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Not worth the wait NBC's tape-delayed coverage falls flat
I don't know about you, but I watch sport largely for the excitement it engenders. For the sense of glorious unpredictability. There's the possibility that at any given moment one might witness something extraordinary, moving, nerve-tingling, amazing, unexpected or even downright loutish and rude. It could also be deadly dull, of course, but you don't know that going in. Of course, the key ingredient to all of this is the LIVE nature of competition. Watching a nil-nil game after discovering the goalless score isn't much fun. Watching a nil-nil game live, never knowing if the deadlock will be broken in spectacular, bizarre or common-or-garden fashion is greatly more enticing. Likewise, watching the Olympic Games entirely off videotape, totally after the fact, is far from a delight to behold.
In Britain, the BBC prides itself on hours of live coverage from the Sydney Olympics -- in spite of the major time difference. In Canada, CBC is also live much of the time -- and the Canadians are even farther behind Sydney time. But here in the United States, NBC holds the rights and isn't showing one second of live coverage. The Peacock's excellent presentation team does its stuff in real time, but is tossing to pre-packaged highlights and personality pieces. During the day on cable network MSNBC, the anchors even throw to complete games shown "as live." On the NBC network itself, ratings are reportedly down 34 percent from the 1996 games in Atlanta and 18 percent down on the 1992 Barcelona games. On cable, things can hardly be much rosier. Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales rather wittily wrote: "NBC should begin each night's telecast of the Summer Olympic Games with the preamble George Lucas put on his Star Wars films: 'A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.'" The 15-hour time difference with the U.S. Eastern Time Zone is large. But to show nothing live is to deny fans like me -- and I suspect many of you -- the chance to indulge in memorable Olympic moments as they happen. How much more thrilling would Pieter Van Den Hoogenband's swimming victory over Ian Thorpe have been if one was oblivious to the result? Or Australia's relay win for the ages against the previously unbeaten American men? Or Russia's fall from grace on the beam and uneven bars in women's gymnastics? Electric excitement as it unfolds. Barely a spark when one has discovered the result here on the Web, on CNN/SI, Headline News or sundry other TV networks. Staying blinkered and avoiding all Olympic news all day is frustrating. Plus, there's no guarantee you'll see the events you want at night anyway.
In return, they have brought in advertising revenue believed to be in the region of 900 million dollars. So they'll undoubtedly say a big hurrah for that. It's hard to imagine the figures skyrocketing by going live at all kinds of odd times. But would it hurt to try? I'd gladly wake up in the wee small hours of the morning to see Marion Jones attempt a golden track and field quintet or Michael Johnson race into 400-meter history with a potentially staggering time? Wouldn't you? Then if the figures were poor in prime time, NBC could at least hold up their hands and say they were giving American sports fans option. Live in the a.m. -- highlights and replays in the p.m. You know, a case of: "The time difference might not be ideal, but hey we're giving it to you all ways -- the rest is up to you." I don't expect Sydney 2000 will provide me with to many goose-bump moments -- unless I can get my own satellite to face Canada for a couple of weeks. Phil Jones is a co-host of "World Sport," the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
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