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NBC’s 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics: viewers’ frequently asked questions

NBC’s 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics: viewers’ frequently asked questions

The 18-night TV binge known as the Winter Olympics starts Feb. 6, for the first time launching one night ahead of the Opening Ceremonies. It’s starting early because there’s much to cover and, really, because NBC can.

The prime-time view of these Games will be tape-delayed, unlike, say, the Vancouver Games that lined up well for live TV in the Mountain Time Zone. Still, there will be plenty to live stream in real time across laptops, tablets and phones.

Strap into the vicarious luge that is the couch and enjoy.

Sochi XXII Olympics FAQs:

Q.What will air live?

A. When it’s noon in Denver, it’s 11 p.m. in Sochi. What you see in prime time will have been taped earlier, but online access is greater than ever. Expect more than 1,500 hours of coverage across six NBCUniversal platforms (NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network and NBC Olympics.com) and more than 1,000 hours of live streaming coverage — “more than Vancouver and Torino combined.”

Q.What’s new?

A. A record 98 events are scheduled, including a dozen new sports events aiming for younger demographics. New technology includes a camera that flies into the 22-foot high half-pipe with athletes. “You’re going to see more specialty cameras than ever before,” said executive producer Jim Bell. “And many of them really single out some of these action sports like the snowboarding, like the aerial skiing and the moguls.”

Q.How do I watch live events on my various devices?

A. First, “verify” your subscription to a cable/satellite provider. For that you’ll need your username and password. (Watch Ryan Seacrest explain: nbcolympics.com/liveextra/help.) You can download the NBC Sports Live Extra app to cellphones or tablets.

Q.How much did Comcast-NBCUniversal pay for the exclusive rights to broadcast/stream the Olympics from 2014 through 2020?

A. A cool $4.38 billion. For the 2014 Winter Games alone they paid $775 million. Past ratings suggest it’s worth it. Cumulatively, more than 217 million Americans watched the London Olympics across the NBC Universal networks, the most-watched event in U.S. television history. NBC expects to earn $1 billion in ad dollars from the Sochi games.

Q.How worrisome is security, given the terrorist threats that shadow the Games?

A. NBC officials claim they’re “confident” their 900-some employees are safe. Gary Zenkel, president of Olympics operations and strategies for NBC, said, “We have never seen the type of security that we are now seeing in Russia at any prior Olympic Games in terms of the credentialing, surveillance, and amount of resources that have been committed to this area.” NBC employees are required to have escorts (ie. bodyguards) outside the Village and have been warned not to wear clothes identifiable as American.

Q.Will NBC’s ratings suffer without the presence of Lindsay Vonn in Sochi?

A. Vonn will be present on the air, as a “correspondent” for “Today” and NBC Sports. Her absence from competition will hurt, but the network will make do with Vonn’s comments via satellite from the U.S.

Of course NBC is on the lookout for telegenic personalities who could become ratings drivers as the games proceed. Executive producer Jim Bell said the coverage plan is fluid enough to accommodate a rising star: “Maybe a sport or an athlete suddenly becomes hot…we’ll react to it.”

Q.How much attention will NBC pay to Russia’s anti-gay laws and the surrounding protests?

A. The network’s news division has been reporting on the gay rights issue in Russia and will be present when the games begin. If gay athletes unfurl a rainbow flag, Bell has said he will cover it. Encouragingly, NBC hired The New Yorker editor David Remnick, who has reported extensively from Russia, as an analyst. He’ll offer context beyond the scope of athletics.

Q.Who will be there for 9News?

A. The local contingent is Cheryl Preheim as anchor; Anastasiya Bolton (who was born and raised in Moscow and now holds dual U.S./Russian citizenship) as a reporter; Matt Renoux, mountain newsroom correspondent who covers alpine, Nordic and snow sports training in Colorado and Utah, and Tim Dietz, VP-interactive services, handling all technical and logistical matters, now working his eighth Olympics.

Q.How much locally produced coverage is planned?

A. KUSA News Director Patti Dennis expects live reports from Sochi in all newscasts, 14 newscasts per weekday, plus Drew Soicher’s “Ozone” show at 6:30 p.m. each night. Past ratings have demonstrated an enormous appetite for Olympics coverage in the region, where many Olympic hopefuls train.

Joanne Ostrow:

 

Mile High Mamas
Author: Mile High Mamas

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1 Comment

  1. The only thing that aired live in 2010 was the hockey! (and that took pressure on NBC) Everything else was on tape delay.

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