C’est ‘Today’: NBC News reveals outdoor studio with view of Eiffel Tower

NBC News‘ “Today” bid “bonjour” to Paris from a restaurant’s outdoor dining area the network converted to a multivenue studio and control room complex ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

The network is broadcasting its coverage of the 2024 Olympics at Café de l’Homme, located northwest of the famed Eiffel Tower at Trocadero Square, affording its broadcasts multiple vantages of the tower and surrounding cityscape, including some of the venues for the games themselves.

The restaurant’s public address is 17 Pl. du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre, 75016 Paris, France.

Plans call for “Today” to use the space along with select parts of NBC’s primetime and dayside coverage. 

“Today” also broadcast a portion of its show from the first level of the Eiffel Tower Monday, July 29, 2024, before moving back to the restaurant set.

NBC set up home base for “Today” under a green trellis on the west side of the eatery’s terrace, which is slightly elevated from the surrounding public spaces. The trellis appears to have been brought in for the show; it does not appear in satellite or promotional imagery of the restaurant before the NBC takeover.

“Today” uses a rounded glass desk with an intricate metal base inspired by French grillwork of similar design. The green shade of the trellis also appears to be inspired by “Paris Green,” the name given to a compound of pigments first invented in 1814 that is sometimes compared to emerald green. The shade has also been used by French artists in several famous works. 

A portion of the restaurant’s indoor eating space has been converted to a control room with a bank of monitors and two rows of tables set up for crew. Separate reports have indicated that several restaurants close to Olympic venues have been closed temporarily due to traffic and security reasons, though it’s not clear if Café de l’Homme is one of those.

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NBC also created a more enclosed space with French design elements on the opposite side of the “Today” anchor desk. 

Here, a curved sofa with a view of Paris and a similar view of the Eiffel Tower is framed out by sheer fabric curtains.

The space uses also includes a video wall with a wrought iron frame. as well as wall-mounted versions of the NBC 2024 Paris logo. 

Opposite this is an alcove designed as a place for athletes to gather before appearing on the show, including a large faux green wall with the network logo installed over it.

Café de l’Homme is located within the Palais de Chaillot, a multi-building complex featuring a large stone courtyard built for the 1937 Exposition Internationale. 

A centerpiece of the outdoor restaurant area is a statue of Hercules and the Cretian bull by sculptor Albert Pommier, which remains visible.

With Paris, NBC is continuing the tradition of using outdoor studio spaces for its “Today” Olympics setups.

For the delayed 2020 games, it took over the top of a hotel in Tokyo (the outdoor setting was planned before the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the games to 2021 and the outdoor air circulating ended up being a bonus once the games did go forward). 

For 2022, the show sent Savanah Guthrie to Beijing, China, anchoring from a standard outdoor standup-style setup. Hoda Kotb remained in New York, where the network built an Asian-inspired space outside of Studio 1A.

Back in 2018, the network brought along its half-circle portable studio with movable glass walls to PyeongChang. This studio, which can be disassembled and stored before being shipped in pieces to where it’s needed was used for multiple games prior to this. It was also used in New York as a temporary home for the show during Studio 1A renovations.

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“Today” also customized its normal graphics package with gold, blue and violet hues. The open has been reworked to include imagery of Paris as well as a 3D version of the Eiffel Tower that twists around the screen showcasing archival footage with dynamic commentator soundbites.

‘Nightly’ debuts from Paris with simulated city views for showcasing imagery

The lower third inserts during Paris coverage are modified versions of the show’s normal look, including a subtle patterned background inspired by the Art Nouveau looks NBC has incorporated into its branding for the games.

Other elements also incorporate the red, white and blue from the French flag, including through the use of fluttering fabric animations.