NEW YORK -- Start stockpiling eyedrops.

NBC Universal's Olympics television schedule -- with broadcast, cable and broadband -- offers more coverage of competition from Beijing than all the previous summer Olympics combined.

The company will beam out an average of 212 hours of Olympics fare each day through 12 sources -- the equivalent of well over eight days each day.

Viewers will have the chance to create their own Olympic experiences at home, in the office or even on mobile phones where they can find results or on-demand video, according to Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports and Olympics.

It's a total of 3,600 hours of coverage of the Games, scheduled for Aug. 8-24. The past 12 summer Olympics have totaled 2,565 hours on TV, NBC said.

Despite a 12-hour time difference with the eastern United States, NBC and Olympics officials arranged to have several important events scheduled early in China so they can be broadcast in prime-time in the United States. NBC is betting heavily on American swimmer Michael Phelps' quest for a record eight gold medals: Phelps will race live in prime-time in each of the first eight nights of NBC's prime-time broadcasts.

Gymnastics, a traditional prime-time sport, will feature several live gold-medal competitions during that choice TV time. The men's and women's marathon and beach volleyball events also will be televised live in prime time.

The preponderance of pre-taped competition increases on NBC prime-time heading into the second week. No track, other than the marathons, will be shown live on TV or streamed live.