GE
I mean, this really is a joke. I can (just about) understand NBC's logic in tape delaying coverage for primetime on weekdays, but at weekends when a large number of people CAN watch television during the day, there's really no excuse not to show it live.
Their reasoning is that they spent billions of dollars on it, and were due to make a loss. They needed to ensure they maximised their commercial income. They feared if they showed events live, fewer people would watch the highlights in primetime, and also decided to show less stuff live in primetime so that they could control the viewer-experience to keep it as positive as possible and ensure people didn't switch off - losing them money.
However they appear to have data supporting a view that live viewing isn't reducing prime-time viewing figures - in fact it might drive them - so they are reconsidering.
Public Service is not a phrase that US commercial broadcasters have to understand... If it doesn't make them more money they won't do it.
I understand, but I still don't understand . . . if you know what I mean. Maybe I'm just too used to our own broadcasting industry, but surely in today's media landscape its all about giving the viewer as much choice as possible, rather than telling them that they have to watch the big events at a certain time on a certain channel. That's obviously not the culture in the US.
Thank God for the BBC . . .
It will be on NBC, but on tape delay in primetime. They've relented in streaming it live online after numerous complaints they didn't stream the opening ceremony.
I mean, this really is a joke. I can (just about) understand NBC's logic in tape delaying coverage for primetime on weekdays, but at weekends when a large number of people CAN watch television during the day, there's really no excuse not to show it live.
Their reasoning is that they spent billions of dollars on it, and were due to make a loss. They needed to ensure they maximised their commercial income. They feared if they showed events live, fewer people would watch the highlights in primetime, and also decided to show less stuff live in primetime so that they could control the viewer-experience to keep it as positive as possible and ensure people didn't switch off - losing them money.
However they appear to have data supporting a view that live viewing isn't reducing prime-time viewing figures - in fact it might drive them - so they are reconsidering.
Public Service is not a phrase that US commercial broadcasters have to understand... If it doesn't make them more money they won't do it.
I understand, but I still don't understand . . . if you know what I mean. Maybe I'm just too used to our own broadcasting industry, but surely in today's media landscape its all about giving the viewer as much choice as possible, rather than telling them that they have to watch the big events at a certain time on a certain channel. That's obviously not the culture in the US.
Thank God for the BBC . . .
