Olympics 2012: NBC defends blackout of opening ceremony

Los Angles Times ^

[matt04]

NBC wants viewers to know: The kickoff of the London Olympics was just too complicated to watch live.

The network is fighting back against intense criticism of its decision to black out the opening ceremony on Friday, instead offering a taped version hours later in prime time. Viewers reacted with disgust when they tried to watch live coverage of the event on TV or online but could only find a few bootlegging sites carrying the feed in the U.S.

"We are live streaming every sporting event, all 32 sports and 302 medals," an NBC spokesman wrote in an email to Show Tracker. "It was never our intent to live stream the Opening Ceremony or Closing Ceremony. They are complex entertainment spectacles that do not translate well online because they require context, which our award-winning production team will provide for the large prime-time audiences that gather together to watch them.

[NormsRevenge]

Matt Lauer: helping us understand the world and stuff

one snort.. line at a time..
snort..

[UCANSEE2]

First, there was a poll out questioning whether the US FLAG should be 'dipped' at the opening ceremonies, and now NBC found reason to leave the OPENING CEREMONIES out of their coverage.

I guess the polls were negative.

[Bryan24]

I usually skip watching the Olympics, purely because NBCs coverage is SO FREAKING BAD. FOr the most part, watching the Olypmics on NBC means watching pawder-puff personal stories of heroism and painfully bland interviews of athlets interspersed with brief views of competition.

Surprisingly, I found a lot of stuff today on other NBC affiliated channels.

[UB355]

Did you take a look at

www.nbcolympics.com

I signed in as a Time Warner customer and have been watching streaming events

[MissMagnolia]

I’m getting really pissed off with msnbc’s spate of “Lean Forward” ads during the Olympics ... saw 3 back-to-back this afternoon (Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow). “Forward” .... sound familiar?

[Loud Mime]

When the team from Uganda entered the stadium Bob Costas had to mention Idi Amin. It’s the Olympics FOOL!

[isom35]

I tell my libtard friends the ads should be called “Bend Over”.

[matt04]

http://deadspin.com/5929680/how-to-watch-the-london-olympics-opening-ceremony-live-and-give-the-finger-to-nbc?comment=51348359

I used Tunnelbear method for the opening ceremonies and it worked.

http://gizmodo.com/5928992/how-to-watch-every-second-of-the-olympics/

I have the appropriate level of cable so I haven’t tried any of these.

[matt04]

I had the same problems with swimming. It would work for 10min. tops and start to buffer. I had to close the browser window and re-launch to get it to work again.

[JimWayne]

NBC explained in 2000 that it made this decision in order to attract women viewers. Women needed character building as part of the telecast and it was unfair that sports events were geared towards male viewers. So NBC came up with a package that the whole family could enjoy together. Hence no live telecasts.

I am not making this up. This is what they said in 2000.

[airborne]

NBC always screws up the Olympics. Why do they keep getting it?

$$$$$$$$$$$$

[TomGuy]

I recall that too.

Just like today. Four or five NBC & their cable channels had venues — nearly all were women, except for boxing on CNBC.

Online stream had some men’s gymnastics, but most of the streams were women’s events.

==

Dang! Where’s the Curling schedule?

[MinuteGal]

"I saw the Queen parachuting....surprised she agreed to do it".

Say, I own this bridge in Death Valley. You can have it really cheap. Freepmail me if your interested.

Leni

[BfloGuy]

The annoying commentary, commercial breaks and selective editing made it impossible to watch.

Not to mention the dancing NHS health care workers. It was the most disgusting Olymics opening ceremony I've ever seen. And there have been some doozies.

The British should be ashamed.

[BfloGuy]

The annoying commentary, commercial breaks and selective editing made it impossible to watch.

Not to mention the dancing NHS health care workers. It was the most disgusting Olympics opening ceremony I've ever seen. And there have been some doozies.

The British should be ashamed.

[justa-hairyape]

NBC and its context ruined the Olympics for me many years ago.

[x1stcav]

I can proudly say that I haven’t watched an Olympics, or paid any attention to one, since 1964. The two ‘brothers’, with their faux protest at Mexico City, killed any interest for me after 1968.

That’s about the last time I watched an Academy Awards, come to think of it.

Why pay attention to the culturally dysfunctional among us?

They may be very attractive and wealthy but they are also terribly flawed in the character department.

[xp38]

Somehow other nations do it live. Canada being the obvious comparison.

[Dysart]

Good on NBC. I wish I had some that real good book learnin’, then I’d be able to cipher out what I was seein in them big ceremonies and such. But I’m grapefruit for having them city slickers outta that New York city travel yonder to England and suss it out for me.

[JeffChrz]

Then there was the moving “Abide with Me” tribute that NBC skipped because they needed to show Ryan Seacrest interviewing Michael Phelps. I advise everyone to find and watch that clip online.