NBC’s tape-delayed Olympic opening ceremony broadcast, as usual, didn’t manage to air the entire event. While the Peacock Network continues to improve upon previous years’ heavy hand in editing, they still sliced off 23 minutes in the 14 hours that passed before it finally hit NBC’s airwaves. Here’s a breakdown of what was excised; a sped-up video of every second that NBC missed is up above.


(We’ll note that if NBC had simply skipped its half-hour promotional content it aired before starting the opening ceremony proper, it could have aired the whole thing in its entirety.)

Introduction montage: 1:41. This was a very cool journey through Korea and Winter Olympic history that U.S. audiences would have, I think, enjoyed? It’s unfortunate NBC cut this out.


Transitions before and after the introduction of IOC president Thomas Bach: 1:10

South Korean flag procession: 3:22

A portion of Germany’s entrance into the stadium: 0:27

A portion of Mexico’s entrance into the stadium: 0:07

A portion of Sweden’s entrance into the stadium: 0:08

A transition into the “dance of the future”: 0:08

A portion of the “dance of the future”: 3:00

Lee Hee-Beom’s speech: 5:16

A portion of Thomas Bach’s speech: 2:15

Olympic flag procession: 0:18

Taking of the Olympic oath by athletes & montage of the torch relay: 4:34

One part NBC didn’t skimp on? The introduction of the U.S. delegation, which in real life took 62 seconds but which appeared on American television to take more than seven minutes. (They looped parts, which is why you heard the same portion of Psy’s “Gangnam Style” over and over again.)