NBC Olympic Research Confirms: The Internet is Not a Fad
By Ty Duffy
The New York Times ran PR for NBC’s Olympic Coverage, previewing exciting results from NBC’s game-changing research. ESPN, CBS and other networks covering sports made these discoveries years ago, but why quibble when someone important lets you sit in his office?
NBC has learned online viewership is significant and enhances, rather than detracts from the prime-time TV audience.
"“To our great happiness we learned the digital experience was enhancing the TV experience, so we made the decision to stream the closing ceremony live,” said Mark Lazarus, the chairman of NBC Sports Group. NBC had not streamed the opening ceremony."
The network also has confirmed (brace yourselves) tablets and mobile devices are going to be a thing. NBC will even consider streaming non-Olympic sports events, such as the NFL. This would have been revolutionary…five years ago. Watch ESPN, right now, is streaming all content airing across ESPN networks and two women’s U-17 World Cup matches. Time Warner Cable allows one to stream his or her entire cable box onto the device of their choosing.
We would point out how NBC could have used events amenable to live broadcast, such as the Men’s 100m final at 5:00pm ET on a Sunday, to promote NBC Sports Network. However, by the time NBC figures that out the line between Internet streaming and cable will have blurred so much the distinction will be irrelevant.
Some might quibble about NBC’s coverage being patronizing and jingoistic, but the major reasons #NBCFail happened were (a) blocking American viewers from watching the Opening Ceremony live and (b) having live streaming that, for many, was entirely unreliable. NBC resolved problem A before the Olympics ended, streaming the Closing Ceremony. Problem B should be resolved by 2014.
[Photo via Getty]