MUMBAI: US media conglomerate NBCUniversal will provide 5,535 hours of coverage for the 2012 London Olympics across NBC, NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, Telemundo, NBCOlympics.com, two specialty channels, and the first-ever 3D platform.

NBCUniversal will surpasses the coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics by nearly 2,000 hours. It was also announced that NBC will broadcast 272.5 hours of coverage, the most ever for an Olympic broadcast network, largely attributable to an increase in daytime coverage.

NBC is paying the IOC $1.1 billion for the rights for this event, a 32 per cent jump compared to what it paid for the 2008 edition in China.

NBC Sports Group chairman Mark Lazarus said, "We are only able to provide this level of coverage to US viewers because of the unmatched array of NBCUniversal assets. Whether on television or online, on broadcast or cable, in English or in Spanish, NBCUniversal has the London Olympics covered, providing the American viewer with more choices than ever to watch the Games."

NBCUniversal is presenting its 13th Olympic Games and seventh consecutive, both the most by any US media company. ABC is second with 10 and four (twice), respectively.

London will be NBCUniversal?s seventh consecutive Summer Games, having presented each one since Seoul in 1988.

The 5,535 hours are the equivalent of 231 days of coverage.

NBCUniversal will average 291 hours of coverage per day over London?s 19 days (including two days of soccer competition prior to the Opening Ceremony).

The networks of NBCU will provide coverage of all 32 sports and all 302 medal competitions.

NBC will broadcast 272.5 hours of London Olympic coverage over 17 days, the most extensive coverage ever provided by an Olympic broadcast network, and nearly 50 hours more than the 225 hours for Beijing in 2008.

Daytime coverage has increased significantly for London. Coverage will begin on most weekdays at 10 a.m. ET/PT, immediately following NBC News? TODAY, which is originating from London.

On weekends, NBC?s daytime coverage will begin as early as 5 am.

NBC Sports Network will serve as the home to US team sports, with 292.5 hours of total coverage from 2012 London Olympics this summer, including 257.5 hours of original programming - an average of more than 14 hours per day - the most-ever for an Olympic cable network.

MSNBC will carry 155.5 hours of a wide variety of long-form Olympic programming over 19 days.

CNBC will serve as the home of Olympic boxing this summer, including the debut of women?s boxing. The channel will televise 73 hours of boxing coverage over 16 days -- from elimination bouts to the men?s and women?s finals.

Bravo will act as the home of Olympic tennis this summer, televising 56 hours of long-form tennis coverage from July 28-August 3.

NBCOlympics.com will live stream every event and sport for the first time ever. In all, the site will live stream more than 3,500 total programming hours, including the awarding of all 302 medals.

NBCOlympics.com will live stream NBCU cable channels NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo, which will only be available to authenticated cable, satellite or telco customers.

Two apps - one focused on live streaming, one on short-form highlights, schedules, results, columns, and more - will be available for mobile and tablet users. The vast majority of content will only be available to authenticated cable, satellite or telco customers.

NBCUniversal also announced the Spanish-language Olympic coverage in the company?s history, offering more than 173 hours of the upcoming London 2012 Olympics on elemundo."

The 173 hours of Spanish-language coverage by Telemundo nearly equals the total coverage broadcast by NBC for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics (176.5).

Specialty channels for basketball and soccer are available to cable, satellite and telco providers, and will total 770 hours of coverage.

Panasonic US and the NBC Sports Group announced in January that they will partner to make the London 2012 Olympic Games available in 3D to all U.S. distributors who carry Olympic coverage on cable, satellite and telco -- nearly 100 per cent of the multichannel industry.

The effort will produce 242 hours of coverage and mark the first time that the Olympic Games will be distributed in the U.S. in 3D.