Bob Costas to Step Down as NBC Olympics Host

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Veteran sportscaster Mike Tirico will host NBC’s coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics games, replacing Bob Costas who will step down after hosting NBC’s Olympics coverage since 1992.

Tirico, who joined the NBC Sports Group in July 2016 after a long career at ESPN, will step into the primetime chair Feb. 8, 2018 when NBC begins its coverage of the Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Both Costas and Tirico appeared on NBC’s Today show Thursday morning to make the announcement. Costas has served as NBC’s primetime host for 11 consecutive Olympics telecasts.

“For a quarter-century, Bob expertly piloted NBC’s primetime coverage of the Olympics,” NBC broadcasting and sports chairman Mark Lazarus said in a statement. “It is with a tremendous amount of pride that I can simultaneously express our appreciation for Bob’s stellar, record-setting run, while also feeling very lucky that we have someone as talented as Mike to take over as our new primetime host.”

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.