NBCUniversal announced today that NBCOlympics.com during the London Games will have live streaming for all 32 sports for the first time ever. The site will stream more than 3,500 total programming hours, including the awarding of all 302 medals. By comparison, NBCOlympics.com during the ’08 Beijing Games streamed 25 sports and 2,200 hours. The network also announced that the site for the first time will provide multiple concurrent streams for select sports, such as gymnastics (each apparatus), track & field (each event) and tennis (up to five courts). NBCOlympics.com relaunched today (NBCUniversal). In N.Y., Richard Sandomir reports in "reversing a previous policy that did not fully embrace live streaming ... there will be a wrinkle to provide a measure of protection for the segment of NBC’s Olympic coverage that is still its most critical: the prime-time broadcast." An important event "like a gold-medal race involving Michael Phelps will be streamed live on nbcolympics.com, but will not be archived on the Web site until sometime after the prime-time show." Other staples of NBC’s primetime coverage -- "including swimming, diving, gymnastics, track and field, and beach volleyball -- will be treated the same way." However, NBC Sports Digital VP & GM Rick Cordella said, "The vast majority of events will be archived immediately." Sandomir notes NBC Sports under former owner GE "did not stream live events that would be featured in prime time, lest they diminish ratings." During the '10 Vancouver Games, only hockey and curling "were streamed live in order to protect prime time." None of the sports streamed live during the Beijing Games "were important to the evening broadcast, which is usually at least four hours long" (NYTIMES.com, 4/17). USOC CMO Lisa Baird said of NBC's streaming efforts, “It’s going to change everything. Thirty-five hundred live hours of competition, events, stories are going to be coming to Americans. ... They want to tap into the Olympic Games where they are” (“Squawk on the Street,” CNBC, 4/18).
AD DOLLARS: DAILY VARIETY's Michael Ventre reported NBCU is "saying publicly that it already has sold" as much as $900M in advertising around London Games, "much of that to Olympic partners that need to buy media to activate their significant investments." Graham Stanley Advertising President & CEO Larry Woodard said that the net "needs to book a bit more" than $200M to "break even on what it paid for the rights." However, Woodard "isn't as certain of all ad inventory being sold, considering the network is packaging traditional TV spots with digital bundles, and selling them together." He said, "With all of the inventory they will have including streaming digital ... it is highly unlikely they will sell out even when they begin shortly to concentrate on selling ads in the scatter market." Ventre noted spots for the '08 Games went for an average of $750,000, but it is "harder to put a pricetag on a package that includes streaming." Moreover, ratings "guarantees, or 'make-goods,' which traditionally depend on things like the daypart and sport being broadcast, will be further complicated by how the value of the online component is factored in" (DAILY VARIETY, 4/14).
ONE-MAN SHOW: In Baltimore, Jean Marbella notes it is "hard to overstate Phelps' importance" to the sport of swimming, the Olympics and even NBC's ratings. Viewership in '08 "jumped every night that he swam and dropped when he didn't." Media Valuations Partners Founder & Principal Larry Gerbrandt said that he "expects viewers to tune in again for the sequel." Gerbrandt: "The Olympics thrive on storytelling. We haven't had too many other athletes in recent years where you could link them back to a previous Olympics. When you have a back story like Phelps', and they can build it up -- 'Can he do it again?' -- this is grist for the mill. This is what Olympic broadcasters do best." Marbella notes NBC for the first time "will cover every night of the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Neb., that begin June 25." NBC swimming analyst Rowdy Gaines: "We only cover the ones Michael's swimming in. Of course, everyone else receives the benefits of that, but my point is ... it's because of Michael, pure and simple. He's grown the sport" (Baltimore SUN, 4/18). In Ft. Worth, Gil Lebreton notes for the second time "in as many Summer Games, U.S. athletes are not predicted to lead the overall medal count." He asks, "Will the American TV audience tune in to watch what could be the U.S. team's smallest medal haul since 1964 in Tokyo?" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 4/18).
NEW CONTENT PROVIDER FOR MSN: FoxSports.com has become the exclusive provider of Olympics content to MSN.com. Previously, NBCSports.com had been the exclusive provider. That relationship officially begins today, as FoxSports.com launches a site devoted to the London Games. The site plans to send writers, producers, and reporters to London this summer, including Jason Whitlock and Mark Kriegel. It also has hired former Olympians to provide content, including Maurice Green (track & field), Amy Van Dyken (swimming), Dominique Dawes (gymnastics) and Christian Laettner (basketball) (John Ourand, THE DAILY).
