The Torino Games may be remembered as a significant turning point for the Olympic movement. At the risk of being overly dramatic, we believe that lessons learned from the last two weeks could — and should — lead to changes at every level, from the IOC and national governing bodies to media partners and sponsors.
First, Dick Ebersol and NBC must find a better way to deal with their time-zone problems. NBC misjudged the willingness of today’s viewers to wait until prime time for their Olympic results, with this year’s lower ratings reflecting viewers’ habits. The presentation of NBC’s prime-time coverage must give way to a more innovative approach. Do we know what that is? No, but live programming must be in the mix.
Ebersol has admitted that by the end of NBC’s deal with the IOC, in 2012, he thinks “we will see a few more things move over and be seen as they happen on the Internet.” That’s a start, but more progressive thinking is needed. The promise for the China Games in two years is great, and that event should be an amazing opportunity for business and on-the-ground marketing. But Ebersol & Co. will have to do more when it comes to the TV viewing experience in the United States, because it’s clear that with an even greater time difference in Beijing than in Turin, the same old approach won’t work.
