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| TMC... |
 Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:37 pm |
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http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/sports_globetrotting/2009/10/by-philip-hershwant-to-know-why-the-international-olympic-committee-immediately-backed-nbc-when-it-became-angry-over-the-pros.html
By Philip Hersh
Want to know why the International Olympic Committee immediately
backed NBC when it became angry over the prospect of a U.S. Olympic
Network?
Yes, the $5.7 billion NBC paid for U.S. broadcast rights to the Summer
and Winter Games from 2000 through 2012 had something to do with it.
So when NBC was angry the U.S. Olympic Committee did not cut a deal
with its ``mini'' Olympic network, Universal Sports, the IOC told the
USOC to cease and desist on the launch of its own planned network for
the immediate future.
But there is another reason why the IOC loves its U.S. rights-holder,
and that will start to be evident Wednesday, Nov. 4, when NBC launches
its ``Countdown to Vancouver'' 100 days before the opening ceremony of
the 2010 Winter Games.
The IOC wants to drum up interest in both the next Olympic Games and
the idea of the Olympics.
Never has a U.S. broadcaster committed to an effort of the scope NBC
plans to promote both its own upcoming Olympic coverage and the
Olympics in general.
Using all its broadcast platforms, including NBC, Universal Sports,
MSNBC, CNBC and the Weather Channel, NBC will air more than 1,250
hours of pre-Olympic winter sports competition, plus a variety of
other Olympic-related segments beginning with the Nov. 4 Today Show.
There will also be an Olympic segment during Nov. 4 prime time across
all the networks, featuring U.S. Olympic champions Shaun White
(snowboard) and Apolo Anton Ohno (short track speedskating) and the
designated star-to-be of the 2010 Winter Games, alpine skier Lindsey
Vonn.
Expect NBC to give Vonn the Michael Phelps treatment as she goes after
medals in several events. The difference is skiing is so much less
predictable than swimming that no one would dare suggest Vonn should
win multiple gold medals, even if she is the favorite in downhill,
Super-G and combined.
The things Vonn can't control, like wind gusts that might hit during
her run but affect none of the other skiers (which is entirely
possible), mean her superior ability can be negated. That's just the
inherent injustice of the sport, which is why skiers chant the mantra
that the season-long World Cup is a better reflection of an athlete's
prowess.
Vonn opened the 2009-10 World Cup season last Saturday with a solid
ninth in giant slalom, her weakest event.
You can see plenty of Vonn on the NBC pre-Olympic event coverage,
since it will broadcast (on NBC Sports, Universal Sports and
Universalsports.com), the entire World Cup seasons of alpine skiing,
long and short track speedskating, snowboard, bobsled and luge plus
some events in freestyle skiing, ski jumping and cross-country skiing;
the figure skating Grand Prix series; and the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating
Championships.
Beginning Dec. 1, Universal Sports will have a ``Countdown to
Vancouver'' show every night (7 p.m. Central, 5 p.m. Pacific)
And if that's not enough for Olympic and winter sports junkies,
nbcolympics.com will be up and running Nov. 4 as well.
And I will be frequently Blogging about things Winter Olympic as well. |
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| Don Del Grande... |
| Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 12:07 pm |
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Guest
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TMC wrote:
Quote: http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/sports_globetrotting/2009/10/by-philip-hershwant-to-know-why-the-international-olympic-committee-immediately-backed-nbc-when-it-became-angry-over-the-pros.html
By Philip Hersh
Want to know why the International Olympic Committee immediately
backed NBC when it became angry over the prospect of a U.S. Olympic
Network?
Yes, the $5.7 billion NBC paid for U.S. broadcast rights to the Summer
and Winter Games from 2000 through 2012 had something to do with it.
No duh.
Quote: And if that's not enough for Olympic and winter sports junkies,
nbcolympics.com will be up and running Nov. 4 as well.
And I will be frequently Blogging about things Winter Olympic as well.
And I assume, in true NBC Olympics tradition, everybody who lives
along the west coast of the USA won't be able to read it until three
hours after it's posted?
(NBC makes it sound like the world would come to an end or something
if they made its prime time coverage available live to the western
USA. Apparently, they're under the impression that the people who are
driving home during that time aren't going to have their radios tuned
to news or sports channels that will announce the results in advance.)
-- Don |
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