Category Archives: Olympics

Costas keeps vow: Honors slain Israeli athletes

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Bob Costas did live up to his pledge to honor the Munich 11 during Friday’s night’s Opening Ceremonies. And given NBC’s relationship with the IOC, he walked a fine line by not hammering the committee for their refusal to have moment of silence for the slain Israeli athletes.

Here is what Costas said as the Israeli delegation walked in:

The Israeli athletes now enter behind their flag-bearer Shahar Zubari. These games mark the 40th anniversary of the 1972 tragedy in Munich, when 11 Israeli coaches and athletes were murdered by Palestinian terrorists. There have been calls from a number of quarters for the IOC to acknowledge that, with a moment of silence at some point in tonight’s ceremony.

The IOC denied that request, noting it had honored the victims on other occasions. And, in fact, this week (IOC President) Jacques Rogge led a moment of silence before about 100 people in the Athlete’s Village. Still, for many, tonight, with the world watching, is the true time and place to remember those who were lost, and how and why they died.

Then there was about 6 seconds of silence before Costas went to commercial.

It was exactly what I expected. Some people might have wanted a longer moment of silence, but Costas made his point.

 

 

Fire up the remote: Your Olympics TV guide

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For those of you who watch sports the old-fashioned way on a television, here’s how the schedule breaks down for NBC and its networks.

NBC

NBC will broadcast 272.5 hours of coverage.

NBC will again be divided into three day parts: daytime, primetime and late night. NBC’s primetime program, featuring the marquee events such as swimming, gymnastics, track and field and beach volleyball, will air 8-11:30 p.m. (ET) on most nights.

Daytime coverage has increased significantly for London. Coverage will begin on most weekdays at 10 a.m., immediately following Today, which is originating from London. On weekends, NBC’s daytime coverage will begin as early as 5 a.m. A one-hour late-night show will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the primetime program.

NBC Sports Network

NBC Sports Network will serve as the home to U.S. team sports, with 292.5 hours of total coverage from 2012 London Olympics this summer, including 257.5 hours of original programming – an average of more than 14 hours per day – the most-ever for an Olympic cable network.

On most days, coverage will air from 4 a.m.–8 p.m., which covers the live Olympic day in London.

NBC Sports Network coverage, originating from Olympic Park in London, will air up to 20 medal rounds and 22 Olympic sports, including Team USA basketball, women’s soccer and field hockey.

MSNBC

MSNBC will carry 155.5 hours of a wide variety of long-form Olympic programming over 19 days. The channel will air up to 18 medal rounds and 20 Olympic sports, from badminton to basketball to soccer to wrestling.

On most weekdays, coverage will air from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.. There will be longer programming windows on Saturdays and Sundays.

CNBC

CNBC will serve as the home of Olympic boxing this summer, including the debut of women’s boxing. The channel will televise 73 hours of boxing coverage over 16 days — every day from July 28-August 12 — from elimination bouts to the men’s and women’s finals. Same-day coverage will air from 5-8 p.m. during the week, with six hours of live coverage airing each day on the weekends. This marks the fourth consecutive Summer Games that CNBC has featured Olympic boxing.

Bravo

Bravo will act as the home of Olympic tennis this summer. The channel will televise 56 hours of long-form tennis coverage over seven days, from July 28-August 3. Live coverage will air from early morning until mid-afternoon on most days.

 

 

 

$1 billion doesn’t go as far as it used to; Why NBC still bullish on Olympics despite losing money

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NBC announced this week that it has sold $1 billion of national television and digital advertising for its coverage of the London Olympic Games. That’s the most ever for an Olympic Games and approximately $150 million more than the total for NBC’s coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

But here’s the bad news: NBC spent nearly $1.2 million for the rights to the games and will incur another $100 million in production costs.

Now it’s hard to believe that you could generate $1 billion worth of advertising and still lose money, but I’m guessing network executives felt that way in the 50s when the figure was $1 million.

It’s all relative.

NBC, though, believes it actually has reason to be bullish on its latest Olympic investment. After London, the network will shell out $4.38 billion for the 2014 Winter, 2016 Summer, 2018 Winter and 2020 Summer Games.

Technically, the fees per Olympics stays relatively flat. However, the two Winter Olympics are in Sochi, Russia and South Korea. It remains to be seen if those games will produce $1 billion-plus in revenue.

Steve Burke, the CEO for NBC Universal, thinks the company made a good deal.

“We thought getting four games rather than two was a big, big deal,” Burke said.  “We wanted to make sure that we got the games at a price that would not cause this company every two years to lose a lot of money.  And we believe we’ve done that. The way to think about the four future games is, we get those at the same price that we get London, adjusted for the fact that some are winter and some are summer. Basically, unlike other sports where there are very, very large increases in rights fees when they get renewed, we got a chance to get four more games at roughly the same price.

“So over time, as these properties become more and more valuable in a world that is increasingly fragmented, and over time as you get some media inflation, some other things, we think we’re going to make money on these games.”

It goes beyond money for NBC. Clearly, the Olympics are part of the fabric for everyone associated with the network.

Burke talked of his anxiety during the bid process that he endured in 2011 in Switzerland. He had just come on board after Comcast purchased NBC.

“We knew that it would be a binary moment,” he said. “We would either come home with the Games, or we would come home without the Games, and as the new sort of people showing up in this building, it would have been an awful thing to come home without the Games.”

Burke and NBC wound up with four more Games. It’s a big, big deal in more ways than one.

As Burke says, “They’re very, very much tied up with the brand of NBC, the way that the, this company operates, the soul of the company, the culture of the company.”

And it all begins tonight with 17 straight days of the Olympics.

 

 

 

‘Astonishing and memorable moment’ promised for Opening Ceremony

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Yes, yes, we love surprises.

Jim Bell, NBC’s executive producer for the Olympics, is promising a big moment during tomorrow night’s opening ceremonies in London.

Bell said, “One moment I think will be among the more astonishing and memorable in Opening Ceremony history, one that people will be talking about for years to come.”

Of course, the all-time Opening Ceremony surprise occurred when Muhammad Ali appeared from nowhere to light the flame in Atlanta in 1996.

What will be Friday’s surprise? Queen Elizabeth, at age 86, vaulting up the stairs with the torch in hand?

Actually, the drama of the big moment could get ruined for a lot of people in the U.S. The Opening Ceremony will be aired on tape on NBC. With a five-hour time difference to the East Coast, there’s a good chance the surprise will get out.

 

 

 

NBC producer coy about Costas moment of silence for Israeli athletes

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From listening to Jim Bell, NBC’s executive producer for the Olympics, I’d say Bob Costas definitely will speak out against the IOC’s refusal to have a moment of silence for the Munich 11 during NBC’s telecast of  opening ceremonies Friday.

But it remains to be seen whether Costas will go through with his vow to have a moment of silence to honor the athletes.

When pressed about the issue during a conference call Thursday, Bell said, “You’ll have to watch the coverage.”

Bell spoke of the coverage regarding the controversial issue being “measured and balanced,” and that it would be handled “respectfully.”

“If anybody knows how to handle that situation, to have the right tone, it would be Bob and (Matt Lauer),” Bell said.

Bell also stressed that even though NBC has a multi-billion dollar relationship with the IOC, it won’t shy away from criticizing the organization.

“We have a good relationship with the IOC,” Bell said. “But we will cover the Olympics as we want to cover them.”

 

 

 

What live means on NBCOlympics.com: No announcers at times; Gold Zone

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The operative word for the Olympics will be live. Or as executive producer Jim Bell says, “Lots of live.”

For the first time ever, every minute of every event at London will be available live at NBCOlympics.com. If you want equestrian at 4 a.m., you’ve got it.

Gone are the days when former NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol resisting live online coverage of premier Olympic events, fearing it would hurt ratings for the daily prime-time telecasts.

His successor, Mark Lazarus, contends with the advances in technology and with the way people consume information, live for 2012 was the only way to go. Unlike the Beijing Olympics in 2008, where NBC was able to show some live events such as swimming in prime-time, that won’t be the case for London.

“The decision was made because we think that as times have changed there is a sense to satisfy all the people [using digital devices],” Lazarus said. “The avid fan has that need of immediacy. We are going to satisfy that request.”

As a result, more than 3,500 hours of Olympics will be streaming to computers and mobile devices throughout the world. If you’re registered, you can watch Honduras-Morocco now in men’s soccer.

I mean, does it get better than Honduras-Morocco over breakfast?

What does it all mean? Here is some important things do know:

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Gary Zenkel, NBC’s president for the Olympics, said at peak times the network will offer as many as 40 concurrent sports via live streaming. Think about that: 40.

“That means if there are four simultaneous tennis matches at the All England Club, they will be available,” Zenkel said.

However, if you’re watching 40 events at one time, probably time reassess your life.

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If it sounds too daunting to navigate through 40 events, you will have some guidance. NBCOlympics.com will have its version of the NFL’s Red Zone. Gold Zone will take viewers to marquee action, such as event finals or overtime action in games as well as headline events.

However, Gold Zone will be without an anchor. If it was me, I would have tabbed my hero, Red Zone anchor Scott Hanson.

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Live streaming doesn’t mean you will be hearing NBC’s Dan Hicks if you tune into swimming. Lazarus said world feed announcers will be used in some cases, and for other events, there might only be graphics without any play-by-play and commentary.

So there’s a good chance you only will see horses jumping around if you tune into equestrian at 4 a.m.

NBC still is saving its best production for the prime-time audience. Lazarus believes the vast majority of live-stream viewers still will want tune in later to hear the analysis from NBC’s announcing teams. If anything, he said, the prime-time telecasts should receive a boost from people using social media to build excitement for an event.

“When we ask people, ‘When are you available to watch an event?’ The answer is after dinner,” Lazarus said. “This has been a successful formula. We shouldn’t change what’s been successful.”

Yes, some of the Ebersol model lives on.

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Viewers who want to access the live coverage at NBCOlympics.com will have to verify that they are either cable, satellite or Telco subscribers. Zenkel estimates nearly 90% of country will be eligible for the live streaming.

Also, registration is easy, and it’s a good idea to do it in advance. And one key point: Be sure to know your sign-in information for your provider.

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You won’t be able to live streaming for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. NBC is saving both for exclusive primetime coverage.

Again, the Ebersol model lives.

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During an NBC news conference in New York last month, Zenkel pulled out an iPad, calling it and smartphones game-changers in Olympic consumption. Zenkel said NBCOlympics.com produced 52 million unique users during the Beijing Olympics. Thanks to the instant access from new technology, that number could be a speed bump in 2012.

Zenkel wouldn’t make a prediction, but he said, “The potential traffic is staggeringly high.”

NBC has various apps for mobile devices. Check out NBCOlympics.com for more information.

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Will NBCOlympics.com be able to handle that kind of traffic and show 40 events at one time without any glitches? We’ll find out soon enough.

 

 

 

 

Jewish Federations official: Bob Costas, NBC should ‘do right thing’ on honoring Munich 11

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The Jewish Federations of North America expect Bob Costas to honor his pledge to observe a moment of silence for the Munich 11 during the opening ceremonies at the Olympics.

“We encourage (Costas) and NBC to do the right thing,” said William Daroff of the Jewish Federation.

Daroff spoke on a Jewish Federations conference call this morning. It included several members of Congress and Anke Spitzer, widow of slain Israeli coach Andre Spitzer. They are working to have an official moment of silence for the slain athletes included during the ceremonies.

Costas and NBC were lauded several times on the call for Costas’ strong stance on the issue. Costas is outraged at the International Olympic Committee’s refusal to observe the 40th anniversary of the tragic event.

However, I pointed out to officials Costas’ plan regarding the opening ceremonies isn’t a done deal as far as NBC is concerned.

In an earlier post this morning, the network said: "Our production plans for the Opening Ceremony are still being finalized and Bob is part of that planning."

Daroff responded: "We support those who are calling on the IOC to do the right thing. Bob Costas has said he is baffled by the decision not to have a moment of silence. He is quoted as saying when the cameras show the Israeli team walk in during the opening ceremonies, he will lead a personal minute of silence.

"We're grateful to him for that desire. We know Bob Costas is a man of conscious. He is a man as good as his word. He has to work through with whatever issues he has with his employer, but we encourage him to follow through, and we encourage NBC to do the right thing."

Daroff noted the Jewish Federations wrote to NBC last month to request the network to "engage in these sort of efforts." Daroff said he never received a reply from NBC.

I asked Daroff how he would feel if NBC, not wanting to alienate the IOC, told Costas not to follow through with his pledge?

Daroff said: "Bob Costas' announcement has been a game-changer. It already changed the focus. It brought added attention to this. We encourage him and NBC to do the right thing."

 

 

 

 

 

 

NBC-Twitter engage in unprecedented deal for Olympics

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These are going to be the social media Olympics.

From NBC:

NBC Olympics, a division of the NBC Sports Group, and Twitter will partner during the London 2012 Olympic Games to drive viewership and interest. The partnership includes:

Launching the first-ever Olympics event page in the U.S. at Twitter.com/#Olympics;

Aggregating content on the #Olympics event page from Olympians, @NBCOlympics, @Olympics, @USOlympic and the best of the London Olympic conversation;

Promoting the event page with on air graphics across the networks of NBCUniversal that are airing Olympic programming, including in primetime on NBC, as well as additional on-air promotion and content integration;

And reprising the NBC Olympic Twitter Tracker, a visually compelling real time heat map depicting the minute-by-minute movements of the Olympic conversation on Twitter

The Olympics event page will be Twitter’s home for Olympic news and information in the United States. The page will aggregate the Olympic conversation with the most engaging and relevant Tweets about the Games from athletes, coaches, teams, families, media, fans, and Olympic insiders, including NBC Olympics commentators. Representatives from Twitter will be on-site in London to work side-by-side with NBC Olympics on producing and updating the page to showcase the best stories on Twitter. The page will be co-branded by NBC Olympics, the International Olympic Committee, and the U.S. Olympic Committee.

“With the eyes of the world focused on London, there is no doubt that the conversation on Twitter will rage around the competition, the athletes and the incredible stories from the Games,” said Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics. “This partnership with Twitter will enable NBC Olympics to make an enormous contribution to this conversation, bringing to the swarm of attention surrounding the London Games our expertise, depth of content from our years of preparation, and the unique access to the Games only NBC Olympics has in London.”

To help promote the Olympics event page, NBC Olympics will include #Olympics in certain on-air graphics, and will promote the page in other ways on air throughout the Games across the networks of NBCUniversal that are airing the Olympics, including within primetime on NBC. In addition to promoting the Twitter.com/#Olympics web address, U.S. Twitter users will be directed to the event page when they click on the hashtag #Olympics or search for “Olympics” on Twitter. The page will also be available in the U.S., for non-users via promotions on Twitter.com, and is available on mobile devices.

“Twitter has become the roar of the crowd during live sporting events. Partnering with NBC Olympics to create Twitter.com/#Olympics allows us to now shine a spotlight on the best moments within the shared experience of the Olympics and to tell the stories that capture the world’s attention,” said Chloe Sladden, Vice President of Media, Twitter. “Our unparalleled joint orchestration across NBC Olympics’ presentation of the Games on-air, online, on mobile, and on tablet will bring fans closer to every moment of the Olympics.”

NBC Olympics and Twitter have also reprised the NBC Olympics Twitter Tracker presented by General Electric (GE) on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Olympics mobile and tablet app. This real-time heat map will track the Olympic conversation swarming around the Games, each sport, the athletes and the hot topics swirling around London. It will include the Olympics “Tweet Sheet,” a constant feed of athlete conversation prior to and during the Games. Olympic Top Sponsor and NBC Olympics advertiser GE will be the presenting sponsor of the NBC Olympics Twitter Tracker on NBCOlympics.com bringing to the conversation its insight on human and athlete health at #healthyshare.

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The once every four years return of Elfi Schlegel; NBC announces lineup for Olympics

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Consider this: With the exception of the guys on NFL games, there are few TV sports analysts who receive more exposure than Elfi Schlegel during her once every four-years, two-week visit to our family rooms.

Women’s gymnastics dominates NBC’s prime time coverage during the Olympics, attracting ratings only surpassed by the NFL. That means once every Summer Olympics, millions of viewers, as in 25-30 million per night, will tune in to Elfi Schlegel.

I just find that amusing. Eat your heart out Dick Vitale, Tim McCarver, Ed Olcyzk, Jeff Van Gundy, etc.

Besides Schlegel, here’s your lineup of who is going to cover what in London. I will tune into water polo simply because Mike Emrick is going to be on the call. He’s capable of doing sports where the ice has melted.

SPORT-BY-SPORT RUNDOWN:

GYMNASTICS/TRAMPOLINE:

Al Trautwig, Play-by-play

Elfi Schlegel, Analyst

Tim Daggett, Analyst

Andrea Joyce, Reporter

RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS:

Andrea Joyce, Play-by-play

Elfi Schlegel, Analyst

TRACK & FIELD:

Tom Hammond, Play-by-play

Ato Boldon, Analyst

Dwight Stones, Analyst

Craig Masback, Analyst

Tim Hutchings, Analyst

Lewis Johnson, Reporter

RACE WALKING:

Randy Moss, Play-by-play

Chris Maddocks, Analyst

SWIMMING:

Dan Hicks, Play-by-play

Rowdy Gaines, Analyst

Andera Kremer, Reporter

OPEN WATER SWIMMING:

Steve Schlanger, Play-by-play

Rowdy Gaines, Analyst

DIVING:

Ted Robinson, Play-by-play

Cynthia Potter, Analyst

Alex Flanagan, Reporter

BEACH VOLLEYBALL:

Chris Marlowe, Play-by-play

Kevin Wong, Analyst

Heather Cox, Reporter

INDOOR VOLLEYBALL:

Paul Sunderland, Play-by-play

Kevin Barnett, Analyst

CYCLING (Road):

Steve Schlanger, Play-by-play

Paul Sherwen, Analyst

Todd Harris, Reporter

CYCLING (Track)

Todd Harris, Play-by-play

Paul Sherwen, Analyst

CYCLING (BMX/Mountain Bike)

Todd Harris, Play-by-play

Jamie Bestwick, Analyst

TRIATHLON:

Steve Schlanger, Play-by-play

Julie Swail, Analyst

BASKETBALL:

Bob Fitzgerald, Play-by-play (London)

Chris Carrino, Play-by-play

Dave Strader, Play-by-play

Doug Collins, Analyst (London)

Ann Meyers, Analyst (London)

Tim Capstraw, Analyst

Donny Marshall, Analyst

Lisa Leslie, Analyst

Carolyn Peck, Analyst

Craig Sager, Reporter (London)

Doc Rivers, Studio Analyst (London)

ROWING:

Terry Gannon, Play-by-play

Yaz Farooq, Analyst

CANOEING (Flat Water):

Terry Gannon, Play-by-play

Eric Giddens, Analyst

CANOEING (White Water):

Randy Moss, Play-by-play

Eric Giddens, Analyst

SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING:

Randy Moss, Play-by-play

Heather Olson, Analyst

WRESTLING:

 

 

Jason Knapp, Play-by-play

Rulon Gardner, Analyst

WATER POLO:

Mike Emrick, Play-by-play

Wolf Wigo, Analyst

Julie Swail, Analyst

 

BOXING:

Bob Papa, Play-by-play

Teddy Atlas, Analyst

Russ Thaler, Reporter

MODERN PENTATHLON:

Eli Bremer, Analyst

WEIGHTLIFTING:

Jim Watson, Play-by-play

Shane Hamman, Analyst

EQUESTRIAN:

Tim Ryan, Play-by-play

Melanie Smith-Taylor, Analyst

SOCCER:

Arlo White, Play-by-play (London)

JP Dellacamera, Play-by-play

Glenn Davis, Play-by-play

Steve Cangialosi, Play-by-play

Allen Hopkins, Play-by-play and Analyst

Kyle Martino, Analyst (London)

Marcelo Balboa, Analyst

Shep Messing, Analyst

Cobi Jones, Analyst

Brandi Chastain, Analyst (London)

Kate Markgraf, Analyst

Cat Whitehill, Analyst

Angela Hucles, Analyst

Drea Avent, Reporter (London)

TENNIS:

Brett Haber, Play-by-play

Andrew Catalon, Play-by-play

Ted Robinson, Play-by-play (Men’s Final)

Justin Gimbelstob, Analyst

Rennae Stubbs, Analyst

John McEnroe, Analyst (Men’s Final)

Jon Wertheim, Reporter

HANDBALL:

Mike Gorman, Play-by-play

Dawn Lewis, Analyst

TABLE TENNIS:

Ari Wolfe, Play-by-play

Sean O’Neill, Analyst

BADMINTON:

Jim Kozimor, Play-by-play

Steve Kearney, Analyst

FENCING:

Craig Hummer, Play-by-play

Jeff Bukantz, Analyst

 

ARCHERY:

Craig Hummer, Play-by-play

Jason Knapp, Play-by-play

Rick McKinney, Analyst

SHOOTING:

Craig Hummer, Play-by-play

Jason Knapp, Play-by-play

Shari LeGate, Analyst

FIELD HOCKEY:

Mike Corey, Play-by-play

Missy Meharg, Analyst

JUDO:

Craig Hummer, Play-by-play

Leo White, Analyst

NBC announces trillions of hours of Olympics coverage

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OK, maybe not trillions, but the actual number will feel that way.

NBC announced the following today:

NBCUniversal will provide 5,535 hours of coverage for the 2012 London Olympics across NBC, NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, Telemundo, NBCOlympics.com, two specialty channels, and the first-ever 3D platform, an unprecedented level that surpasses the coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics by nearly 2,000 hours. It was also announced today that NBC will broadcast 272.5 hours of coverage, the most ever for an Olympic broadcast network, largely attributable to an increase in daytime coverage.

That’s 5,535 hours, or roughly the equivalent of 231 days of Olympics coverage. I’d love to see somebody do a reality show on people trying to watch every hour on the various outlets. Now that would be good TV.

Here are other fun facts from the release.

The 5,535 hours of Olympic coverage are the most ever and surpass Beijing’s coverage (3,600 hours) by nearly 2,000 hours.

NBC will broadcast 272.5 hours of London Olympic coverage over 17 days, the most extensive coverage ever provided by an Olympic broadcast network, and nearly 50 hours more than the 225 hours for Beijing in 2008.

The 5,535 hours more than double the total amount of coverage of every Summer Games combined prior to Beijing (2,562 hours from 1960 Rome on CBS to 2004 Athens on NBC).

NBCUniversal will average 291 hours of coverage per day over London’s 19 days (including two days of soccer competition prior to the Opening Ceremony).

The chairman weighs in:

“We are only able to provide this level of coverage to U.S. viewers because of the unmatched array of NBCUniversal assets,” said Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Sports Group. “Whether on television or online, on broadcast or cable, in English or in Spanish, NBCUniversal has the London Olympics covered, providing the American viewer with more choices than ever to watch the Games.”

My translation: Our butts are on the line here, so you better watch.