If you want an example of the growth of the Paralympic Games as a media asset, look no further:

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

“Gold Zone,” an “NFL RedZone”-inspired whip-around show that streamed daily during the Paris Olympics and provided an addictive, modern way to watch the Games, will feed into NBCUniversal’s Paris Paralympics coverage, which runs from Wednesday through Sept. 8. “Gold Zone” and “Discovery Multiview,” another popular Paris Olympics streaming feature, will make their Paralympic Games debuts on Thursday. Hosted by longtime Paralympics presenter Carolyn Manno, the “Gold Zone” coverage will stream live on Peacock from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET starting Thursday (the first day of competition) through Sept. 7.

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

There will be more than 140 hours of television coverage of the Paris Paralympic Games 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 Paralympic Games. Paris is six hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast and, like the recently completed Olympics, the majority of competition day in Paris will take place between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET. NBCU issued a press release last week saying it had a record number of advertisers for the Paris Paralympic Games and a 60 percent increase in revenue in Tokyo (specific numbers were not provided).

“We have our biggest presence ever in Paris,” Pritting said. “We really felt it was time to increase our presence in the country because there is an atmosphere and a vibe here. We have eight production teams 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 that vibe and atmosphere that was a little bit missing from the Games because of the pandemic. …

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

Here’s a comprehensive, US-focused guide to watching the Paralympic Games in the US

Where can I watch the Paralympic Games in Paris?

The Paris Paralympic Games will be broadcast on NBC, Peacock, USA Network and CNBC. NBCU said its Paralympic Hub will be located on the Peacock homepage and will include: curated rails of live and upcoming events; in-depth sections for each Paralympic sport; simultaneous 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 sports are there?

During the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, 22 sports will be practiced: para-archery, para-athletics, para-badminton, blind football, boccia, para-canoeing, para-cycling, para-equestrian, goalball, para-judo, para-powerlifting, para-rowing, shooting, sitting volleyball, para-swimming, para-table tennis, para-taekwondo, para-triathlon, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis.

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

Will Paralympic coverage be as celebrity-focused as the Olympics?

No. Here you will see a different programming philosophy, as Pritting explains.

“We’re not quite at the same level yet and I’d rather see people delve into the sports and what they’re watching and really understand the playing field,” she said. “One of the most fascinating things about the Paralympics is the how and the why. How do you explain wheelchair rugby to people? You watch it and you see Chuck Aoki scoring goal after goal and you think, ‘Wow, OK, how does this work?’

“When you realize that he’s basically the quarterback and there’s a lot of other members of his team that are a lot less mobile than he is, his linemen, they’re blocking, they’re making space for him. But take your eyes off Chuck for a second and look at all the defenders. They have different chairs that they use as blocking chairs. I think those are the types of segments that we really want to delve into during the Paralympics because I think that’s what really resonates with people. Once you really understand how these athletes compete and how incredible they are, then you really appreciate it.”

How many viewers do the Paralympic Games attract?

NBC’s coverage of the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Games averaged 165,000 viewers (television only) across NBC and USA Network, a significantly higher number than at previous Paralympic Games.

The viewing peak two years ago was 1.34 million TV viewers who watched the March 11 primetime broadcast, a record for the Winter Paralympics in the U.S. The total reach of the Beijing Paralympics, via NBC, was 11.9 million viewers across NBCUniversal platforms, up 107 percent from the 2018 PyeongChang Paralympics. The summer competition inevitably draws larger viewers, and the 2021 Tokyo coverage delivered the most-watched day in Paralympic Games history with 2.1 million total viewers for NBC’s August 29 primetime broadcast. The Tokyo Paralympics also delivered the second-most-watched Paralympic Games broadcast ever in the U.S., with 1.5 million viewers tuning in the evening of September 5.

The Paris Paralympic Games will be broadcast in three primetime slots on NBC (Friday at 9 p.m. ET, Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, and Sept. 6 at 9 p.m. ET). There will also be live coverage during the day on NBC, including on Sept. 7.

What does 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, like the Olympic Games, will have magnificent backdrops including the Eiffel Tower, Roland Garros and the Palace of Versailles. There are 4,400 athletes representing over 180 delegations.

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

Highlights from the opening ceremony will air Friday in primetime on NBC and Peacock.

How many commentators are there at the Paralympic Games?

NBCU has a record 25 Paralympic commentators. The hosts are 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 be present in person at a Paralympic Games. Morgan, Eurton, Manno and Waddell will report live from NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.

Who are the main commentators and analysts of the competition?

Below you can see who will announce and analyze the events:

Athletics: 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 medals in Paralympic track cycling, will be the analyst for NBC’s coverage of the sport in Paris. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Is there anything unique about the broadcasters?

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

“One of the things we’re excited about is the continued work to develop 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 everyone. But representation is so important. A lot of these Paralympians come to us, either in their careers or after their careers, not knowing that sports TV is an opportunity that is available to them.

“So it’s working on their development as announcers and not in a tokenistic format of, ‘Oh, it’s the Paralympics and we need disabled talent.’ But how do we grow them and train them over the course of many Games and other opportunities so that we have disabled talent that is not only working on the Paralympics but also one day on ‘Sunday Night Football’ or our daily Olympic sports coverage and not just in front of the camera. We’ll get there.”

What is the best place to get the latest TV schedules?

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

What role do the 2028 Paralympic Games play in reporting?

The organizations responsible for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles see the event as a turning point in attitudes towards disability in the United States.

“Twenty-five percent of the American population has a disability,” Pritting said, “and that’s just been established, so it’s probably more than that. Paris is going to be amazing and exciting, but what (we) always think about is LA 2028, because this is our moment. It’s about how we can use the Paralympics and the athletes to really spark a social change movement. Our biggest driver, especially leading up to LA 2028, is to make these Paralympians household names.”

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

NBC executives are excited about airing Blind Football. It will be played in the stadium built at the foot of the Eiffel Tower on the Champ-de-Mars. The U.S. doesn’t have a team for Paris, but they are building one for LA 2028.

Said Pritting: “When I looked at the schedule I thought: how can we support blind soccer, because we are obsessed with this event. One of the group 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 silent, because the athletes are blindfolded. The athletes have to be able to hear the ball, because there are devices in the ball so they can hear where the ball is.”

GALLING DEEPER

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

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