PARIS, France — NBC is attempting to expand its audience for the 2024 Paris Olympics, especially among a younger demographic, and the network has commissioned “Call Her Daddy” podcast host Alex Cooper to do it.
Time Magazine has called her “arguably the most successful woman in podcasting,” according to her NBC Olympics bio, and the former Division I soccer player-turned-podcast host inked a $60 million deal with Spotify. In 2022, "Call Her Daddy" was the platform's second most popular podcast globally.
The aim is not only the younger generation, but women too. "Call Her Daddy" averages millions of downloads per episode, and the vast majority of the listeners are women.
Cooper is bringing coverage to Peacock with her ManningCast-like show, titled “Watch with Alex Cooper,” a series of live, interactive, picture-in-picture watch parties serving as a simulcast to the main NBC production.
In the lead-up to the Olympics, Cooper interviewed American gymnast Simone Biles about her journey battling "the twisties" during the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. For example, Cooper had former USWNT players Christen Press and Tobin Heath on her show while they watched the women's soccer team play against Germany.
“Watch with Alex Cooper” is one of many instances of supplemental programming. The "Gold Zone" featuring Scott Hanson is NBC's Olympics take on NFL's Red Zone, which also features Hanson with non-stop coverage throughout the day where he bounces from event to event.
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