For the Vancouver Winter Games, NBC and its various TV outlets will air 835 total hours — about double the total for the 2006 Torino Games (419 hours) and the 2004 Salt Lake Games (375.5 hours).

NBC steadily expanded hours for recent Games and, like any network buying Olympic TV rights, can also draw on the Olympic world TV feed — which airs every moment of action.

Figure skating, an enduring Olympic TV star, will be featured on NBC's Vancouver primetime, along with sports such as alpine skiing and snowboarding. CNBC will go heavy on curling, USA Network will focus on U.S. athletes and MSNBC will carry lots of hockey — including medal-round competition.