According to the Wall Street Journal Europe, the cable channels together will carry nearly 280 hours of programming.
MSNBC, a joint venture with Microsoft Corp., will cover the Olympics from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Eastern time, at which time the normally business-news-oriented CNBC takes the torch until 9 p.m.
MSNBC, which will also replay the Olympics from midnight to 7 a.m., will focus on team sports such as softball and volleyball, as well as tennis and cycling. CNBC will cover boxing as well as some soccer and water polo.
The actual NBC broadcast network will focus on events that tend to be viewer favorites, such as track-and-field, gymnastics and swimming. It will air the Olympics from 7 p.m. until midnight, break for news, and resume coverage until 2 a.m.
NBC has used the Games as a lure to get cable operators to sign new long-term deals to carry both CNBC and MSNBC on their systems.
