NBCUniversal’s Royal Wedding Plans: Everyone Goes to London

By Alex Weprin 

NBCUniversal announced its coverage plans of the upcoming Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, and NBC News and MSNBC play a big part.

Just about every NBCU network will have wedding coverage, including NBC, MSNBC, E!, Bravo, Telemundo and even The Weather Channel. NBC is partnering with ITN for coverage. The U.S. networks have to rely on U.K.-based broadcasters for some footage, as foreign networks are not able to broadcast from certain locations.

Essentialy all of NBC’s top-name talent will be in London for some or all of the wedding week, including “Night News” anchor Brian Williams and “Today” co-anchors Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira, along with Natalie Morales, Al Roker and Ann Curry.

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From MSNBC, Martin Bashir will be based out of London that week (as we previously noted) but so will Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist, who will host “Morning Joe” and “Way Too Early” from London. Chris Jansing will also be anchoring her show from London.

At the heart of NBC’s coverage will be a primetime special, “Inside the Royal Wedding,” which will air April 27 from 8-9 PM, hosted by Lauer and Vieira. On Friday the 29th, “Today” will begin live in all time zones at 4 AM ET to cover the wedding, with Williams joining his “Today” colleagues.

On MSNBC Bashir and Jansing will begin coverage at 3 AM ET, before sending it off to “Morning Joe,” at 5 AM. They will both contribute to coverage on that program.

Bravo, E!, “Access Hollywood” and iVillage will all cover the wedding  as well, as will Telemundo, which will have its magazine show “Al Rojo Vivo” originate from London. The Weather Channel will provide weather updates from London. Spoiler alert: there may be fog.

Much more, including a Royal Wedding iPad app (!!) in the release below.

NBCUNIVERSAL ANNOUNCES ITS BROADCAST PLANS FOR THE ROYAL WEDDING

Comprehensive coverage from London highlights the breadth of NBC News resources and partnerships available to support an international event

Cross-platform programming includes a NBC Primetime Special and coverage from across the NBCUniversal portfolio

“The Royal Wedding by NBC News” App for iPad is now available on the App Store

NEW YORK, NY—March 28, 2011— As the world tunes in to watch Prince William and Kate Middleton exchange vows on Friday, April 29th, 2011, NBC News and its fellow NBCUniversal networks will provide the ultimate in cross-platform coverage of Royal Wedding events from London. NBC News’ comprehensive broadcast plans highlight the breadth of network resources and partnerships available to support an international event— involving close work with its UK broadcast partner, ITN; reports from more than a dozen network anchors and correspondents; and over 20 hours of combined coverage from NBC and MSNBC on the day of the wedding. Highlighting the powerful network television and digital synergies of NBCUniversal, NBC News and MSNBC will join msnbc.com, Access Hollywood, Bravo, E!, iVillage, Telemundo and The Weather Channel to provide a diverse array of programming options for its viewers. Online, today.com will be the source for Royal Wedding news and information, including archived coverage as well as new reports and interviews. NBC News’ coverage can also be found on social media platforms by following @royalwedding on Twitter or by attending the NBC News Royal Wedding event on Facebook. In addition, NBC News is partnering with GetGlue to offer its viewers virtual “stickers” for watching NBC’s Royal Wedding programming.

In addition to its broadcast plans, NBC News announced today the launch of its Royal Wedding App for iPad, which is available now on the App Store. This one-of-a-kind news App is an interactive and engaging way to experience all the news leading up to the Royal Wedding and a social tool for the day itself. The App combines a number of features including: over 300 photos and more than 40 NBC News reports— both new and from the NBC News Archives; the latest news and content from NBC News’ royal experts; an interactive royal family tree; ways to connect with other fans using Twitter and Facebook and ideas for how to throw your own Royal Wedding “watch party”; opportunities to purchase exclusive Royal Wedding collector’s items from the NBC Universal store, and more. “The Royal Wedding by NBC News” App is available for free from the App Store on iPad or at www.itunes.com/appstore. To preview the App, click here: http://bit.ly/ee0g33.

The following is a list of NBC’s broadcast plans for the Royal Wedding:

NBC PRIMETIME SPECIAL
* NBC will air an exclusive, behind-the-scenes documentary entitled, “Inside the Royal Wedding” on Wednesday, April 27th from 8-9 pm/et. The special will be hosted by NBC News’ Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira.

TODAY
* Beginning Friday, April 22nd Natalie Morales will report live from London.
* Meredith Vieira will broadcast live from London on Monday, April 25th for split coverage with Studio 1A.
* Matt Lauer, Ann Curry and Al Roker will join Meredith and Natalie on Thursday, April 28th for full “Today” broadcasts from London on Thursday and Friday.
* Wedding Day—Friday, April 29th: A special edition of “Today” will begin at 4 am/et across all time zones, with Matt, Meredith, Brian, Al, Ann, and Natalie reporting on the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The program will include live coverage of ongoing wedding celebrations in London, originating from Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and Westminster Abbey until 10 am/et. Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb will anchor the fourth hour of “Today” from 10-11am/et in New York.

WEEKEND TODAY
* Natalie Morales and Al Roker will anchor “Weekend Today” from London on Saturday, April 30th.

DATELINE
* On Sunday, April 24th at 7 pm/et, “Dateline” will feature a special report by Dennis Murphy, taking a closer look at Kate Middleton’s personal story, and including a preview of the wedding.
* Wedding Day—Friday, April 29th: “Dateline” will air a 2-hour “instant documentary” on the wedding, reported by Ann Curry (9-11 pm/et).

NIGHTLY NEWS
* Brian Williams will anchor “NBC Nightly News” (6:30 pm/et) live from London beginning Wednesday, April 27th. Leading up to the wedding day, “Nightly News” reports will include coverage of the preparations, how the city of London is faring, the security concerns surrounding this public event, and taking a special look at the wedding itself.
* Brian will also co-anchor “Today’s” special coverage of the Royal Wedding with Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira on Friday, April 29th.

WEEKEND NIGHTLY NEWS
* Weekend “Nightly News” will feature live coverage from London on Saturday, April 30th.

MSNBC COVERAGE
* Beginning on Sunday, April 24th, MSNBC will feature live hits from London. Martin Bashir will contribute to MSNBC’s coverage starting Monday, April 25th.
* Wedding Day—Friday, April 29th: Martin Bashir and Chris Jansing will begin MSNBC’s live coverage at 3 am/et. Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist, will lead MSNBC’s Royal Wedding coverage beginning at 5 am/et, with Martin Bashir and Chris Jansing contributing.

WAY TOO EARLY
* Willie Geist will anchor “Way Too Early” (5:30am/et) from London Monday, April 25th through Thursday, April 28th.

MORNING JOE
* Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist will anchor “Morning Joe” (6-9am/et) from London Monday, April 25th through Thursday, April 28th.

MARTIN BASHIR
* Martin Bashir will anchor his 3pm/et show live from London on Monday, April 25th through Friday April 29th, and will contribute to MSNBC’s wedding coverage throughout the week.

JANSING & CO.
* Chris Jansing will host a split show of “Jansing & Co.” (10-11 am/et) and contribute to MSNBC’s dayside coverage on Thursday, April 28th and throughout the day on Friday, April 29th.

MSNBC.COM/TODAY.COM
* “The Windsor Knot” (http://windsorknot.today.com/) will cover the countdown to the most anticipated wedding in decades with a royal roundup of all the latest details, discussion and debate about the nuptials of Will and Kate. From the tiniest, tartan-clad tidbit to the most momentous monarchical milestone, “The Windsor Knot” will keep a watchful eye on the impending nuptials. Viewers can also keep up on the latest news by following the Royal Wedding on Twitter at: twitter.com/royalwedding#. On the wedding day, msnbc.com will offer live streaming coverage of the entire event.

ACCESS HOLLYWOOD & ACCESS HOLLYWOOD LIVE
* “Access Hollywood” and daytime counterpart “Access Hollywood Live” will broadcast both shows from London beginning Monday, April 25th through Friday, April 29th (syndicated, check local listings)
* Anchor Billy Bush will bring viewers a flavor of Great Britain as he reports live from various locations in London including Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Kensington Palace and Big Ben.
* From Fleet Street and the West End, to the nightlife, the hot spots, the style and the trends, “Access Hollywood,” “Access Hollywood Live” and AccessHollywood.com will have the most up-to-date Royal Wedding information with special reports from London correspondent Tim Vincent and exclusive information from royal insider Neil Sean.
* Online, AccessHollywood.com will feature special extended videos and photo galleries and will showcase behind the scenes coverage of “Access Hollywood” in London with live blogging and tweeting from talent and producers.

BRAVO
* On Thursday, April 28th at 11pm/et, Bravo’s Andy Cohen will host “Watch What Happens Live: Royal Wedding Spectacular” in true Bravo style with guests Countess LuAnn De Lesseps from Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New York” and “The Real Housewives of D.C.” scene-stealer and ex-wife of a White House photographer, Cat Ommanney.

E!
* Beginning April 25th, E! News will be broadcasting from London in front of Buckingham Palace to cover the Royal Wedding extensively for the week leading up to wedding day.
* On Thursday, April 28th at 10 pm/et, E! will rebroadcast NBC’s “Inside The Royal Wedding” special.
* Wedding Day—Friday, April 29th: From 4am-9am/et (1am-6am/pt), E! News will present five hours of live coverage of the Royal Wedding with Giuliana Rancic reporting on-site from London. E! will repeat the coverage immediately following the original telecast. At 9pm/et, E! will premiere an original one-hour special produced by NBC News’ Peacock Productions, entitled, “E! News Special: Road to the Altar.” At 10 pm/et, E! will premiere a special wedding-themed one-hour episode of “Fashion Police” hosted by Joan Rivers, Kelly Osbourne, Giuliana Rancic and George Kotsiopoulos.
* Friday, April 29th through Saturday, April 30th, E! will present wedding-themed programming stunts featuring some of the network’s popular series “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” “Kendra” and “Sex & The City.”
* E! Online and E! Mobile will present a live stream of the royal wedding, as well as breaking wedding news, comprehensive photo galleries, wedding-related videos and other special interactive features leading up to, during and after the event.

iVILLAGE
* Wedding Day—Friday, April 29th: iVillage and iVillage UK cordially invite women to join the conversation surrounding this historic event with a Royal Wedding pajama party beginning at 6 am/et at www.twitter.com/ivillage, with a chance to win fabulous, Will and Kate-inspired prizes. iVillage’s Royal Wedding hub page will feature news, commentary and photos of the big day as it unfolds, as well as special edition video interviews and articles, including highlights from the bride and groom’s relationship, an exclusive interview with the couple’s former landlady, and much more. The iVillage community from both sides of the pond will also be encouraged to offer their own advice and wedding-day anecdotes to the soon-to-be newlyweds. Mobile users will also have access to iVillage’s coverage of the Royal Wedding on the go with the iVillage app.

TELEMUNDO
* Telemundo anchors and reporters will provide daily coverage from London beginning Monday, April 25th, including anchoring the “Al Rojo Vivo” magazine show from London.
* Wedding Day—Friday, April 29th: The Telemundo team will broadcast the Royal Wedding live, and will also air an hour-long wedding special that night.

THE WEATHER CHANNEL
* Starting Monday, April 25th The Weather Channel will have all the latest forecasts and weather from London across all of its platforms. In addition, Al Roker will anchor “Wake Up with Al” from London and we’ll also look at the outdoor beauty and natural splendor of the Royal couple’s new home, the North Wales island of Anglesey.

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