Games On: Networks Unveil Broadcast Plans Against Olympics

NBC To Face Reality TV Counterprogramming  From Rival Networks During Vancouver Olympics

The Vancouver Games "fall squarely into the February sweeps period," and networks feel "pressure to air strong counterprogramming" during the 17 nights NBC has the Olympics, according to Gary Levin of USA TODAY. Fox' "American Idol" and ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and "Grey's Anatomy" outdrew NBC's primetime coverage of the '06 Turin Games when going head-to-head, but Horizon Media Senior VP and Corporate Research Dir Brad Adgate predicts Vancouver's proximity to the U.S. means the Olympics are "going to do better this year." However, other observers have said that NBC's "prime-time woes, declining ratings for non-U.S. Olympics and fewer breakout athletes will hurt." Levin notes reality series are "Olympics Teflon" and have "held up best in past years." CBS' "Survivor," "The Amazing Race" and "Undercover Boss," as well as "Idol" and ABC's "The Bachelor," all "will stay on the air" during the Games. Fox will air repeats of several dramas such as "House" and "Bones," and "some Sunday animated series." However, "much of its lineup, including 'Human Target' and '24,' will remain intact." ABC "will pre-empt 'Castle,' its Wednesday family comedies and single episodes of 'Desperate Housewives' and 'Grey's' that face figure skating." CBS' sitcoms and dramas "will take a breather." CBS Primetime Senior Exec VP Kelly Kahl: "Running them against the Olympics doesn't give us the biggest bang for the buck" (USA TODAY, 2/4).

OVERLY AMBITIOUS? SI.com's Richard Deitsch noted NBC is "guaranteeing Madison Avenue an average primetime household rating of 14 for the 16 nights of the Vancouver Games." Deitsch wrote, "That feels overly optimistic, but we shall see." The Vancouver Games lack a "marquee U.S. star as well as no American women likely to be a factor in the Ladies' Figure Skating competition." NBC "ramped up its Vancouver Games ads" with U.S. speedskater Apolo Ohno and skier Lindsey Vonn, but "neither athlete is close to having the kind of pre-Games Q-rating" that U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps had ahead of the Beijing Games. Vancouver also "does not hold the same kind of curiosity as Beijing" (SI.com, 2/1).

NBC's "Today" Will Begin Airing From Vancouver On Tuesday

MORNING GLORY: The AP's David Bauder reported NBC's "Today" starting Tuesday is "transporting itself West for nearly three weeks of broadcasts" from the Vancouver Games, and the show "looms as an ever-more important promotional showcase for NBC's Winter Olympics coverage, given the network's dwindling audience in prime-time and late-night hours." The Olympics are "another showcase for television's most popular morning news show," which will start at 4:00am PT each weekday. That means athletes "who want to show off their medals must travel 20 minutes out of the city and take a tram ride to a mountainside set in the middle of the night." But "Today" Exec Producer Jim Bell said that athletes "will still wake up early for the chance to be seen on national television." U.S. Gold Medalists Picabo Street and Kristi Yamaguchi will serve as "special correspondents during the Olympics, offering commentary and analysis of the action" for "Today." Vancouver marks the seventh Olympics venue from which "Today" will broadcast on location (AP, 2/3). Meanwhile, Universal Sports is offering cable operators a "24/7 'freeview' of its programming" during the Olympics. The net's event coverage "will include 5 hours of live daily news through 5 newly-created studio shows, plus continuous studio news updates every 30min and a live, up-to-date Olympic results ticker" (CABLEFAX DAILY, 2/4).

DOWN TO THE WIRE: The GLOBE & MAIL's Susan Krashinsky noted reports have suggested that Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium "hasn't yet pulled in enough ad revenue to break even on its investment," which sources estimated to be about C$200M including production and marketing costs, compared to the US$820M that NBC paid for U.S. rights to broadcast the Vancouver Games. But CTV officials said that they will "keep selling." CTVglobemedia Inc. President & CEO Ivan Fecan: "If the recession hadn't been there, we'd be talking about how much money we're making, profit, during these Games" (GLOBE & MAIL, 2/2).