NBC Hopes To Strike Gold With Multi-Platform Olympics Coverage

While estimates differ for what NBC will earn ratings-wise for its coverage of the Beijing Games, most industry sources "don't think it will be worse than the 15.0 [HH] rating" for the '04 Athens Games, according to Paul Gough of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. However, it would be "nearly impossible to surpass the 21.6 primetime [HH] rating from Atlanta" in '96. NBC has "declined to give its ratings expectations for Beijing, though it's believed that they are guaranteeing advertisers about the same 18-49 numbers as Athens" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 8/8). In Houston, David Barron reports NBC has not issued public ratings projections, but officials with other nets "have speculated that the number could be from the mid-12s to the mid-13s" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 8/8).

U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team Stops By NBC's "Today" Set In Run Up To Games

BEHIND THE COVERAGE: NBC Sports & Olympics Exec VP & Exec Producer David Neal said that "one signature moment ... will come when the U.S. basketball team plays China" with China President Hu Jintao and President Bush in attendance. Neal: "You will have ... one of the iconic sports figures in this country, [C] Yao Ming, playing against a U.S. team filled with instantly recognizable stars, and the two heads of state." Neal added of the air quality in Beijing, "We will not shy away from the environment. We will explain that you're seeing an inversion layer mixed with particulate matter, etc., etc. We will explain it, and if athletes' performances are affected, we would detail it." Neal said that NBC will "eschew longer features in favor of 30- and 40-second bites during lag times, such as when swimmers are walking to the starting blocks." He added that the net "will use a constant series of graphics at the bottom of the screen but will not use data in the side panels of the 16-by-9 aspect ratio screen ... because he wants to preserve the full widescreen HD experience" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 8/8).

Many Wondering How NBC Will Cover Issues Surrounding The Beijing Olympics

HIGH & DRY: In St. Louis, Dan Caesar reports while Charter Communications will show NBC's coverage in HD throughout the market, it will provide "only standard feeds of sister networks USA, MSNBC, CNBC and Oxygen." NBC Universal Dir of Media Relations Nora Grudman said that MSNBC and Oxygen are "not offered in HD." Caesar notes Charter "has chosen not to upgrade its system to provide USA and CNBC in" HD (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 8/8)....Dish Network has reached a deal with NBC to add two HD specialty channels to its HD lineup solely dedicated to the Games. The NBC Olympic Soccer Channel and NBC Olympic Basketball Channel will offer 24-hour HD coverage of the respective sport. Dish also is offering VOD titles produced by NBC Olympics. In total, Dish will offer more than 800 hours of NBC's HD Beijing Games content (Dish Network).

UTILIZING NEW MEDIA: Nielsen Mobile reported nearly 45% of U.S. and 31% of U.K. mobile video users will be part of the mobile audience for the Beijing Games, with track & field and gymnastics both ranking among the most popular Olympic events mobile users watch. Meanwhile, 23% of U.S. and 17% of U.K. mobile Internet users will be tracking the Games through their phone browsers, with event results and medal counts the most desired pieces of information (Nielsen). CNBC.com's Julia Boorstin wrote the Olympics are an "unprecedented experiment with online content distribution, bound to transform the way media companies distribute their content." Boorstin: "If viewership on the web is huge, and if it doesn't cannibalize broadcast ratings I think the entire media industry will take note. That would prove that it simply generates more revenue to [pursue] aggressive online distribution" (CNBC.com, 8/7).

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