By: Press Release
Category: Event News
Source: http://www.foxnews.com
Category: Event News
Source: http://www.foxnews.com
Usain Bolt could be defending his Olympic 200-meter title on a Thursday afternoon in the United States.
Fans
will be able to watch the race live online for the first time during
this summer's London Games, but what they'll see is very different from
the tape-delayed, prime-time package that will still air a few hours
later.
NBC executives decided to shift from their
longtime philosophy and make every event available as it happens,
convinced that the plan will build interest in the Olympics and not
siphon off viewership from the traditional nightly broadcasts. That
means the Internet streams will be fairly minimalistic, a move aimed at
tempting fans to re-watch the competition in a more stylized
presentation on the network that evening.
"You'll be able to live the moment," said Rick Cordella, the vice president and general manager for NBC Sports Digital.
The
online coverage will use the world feed instead of NBC camera angles.
That's what viewers in many smaller countries see on their local
networks, so the production is high quality, if less specialized than
Americans are used to for the Olympics. There will be basic graphics
and, for some popular sports, announcers from the Olympic Broadcasting
Services.
Cordella said he didn't know yet which
commentators would call high-profile events like track, swimming and
gymnastics for the OBS.And if Bolt wins in another world record, fans will have to wait until prime time to see a post-race interview.
"It's not infringing upon prime time," Cordella said.
NBCOlympics.com
streamed many smaller sports live during the 2008 Beijing Olympics for a
total of 2,200 hours, but the big-ticket events were held back. This
year, more than 3,500 hours will be shown on the website. For the top
sports, replays will not be available online until after the event airs
in prime time.
The service will include extra feeds
for certain sports — fans can watch each apparatus in its entirety
during gymnastics and up to five courts for tennis.
Most
of the Internet streams will be available only to viewers who subscribe
to cable or satellite services. They will need to "authenticate," log
in to prove they are customers. The "TV Everywhere" model has become
popular with many networks as a way to allow viewers to watch programs
on multiple devices while encouraging them to stick with cable and
satellite providers. Cordella said he believed viewers were becoming
more familiar with the process.
Social media has
proliferated since Beijing, and NBC is counting on buzz from viewers who
watch events live to attract others to the prime-time broadcasts.
"If Bolt sets a record and prances over the finish line," Cordella said, "you want to see that."
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