London 2012 was 'biggest ever US TV event'

[Assasin]

14 August 2012 Last updated at 04:49 ET Share this page

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London 2012 was 'biggest ever US TV event'

NBC said its primetime TV coverage averaged 31.1 million viewers
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NBC's coverage of London 2012 was the "most-watched television event in US history", the TV network has announced.
Citing Nielsen ratings figures, NBC said more than 219 million viewers watched the Games on its networks, compared to the 215 million who tuned in for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
The network broadcast some 5,535 hours of Olympic coverage on TV and online.
But it drew criticism for delaying the broadcast of popular events until primetime hours.
Viewers also complained of problems with online streaming and edited versions of the opening and closing ceremonies.
Sunday's closing ceremony - which was cut down by almost an hour and omitted such acts as Muse and Ray Davies - drew an audience of 31 million people.
Yet NBC enraged some viewers by leaving the ceremony at 23:00 local time to air a new sitcom, Animal Practice, and then half an hour of local news.
At midnight, the network returned to the ceremony to screen the eight-minute finale by The Who.
NBC was previously criticised for cutting a tribute to victims of the 7 July London bombings out of its opening ceremony coverage.
NBC paid $1.18bn (£751.3m) for the exclusive US broadcast rights to the Games.
Meanwhile, the BBC said its coverage of the Olympics was watched by 90% of the UK's population and that 51.9 million people had watched at least 15 minutes of coverage.
BBC One controller Danny Cohen said the Games had been seen by the "largest TV audiences since the pre-digital age".

[Exile]

Track and field still not a major sport in the US....even at the Olympics...I struggled to get ontime events...had to watch on my phone at times....esp. on d road..and roaming nuh cheap........plus Starbucks wireless slowwww....MIA nuh free...MCO...slow...a good ting mi know how fi do certain tings...lol...

[Islandman]

Them pay $1.18bn, them going to maximize them return even of them ******** off some hard core fans.

[Assasin]

A whole heap a money dat. IT nah go change. Some hardcore fan vex but most people enjoy it and when them show it at night them get a bigger audience for most part.

[Historian]

I agree with you

A whole heap a money dat. IT nah go change. Some hardcore fan vex but most people enjoy it and when them show it at night them get a bigger audience for most part.

I completely agree with you, Assasin. While a live broadcast of the track and field events is certainly the preferred way for all track and field fans, the fact is that there would quite naturally be a wider US audience during NBC’s so-called prime time when compared with day-time television broadcast.

My primary problem with NBC is the lateness of their broadcast. They could have shown athletics events at, say, 9:00 p.m. or thereabouts. I’m sure that many people fell asleep long before their 11:00 p.m. show time. (People have to go to work in the mornings.)

But Exile is right about track and field’s popularity in the USA. When critiquing NBC and its track and field emphasis (or lack of it) we should probably do so within the context that track and field is not as popular in the USA as it is in Europe.

[Gamma]

isn't that the critique though?

i much prferred it when it was "spanning the globe to give you a constant variety in sports ..."

[Assasin]

That is true. There is the viewership but what is lacking in track and field is some good meets in key states.

Remember NY use to only have the one a Madison square but since the Adidas at Dowling stadum it has been attracting a lot of fans.

There is no reason why there shouldn't be a major track and field meet in Atlanta. They have the infrastructure, a few track clubs and a few minor meets and some Olympians.