June 26 (Reuters) -

From the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on July 26,

U.S. television coverage of the games will include celebrities,

social media influencers and generative artificial intelligence

(AI), NBCUniversal said on Wednesday.

The Comcast ( CMCSA )-owned media company, which paid

$7.65 billion to renew its rights to air the Olympics in the

U.S. through 2032, is seeking to modernize how it covers the

world's largest sporting event.

The stakes are high for NBC, which needs to win back

viewers who are eschewing live television in favor of streaming

services and watching clips online.

The pandemic delayed the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics and

restricted attendance at the Beijing 2022 Winter games, which

drew the

smallest primetime viewership

since NBCUniversal began airing the Olympics.

Fans will be able to view personalized daily recaps of

the Olympic competition created by generative AI and narrated by

AI versions of people such as legendary sports commentator Al

Michaels, Comcast ( CMCSA ) CEO Brian Roberts said during a presentation

in New York City.

Nearly 7 million different variations of the recaps

could be created over the course of the games, Roberts said.

In another sign of the times, NBC Sports anchors

including Mike Tirico will share coverage duties with

personalities like rapper Snoop Dogg and "Call Her Daddy"

podcast host Alex Cooper in order to attract younger viewers.

Snoop Dogg will interview and tell the stories of Team

USA athletes as well as their parents. Cooper will host

interactive live shows on NBCUniversal's streaming service

Peacock.

"I thought, what can we do that's going to be different

and truly gets my young audience to want to engage with the

Olympics?" Cooper said. "I understand Gen Z - we've got to be

quick, we got to keep it moving."

The celebrities will be joined by

27 social media influencers

who will film their own content in Paris for platforms

including Meta, TikTok and Snapchat.

The Paris Olympics coverage will include more elements

like behind-the-scenes footage and pop culture discussion to

encompass the most popular genres across television,

NBCUniversal executives said.

One highlight reel featured rapper Cardi B meeting with

American track and field sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson.

"We'll have the best drama, the best reality and the best

comedy show all rolled into one," said Rick Cordella, president

of NBC Sports.