Mike Tirico replaced Costas as NBC's primetime host. Couric co-hosted the opening ceremony with Tirico.

When did NBC announce Katie Couric's return?

NBC announced it on January 17, 2018, 23 days before the February 9 opening ceremony.

Why did NBC not use Hoda Kotb?

NBC's Jim Bell told the AP he did not want to burden Kotb just after she became lead host of Today.

How many people watched the 2018 opening ceremony?

NBC reported 28.3 million viewers on a Total Audience Delivery basis on February 10, 2018, up 6% from Rio 2016.

Originally published January 22, 2018. Updated October 2026. Drafted with AI assistance. Not verified: the final Nielsen audience after out-of-home adjustments, and whether the opening ceremony counts as Couric's third or fourth. Removed as unsourced: the quoted Couric line, the geopolitical rationale, the Tirico 2020 to 2024 hosting claim and the 2026 engine-cycle section.