NBC will broadcast all of its programming during the '18 PyeongChang Games live in every time zone, eschewing the much-criticized practice of holding back primetime coverage in the western time zones. Like changes recently announced by “SNL,” the 8:00pm ET primetime Olympics show will air at 5:00pm PT, 6:00pm MT and 7:00pm CT, marking only the second time in recent history (Atlanta '96) the Olympics have been shown this way. NBC Olympics President of Production & Programming Jim Bell acknowledged the change was in response to social media. Bell: "Social media won’t be ahead of the action in any time zone, and as a result, none of our viewers will have to wait for anything. This is exciting news for the audience, the advertisers, and our affiliates alike." However, NBC is not promising that coverage will never be tape-delayed. Events shown within the primetime show may include taped footage. But with South Korea in a favorable time zone, execs expect those situations to be limited. Most of the key sports will run during the Korean morning, which aligns with primetime on the U.S. East Coast. Meanwhile, NBC has replaced its late-night Olympics show with a new program called “Primetime Plus,” which will follow the primetime show in all time zones (Ben Fischer, Staff Writer).
BREAK IT DOWN: In L.A., Stephen Battaglio writes NBC's move is an "acknowledgment that holding back results or highlights for any part of the audience is no longer a viable option." The plan is also "aimed at staving off any further erosion of ratings for the Olympics." Bell said that by being fully live, NBC’s primetime coverage will be "almost entirely made up of competitive action." The move "should quell critics ... who have complained that the network carries too many previously taped athlete profiles during the most-watched hours of Olympics programming." Making coverage live across all time zones has been "taking hold in other areas of the industry," including NBC's plans to put the last four episodes of this season’s "SNL" live across the country. Major '18 PyeongChang events, such as alpine skiing, figure skating and snowboarding, will be "scheduled in the morning," putting them in primetime for the East Coast. Bell said that NBC is likely to "go live coast to coast" for the '20 Tokyo Games and the '22 Beijing Games as well (L.A. TIMES, 3/29). BROADCASTING & CABLE's Jon Lafayette wrote NBC is "bowing to the realities of a digital world that doesn’t wait for primetime" (BROADCASTINGCABLE.com, 3/28).
