My thoughts on NBC's Olympic coverage.....

[poltr1]

I've been watching the Olympics on NBC this past week. I've been somewhat satisfied with their coverage, but not overly impressed. ABC Sports still holds the gold standard, in my opinion. I realize that TV is a numbers game, and they're trying to deliver the maximum amount of viewers for their coverage.


If I were in charge of programming, what would I be doing differently?

First of all, I'd cover every sport. Some sports, like fencing, aren't getting any coverage whatsoever, except for online video feeds. Granted, NBC has 5 cable channels to spread their coverage -- NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, and Oxygen. Why not use these channels to cover the lesser-known sports, instead of time-shifting what's been shown on other channels?

Second, I'd not be so USA-centric. Thankfully, NBC has been moving away from this type of coverage, but it still has a ways to go. I'm glad they're showing short features on athletes from other countries. One of them that sticks out in my mind is the one on the female Russian pole vaulter.

Third, I'd try to downplay the "cheesecake factor". As much as I hate to say it, scantily-clad women from any nation are always a big draw for the male 18-49 demographic. Perhaps that explains the popularity of beach volleyball. (Go Misty and Kerry!) Are women as drawn toward scantily-clad men? Or do those Speedos give away too much information?

Fourth, I'd employ higher-speed cameras for the finish lines. Maybe this is already being done. I know there are film cameras out there that can shoot several thousand frames per second. Are there video cameras that can match that?


Who else has been watching? What are your opinions of the coverage? Is the coverage different in other countries?

Comments

[gorgeousgary]

I've been watching most evenings (up to my normal bedtime). I agree that the gold standard remains ABC, but NBC has improved over their many previous lackluster (and that's being kind) efforts.

My biggest complaint is that it seems like one has to be even more of a night person than one had to be previous years to catch the end of the "big ticket" events. Some nights the prime-time broadcast has run 'til 1am. And I don't recall overnight blocks of programming before. I guess some of that late scheduling is to get more live stuff, but still it's annoying.

(Yeah, I could Tivo stuff, and did while at Denvention, but I don't want to be catching up on Olympics in September, which is what would happen if I Tivo'd everything I'm missing.)

On the plus side, even if it's beach volleyball or other "cheesecake" sports, at least NBC has actually remembered for once that the Olympics are a sporting event and actually showing the competitions. I recall broadcasts in the late-80's and 90's where it seemed sometimes there were more special features and athlete profiles being shown than actual events.

[poltr1]

I agree with you that NBC has gotten better over the last several years. I don't remember watching the games in Sydney (2000) or Athens (2004), probably because the coverage was so abysmal. (Or maybe because The Ex was not a sports fan and I didn't get watch much sports when we lived together.)

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

I like your changes: you get my vote. :)