Open Letter to NBC/Universal Concerning Tape Delay
by Dave Clark on Feb 13, 2010 10:35 AM PST
in Life in the Sound
26 comments
To Whom it May Concern,
The United States has hosted the Winter Olympics on four occasions at three sites. Two of those sites the people of NBC have determined don't deserve to see the Olympics live on NBC. Neither Utah, nor California will be able to get live results on television in the USA, two states with HUGE Olympic history are being ignored by a programming decision.
I live in Seattle, and though I could drive to British Columbia and get the results in just over two hours if I want to watch it on television at home I will be forced to wait three hours, because some one decided that no one in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver, Salt Lake City would actually want to watch a sporting event live.
We are no longer stuck in the 80s, when ABC made the mistake of tape delaying Monday Night Football, you have sadly chosen to copy that strategy in an era of email, internet, twitter and facebook. On twitter feeds that I followed I had a 3 hour advance notice of the Opening Ceremony. I knew everything that would happen, so I chose to ignore what you had on the television, there was no point.
Today, a Saturday, I am home with a dog and wishing that I could watch live sports programs, and I can. But only if I don't care about the Winter Olympics just a few hours North of me. I can watch Fox Soccer Channel and see the world's best soccer teams compete - LIVE. I can watch BBC America and watch 6 Nations Rugby - LIVE. There are a dozen stations showing college basketball - LIVE.
But the first medal of the 2010 Games I will not get to see live, nor the second, nor the third. I will be made to wait, because NBC/Universal seems to have decided that nearly 100 Million Americans don't know what the Internet is, nor do they have friends/family in the East.
You are making a mistake, and it is one that could easily be corrected. Sports TV ratings are up in 2009, and will likely be up in 2010. The reason is because of surprise, and that by being LIVE they are events that can not be missed. This year, I can afford to miss them, because I will already know the results, for unlike your decision makers I live in the 21st Century.
Thank you,
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AGREED!!
I live in Utah and will I dont care a ton about the winter games, I get your point. What tv may not get is that if you show it live more people will watch.
Plus, with the Olympics on the west coast could have the opportunity to show MORE coverage. There is the late night olympic coverage that could be prime time on the west coast.
Weekend tape delay is even worse, I can agree with weekday delay, but weekend should be live across all time zones.
World Cup will be early mornign here in Salt lake and people will watch, and less will watch the ESPN match of the day in the evening
It is indeed ridiculous.
Here in Bellingham we can get the Canadian Olympics station, CTV. Here’s what my night was like last night:
- Put baby to bed
- Turn on CTV (7:15pm)
- Watch opening ceremonies live, missed athletes due to baby bed time
- During ridiculously long torch lighting “drive,” watch athletes walk in on NBC
- Turn off TV and head to bed as the NBC coverage of cultural ceremonies began (10:30pm)
Even NBC’s online coverage is terrible. They could at least stream live, commentariless coverage. Yesterday CTV online was streaming the ski jumping qualifying, but NBC online was only streaming luge training. Which I checked in on just as the ambulance was pulling away. That was horrifying and deeply saddening. How nervous are the rest of the athletes now, to head down that track.
US Olympics coverage is always so filled with inspirational flim-flam, prime-time fluff, and anchor filler. It should just be races, matches, and games, wall-to-wall. It’s annoying, and it’s always been that way. Prime-time, blah blah blah. At the very least the weekend should be filled with coverage.
We’re headed up in a few for short track speed skating tonight. The real live.
by Cornchops on Feb 13, 2010 11:07 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
And then best of all,
when I got home, two-and-a-half hours after the race ended…
…I got to watch it again on NBC.
Rather pathetic really
But good for you
Did you get any pictures? I love BC. I looked into going to school there at one point in my life. Sadly the GI Bill wouldn’t pay for anything up there.
I am not a Supporter
I am not a Fan
I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Agreed
Here’s the email for feedback on NBC’s coverage:
Right now on TV in Seattle on "Olympics stations"
Babar (yeah, the cartoon) – NBC
Olympics Press (the 3rd replay) – US
Winter Beauty – CNBC
I am not a Supporter
I am not a Fan
I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Yeah this has been disappointing.
Just sent of my e-mail critique. I usually love the Winter Olympics, but I can’t see watching tape-delayed programming – it loses all the spectacle.
by magistermilitum on Feb 13, 2010 1:01 PM PST up reply actions
Inconsistent philosophy on NBC's part.
If NBC truly believes that only prime time sporting events get good ratings then I’m not sure I understand why they don’t tape delay every single sporting event on their channel (something they obviously don’t do).
NBC shows the Kentucky Derby live across the country, but not the Olympic games.
For the record, right now I am watching live horse racing from about 6 different tracks across the country on my satellite…yet I can’t watch the Olympics. You gotta work hard to have your TV coverage outclassed by horse racing. Real hard.
"A bad day at the race track is better than a good day at the office."
by MattGSeattle on Feb 13, 2010 11:43 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
But they are moving things out of prime time....
Your theory works right up to the point that NBC is shifting finals and medal rounds to after 10:30 at night. The premier events are being shown between 11:00 and midnight. I would relish seeing the events in prime time!
That's what makes it even more hypocritical on their part...
They tell us that we “want” prime time coverage (and that, apparently, that’s the only thing that draws ratings) and then they show any events that actually generate medals at 11:30, right before they go off the air.
My fiancee never gets to see the big events since she can’t make it past about 10:30 before she falls asleep. At least we can DVR it…which means we don’t just watch it delayed but about a day late, too.
"A bad day at the race track is better than a good day at the office."
by MattGSeattle on Feb 14, 2010 3:54 PM PST up reply actions
Rec'd your story (others should too)
There are so many reasons to hate NBC and the Olympics… This is just another one. When you broke to me that they were only starting coverage at 9:30 EST (6:30 PST – your local), I gagged.
This is just a joke. This isn’t sports coverage. This is just BS.
9:12. Lights out. Raw Charge.
So unhappy with NBC's coverage already
The worst point last night was when Wayne Gretzky was finally lighting the Olympic Torch outside, and Bob Costas observed that it was now after midnight Eastern time, but “here in the Pacific time zone it’s only 9:15.” Except your West Coast audience was on a three hour tape delay, and I had barely managed to stay awake to see the end of the Opening Ceremony! Fucking idiots.
I reserved the F bomb for emails going directly to (N)othing(B)ut©rap network, but I feel your pain! I am so not watching another second of this crap.
by Robert Barker on Feb 14, 2010 11:42 AM PST up reply actions
The thing I don't get is
you would think that NBC would realize that the West Coast is used to having live programming at 6pm because the East Coast gets it live as well.
Does it seriously make ANY sense to watch any of this on 3-hour delay? How can the other networks have this figured out, while NBC still is acting like this is 1960?
by magistermilitum on Feb 13, 2010 1:04 PM PST reply actions
Time Zones!
Never ceases to amaze me how so may people in the eastern time zone are fascinated but the concept of time zones.
my email to nbc
Please show the Olympics live. I’m already aggravated that I get results prior to your delayed broadcast. You are going to have to come around to the fact that the information will not wait to see it "gift wrapped" for your prime time audiences.
If you want to show it in prime time, fine. At least show it live prior to the rest of us that are the real fan base & want to see it live. This way, your advertisers & your audiences will be content.
Thanks,
Sam
by Sam in Payallup on Feb 13, 2010 1:06 PM PST reply actions
Live coverage
Here is a link to NBC online live coverage. Not sure if its the same as the tv coverage or if its bonus online only coverage, or heaven forbid actual live coverage that any time zone can watch
BRILLIANT
Excellent and well written. Kudos to you, sir.
This is exactly why NBC is tanking – currently at the bottom of the list – in the ratings. Typical uber-leftist, Hugo Chavez-type of mentality – tell US what WE should like, want, etc., and I for one, am sick of it.
Excellent point as well on the live aspect of the internet as it pertains to NBC’s laughable at best, pathetic at worst, excuse as to why they’re not showing any content live on the West Coast.
Bottom line is that this has been a problem for a long time with the East Coast as far as sports and their broadcasting times are concerned. When our primetime is past their bedtime, they whine complain and moan until someone molly-coddles them by giving them what they want and screw the West Coast.
Again, well played sir. Point to you.
by Michael Blankenship on Feb 13, 2010 2:42 PM PST reply actions
I fail to see what political ideology has to do with corporate business decisions.
This is about money and capitalism, not centrally planned economies. It goes to show you how capitalism lets bad ideas die hard.
by magistermilitum on Feb 13, 2010 6:53 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
On the bright side
Has anyone found a website that is posting minute-by-minute schedules of the NBC broadcasts as they are played on the east coast. Then we could look at that schedule and see when each event is actually being shown on NBC, three hours before we see it.
I’ve looked and I haven’t , but it would be an advantage to being on the east coast if we could find one. I’m thinking something that says, for example, at 3:13 to 3:56pm of the 2pm-5pm broadcast, they show actual ski jumping. Something like that.
Let us know if anyone finds something.
Universal Sports is currently showing Lindsey Vonn skiing in France.
Guess NBC is trying to figure out how to salvage their strategy of treating the Olympics as a bunch of featurettes about individual athletes since Vonn couldn’t compete today. Talk about confusing the viewer.
by magistermilitum on Feb 13, 2010 6:57 PM PST reply actions
The most ridiculous part is
that I can’t even log onto NBC’s olympic page without spoiling results that they won’t show me for at least three hours. I had to avoid the Seattle Times, ESPN, and every other website with any sort of sports feed so I could at least watch Ohno’s race without having it spoiled for me.
Then of course I log onto my IRC chatroom that I use to keep connected with old friends from high school/college, and the first thing I see is “I can’t believe Apolo got silver in that race, it was nuts!”
I don’t understand why they can air Sunday Night Football at 8pm EST/5pm PST live in both timezones, but have to postpone these events. It’s just ridiculous.
Thanks NBC. Between this and the Conan debacle, I’ve got little respect left for your network.
I refuse to watch
I live in Washington state. As soon as I realized that the results of the event I was watching were already posted on ESPN, I called it quits. I will not watch another second of (N)othing (B)ut ©rap network coverage. I live in the same timezone as the olympics. I don’t enjoy taped sports. It just isn’t the same. I will follow the results on ESPN, but I refuse to accept this pathetic decision. People need to get together and accelerate the eminent bankruptcy of (N)othing (B)ut ©rap network.
Here is the contact for (N)othing(B)ut(C)rap
still have a comment or question? please see below for possible answers.
Questions about the Olympics?
Email to: nbcolympicsfeedback@nbcuni.com
It is pathetic
I was excited to see the Ohno races and the women’s moguls, but I saw the results go by on ESPN and it took all the excitement out of it so I didn’t watch. Who wants to watch when you know who’s going to win? I can’t watch this live when I’m in the same time zone? Tuning out… Thanks for acknowledging our existence, NBC!
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