If you want an example of the growth of the Paralympics as a media property, look no further than this:

Peacock’s popular “Gold Zone” coverage will be part of the Paris Paralympics.

“Gold Zone,” an “NFL RedZone”-inspired whip-around show that streamed daily during the Paris Olympics and was an addictive and modern way to watch the Games, will be used for NBC Universal’s Paris Paralympics coverage, which runs from Wednesday to Sept. 8. “Gold Zone” and “Discovery Multiview,” another popular streaming feature for the Paris Olympics, will make its Paralympic Games debut Thursday. The “Gold Zone” coverage will be hosted by longtime Paralympics anchor Carolyn Manno and stream live on Peacock from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET starting Thursday (the first competition day) through Sept. 7.

“It really did seem like such a perfect fit for the Paralympics,” said Alexa Pritting, a supervising producer at NBC Sports who oversees the coverage of the Paralympic Games. “To have it be such a huge success for the Olympics, we’re really hoping to ride those coattails. It will be a little different because the sports here are just so unique. There are so many sports that are unique to the Paralympics such as boccia and blind soccer. It gives us an incredible opportunity to really elevate all the 22 sports that the Paralympics has to offer.”

There will be more than 140 hours of Paris Paralympic television coverage across NBC, USA Network, and CNBC. Peacock will stream approximately 1,500 hours of live coverage across all 22 Paralympic sports during the 12-day event. That’s the most streaming hours ever for a Paralympics. Paris is six hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast, and like the recently completed Olympics, the bulk of the competition day in Paris will take place between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET. NBCU put out a press release last week saying it had a record number of advertisers for the Paris Paralympics and a 60 percent increase in sales from Tokyo (specific figures were not given).

“We have our biggest presence ever in Paris,” said Pritting. “We really felt like it was time to boost our in-country presence because there is an atmosphere and a vibe here. We have eight production crews in Paris covering all the events and hosts in Paris in Andrea Joyce and Lacey Henderson (a 2016 Paralympic track and field athlete) who can really bring us the vibe and atmosphere that has been kind of missing from the Games with the pandemic. …

“The biggest challenge for us is to feel like, at the end of each day, we’ve hit all the best stories because there are just so many. It feels like there’s some good momentum from the Olympics, so we’re really hopeful that there will be more eyes.”

Here’s a comprehensive U.S.-centric guide to watching the Paralympics in the U.S.

Where can I watch the Paris Paralympics?

The Paris Paralympics will air on NBC, Peacock, USA Network and CNBC. NBCU said its Paralympics hub will be on the Peacock home page and feature curated rails of live and upcoming events; in-depth sections for each Paralympic sport; simul-streams of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and all linear coverage from NBC, USA Network and CNBC; full-event replays; curated video clips; medal standings; and an interactive schedule.

What are the sports?

The 2024 Paralympics in Paris will feature 22 sports: para archery, para athletics, para badminton, blind football (soccer), boccia, para canoe, para cycling, para equestrian, goalball, para judo, para powerlifting, para rowing, shooting para sport, sitting volleyball, para swimming, para table tennis, para taekwondo, para triathlon, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.

Boccia — a sport resembling bocce — is unique to the Paralympics. The competition in Paris runs Thursday through Sept. 5. (Tullio M. Puglia / Getty Images)

Will the Paralympics coverage be as celebrity-oriented as the Olympics?

No. This is where you will see a different programming philosophy, as Pritting explains.

“We’re not in the same space quite yet, and I’d rather people dig into learning about the sports and what they’re watching and really understanding the field of play,” she said. “Some of the most fascinating things about the Paralympics are the how and why. How do you explain wheelchair rugby to people? You watch it and you see Chuck Aoki scoring goal after goal and you’re like, ‘Wow, OK, how does this work?’

“When you realize he’s basically the quarterback and there are a lot of other members on his team with a lot less mobility than him, they’re his linemen, they’re blocking, they’re making space for him. But take your eye away from Chuck for just a minute and watch all the defenders. They have different chairs that they use that are blocking chairs. I think those are the kind of segments that we really want to dig into during the Paralympics because I think that’s what really gets people hooked. Once you really understand how these athletes are competing and how incredible they are, then you really appreciate it.”

What kind of viewership does the Paralympics receive?

NBC’s coverage of the Beijing Paralympics averaged 165,000 TV-only viewers across NBC and USA Network in 2022, though the numbers were up significantly from previous Paralympics.

The viewership highlight two years ago was 1.34 million TV-only viewers watched prime-time coverage on March 11, a Winter Paralympics record in the U.S. The overall reach of the Beijing Paralympics, via NBC, was 11.9 million viewers across NBCUniversal platforms, which was up 107 percent compared to the 2018 Pyeongchang Paralympics. The summer competition inevitably draws higher viewers, and the coverage from Tokyo in 2021 produced the most-watched day in Paralympic history with a total audience delivery of 2.1 million viewers for NBC’s prime-time coverage on Aug. 29. The Tokyo Paralympics also produced the second most-watched Paralympic Games telecast on record in the U.S. when 1.5 million viewers watched the night of Sept. 5.

The Paris Paralympics will have three prime-time slots on NBC (Friday at 9 p.m. ET, Sunday at 7 p.m. ET and Sept. 6 at 9 p.m. ET) and also live daytime coverage on NBC, including on Sept. 7.

What will the opening ceremony look like on TV?

The opening ceremony will take place on the Champs-Élysées at the Place de la Concorde and the competition, much like the Olympics, will have great backdrops including the Eiffel Tower, Roland Garros and the Palace of Versailles. There are 4,400 athletes representing over 180 delegations.

NBC Sports host Ahmed Fareed and 13-time Paralympic medalist Chris Waddell will anchor the coverage. Pre-show coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock on Wednesday, followed immediately by the opening ceremony at 2 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock. It should run until about 5:30 p.m. ET.

Highlights of the opening ceremony will be included in prime-time coverage Friday on NBC and Peacock.

How many commentators are working the Paralympics?

NBCU has a record 25 Paralympic commentators. The hosts include Fareed, Waddell, Joyce, Henderson, Britney Eurton, Sophie Morgan and Manno. Joyce and Henderson will be live from the USOPC’s Team USA House in Paris and other locations around the city. NBCU said they are the first NBCU commentators to host in-person at a Paralympic Games. Morgan, Eurton, Manno and Waddell will report live from NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford, Conn.

Who are the main play-by-play and analyst voices for the competition?

Here’s a look at who will call and analyze some of the events:

Track and field: Paul Swangard, play-by-play; Bill Spaulding, play-by-play (marathon); Amanda McGrory, analyst; Lewis Johnson, reporter

Swimming: Todd Harris, play-by-play; Michelle Konkoly, analyst; Heather Cox, reporter

Sitting volleyball: Camryn Irwin, play-by-play; Nichole Millage, analyst; Emilie Ikeda, reporter

Wheelchair basketball: Sloane Martin, play-by-play; Jeremy Lade, analyst; Matt Scott, reporter

Wheelchair rugby: Chris Vosters, play-by-play; Mark Zupan, analyst; Andy Stevenson, reporter

Para triathlon: Elise Woodward, play-by-play; Patricia Collins, analyst

Amanda McGrory, who won seven Paralympic track medals, will be the analyst for NBC’s coverage of the sport in Paris. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

Anything unique about the broadcasters?

Three Paralympians will make their NBC Sports debuts, including seven-time Paralympic medalist McGrory, four-time Paralympic medalist Millage and 2012 London Paralympic bronze medal-winning wheelchair basketball player Lade.

“One of the things we are excited about is the continued work on developing disabled talent, both on and off screen,” Pritting said. “We’ve talked a lot about what the right mix is. Some countries prefer 100 percent disabled talent. We prefer a mix because it really shows how the Paralympics are for everybody. But representation is so important. We’ve had many of these Paralympians come to us either active in their careers or after their careers, not knowing that sports TV is an avenue that’s available to them.

“So it’s working to develop them as broadcasters and not in a token format of like, ‘Oh, it’s the Paralympics, and we need disabled talent.’ But how can we grow and train them over the course of many Games and other opportunities so that we have disabled talent not just working on the Paralympics but working some day on ‘Sunday Night Football’ or on our day-to-day Olympic sport coverage and not just on camera. We’re getting there.”

What’s the best place for updated television schedules?

NBCParalympics.com will have the most up-to-date listings and information.

How does the 2028 L.A. Paralympics factor into the coverage?

The groups charged with the L.A. 2028 Paralympic Games see the event as a watershed moment to change people’s attitudes toward disability in the United States.

“Twenty-five percent of the U.S. population has a disability,” Pritting said, “and that’s just identified, so it’s probably more than that. Paris is going to be amazing and exciting, but what (we’re) always thinking about is L.A. 2028 because this is our moment. It’s how we can use the Paralympics and the athletes to really elevate a social change movement. Our biggest push, especially in the lead-up to L.A. 2028, is to make these Paralympians household names.”

Is there a sport that could be a surprise TV or streaming hit?

NBC executives are excited about airing blind football. It will be played in the stadium erected near the foot of the Eiffel Tower on the Champ-de-Mars. The U.S. doesn’t have a team for Paris, but it is building one for L.A. 2028.

Said Pritting: “When I was looking at the schedule I was like, how can we get behind blind soccer because we’re obsessed with this event. One of the pool play matches is between France and Brazil and think about those countries, their history with soccer and those super fans. But for blind soccer, they have to be quiet because the athletes are blindfolded. The athletes have to be able to hear the ball because in the ball there’s devices so that they can hear where the ball is.”

GO DEEPER

Jodie Grinham, the archer aiming for a Paralympic medal at 28 weeks pregnant

(Top photo of the blind football venue for the Paris Paralympics: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)