The Olympics on the Web: Squashed by tradition
The 2008 Summer Olympics is the most online ever, which is no surprise. More of the world has broadband access than four years ago. But in the United States, at least, the old advertising-supported television model for distributing sports coverage is hanging on tight.
That isn't to say the Web is losing. On NBCOlympics.com, you can quickly jump to delayed coverage of the major events, as well as live coverage of less popular sports or qualifying rounds. What you cannot do is duplicate the live-television experience online for major events like swimming.
This is because NBC affiliate stations make advertising revenues when people tune in to those events on TV. NBC cannot just run all its Olympics video online in real time and compete with its own affiliates. We may not like it, but from a business perspective, this appears to make sense.
As good as streaming video is on the Web, TV programming still provides a better viewing experience.
Or does it? Could NBC offer a Web experience that's competitive with the television offering and end up still ahead of the game? I believe that it could.
In nearly every U.S. household, the best place to watch a sporting event is on the big TV in the family room. You have a better screen, more comfortable chairs, and a video feed that's fluid and detailed. So why isn't NBC showing the videos live on the Web and shunting people over to their couches for the viewing experience we all want, anyway?
Already, NBCOlympics.com asks for your location and cable provider before it will show you videos (this leaves over-the-air viewers out in the cold, but it's easy enough to bypass by giving the site the name of a local cable company you don't subscribe to).
NBC and its local stations--each of which has its own Web site--could, in theory, create a combined TV-Web schedule or experience for its viewers. The right combination of live big-screen events and Web-based packages for background and catch-up could be more compelling than either experience by itself.
The problem is not the technology. It's the business structure: the hold that the affiliate-based advertising model has on network television. I'm not saying that if we didn't have that model, NBC would nail the online-TV Olympics experience, but it would sure give the network a fighting chance.
Click here for more stories on tech and the Beijing Olympics.
Rafe Needleman writes about start-ups, new technologies, and Web 2.0 products, as editor of CNET's Webware. E-mail Rafe.
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NBC's coverage seemed badly lacking. There were many events that might be whoen in little snippets of film, and many events appear to have had no film aired. I realize there is much, maybe too much to show everything on all the events, but all of the athletes and all of the competitions deserve some air time. Was there any film shown of the shooting competitions? Or the sailing?
The gymnastics "gala" that was supposedly aired by NBC highlighted only a few performers, and did not show the entire exhibition. I had to try to find video online to see the entire show or at least photos to see who actually participated. Imagine my surprise when I realized that there was even a rhythmic gymnastics performer taking part!
I am very unhappy about the coverage this time. I love the olympics, all of the olympics, and would welcome a chance to see a little more of everything and less of announcers going on and on wondering if so and so can win or if so and so could have won or on and on about stuff when I would rather watch.