NBC Criticized for Delayed Olympic Coverage
In an age where news spreads like wildfire on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, you would think NBC would make the extra effort to broadcast popular Olympic events live. It is, in fact, 2012.
However, that is not the case. The problem is that with so many journalists and bloggers covering the events live from London via Twitter and other sites, news breaks on the results, before anyone in the United States is able to watch it on television. Even the much-anticipated opening ceremonies were broadcast hours after they occurred, so NBC could air it during “prime time TV.”
The reaction from fans and viewers on Twitter is priceless, with people calling it a huge “#NBCFail.”
Modern Family writer Danny Zuker joked about the delayed broadcast time:
Another sarcastic fan highlighting NBC’s failure to keep up with the times:
Comparing NBC’s coverage of the Olympics to today’s airline industry probably isn’t a good thing:
And the jokes keep on coming:
A valid point from a USA Today writer:
These are just some of the (milder) examples of the outrage going on via Twitter and other blogs and websites. NBC might get the last laugh, however, as the opening ceremonies were said to be the most watched opening ceremonies of an Olympic Games ever. The pervious mark was 39.8 million viewers for Atlanta in 1996, with this year’s numbers coming in at around 40.7 million viewers.
What are your thoughts on NBC’s decision to air major Olympic sporting events on a tape delay? Let us know in the comments below.