NBC's Coverage Of The Olympic Games

[ralmcg]

For 99% of the public the Olympics are just a 2 week reality game show involving people they don't have the slightest idea who they are, little care about, and afterwards completely forget...

So NBC does what they have done every time...

In that case why do they watch it if they don't watch the sports the rest of the time?

[Atticus]

In that case why do they watch it if they don't watch the sports the rest of the time?

FOMO (fear of missing out) - they don't want something to happen that they're not in on. Phelps, Biles, Mondo, SMcL . . . scandals, disaster, wild ecstasy, etc.. There's always culturally central shenanigans at the Olympics.

[Conor Dary]

In that case why do they watch it if they don't watch the sports the rest of the time?

I think that is rather obvious...I know lots of people who watch the Olympics and don't give a toss about any of the sports... just because it is on... then it is over and they watch something else...

[Conor Dary]

FOMO (fear of missing out) - they don't want something to happen that they're not in on. Phelps, Biles, Mondo, SMcL . . . scandals, disaster, wild ecstasy, etc.. There's always culturally central shenanigans at the Olympics.

Miss what? Everything in prime time has already happened...

[SoCal45]

Miss what? Everything in prime time has already happened...

most people don't make the effort to find out what happened a 3 o'clock in the morning...or 2 hours ago. I remember when Olga Korbut took the world by storm...where I was working everyone heard she had done something very extraordinary and they couldn't wait to get home and watch it...I know for a fact that none of these people gave a rat's *ss about gymnastics otherwise. And no one knew what country she was from: virtually everyone assumed she was Russian because she represented the Soviet Union. All people want is the entertainment.

[ralmcg]

most people don't make the effort to find out what happened a 3 o'clock in the morning...or 2 hours ago. I remember when Olga Korbut took the world by storm...where I was working everyone heard she had done something very extraordinary and they couldn't wait to get home and watch it...I know for a fact that none of these people gave a rat's *ss about gymnastics otherwise. And no one knew what country she was from: virtually everyone assumed she was Russian because she represented the Soviet Union. All people want is the entertainment.

That meant that ABC also pre-taped events for prime-time viewing.

[ralmcg]

I wonder if the Olympics were, and are, a significant event then why didn't the networks share broadcasting duties so that all the events would have been covered, at least more that it did, in the era before cable I believe that Congress would have made an anti-trust exemption for the Olympics.

Oh, I forgot. The commercial networks at least don't want to share what they think would be, and is still, a major ratings-grabber. They want all of the revenue to themselves.

[Conor Dary]

If the IOC wasn't a bunch of thugs demanding the most money they can squeeze out the US networks that might be possible...

[gm]

Thank you, Mr. Lenin.

[Halfmiler2]

I really lucked out with Triplecast in 1992. My mom-and-pop cable system did not have three spare channels, so we were offered “single cast” for only $45 - the red channel only which had boxing and track & field. That was fine by me.