Watching Olympics in US

SL10

Hi All

I have just moved to the states and am trying to find the olympics online or on tv. Anyone know what channels are showing the games or know a link that works in the US? I'm mainly looking to see the gymnastics

Thanks

Black Swan

NBC is free and showing the Olympics.

InTheTrees

NBC is the network with the rights to show the olympics.

YOu need to be a cable subscriber to get the full benefit though, (the (free) evening coverage is crap) and then you'll have NBC, msnbc, cnbc, nbcsports, bravo and there's also an Olympic soccer channel and a basketball channel. Now they're not always showing olympic coverage on all those channels but always at least two of them. (plus the soccer and Bball).

The best coverage is online though at NbcOlympics.com (you still need to be a cable subscriber), They have every event live and most on replay after as well. It helps if you can stream from computer to TV.

I've been incredibly impressed with the online coverage, we've never had such comprehensive coverage before, Every single event covered live and then available to replay after. The only issue is that a lot is without commentary and you realize how important that is.

The broadcast coverage has come in for a lot of criticism mostly because of NBC's greed with Primetime coverage. Most ad revenue is made during 8pm-11pm, so NBC saves the best events for evening coverage and BLOCKS online and daytime coverage so for instance here on the west coast (3hr time diff from the east coast), we had to wait 12 hours to see the phelps swimming race which everyone knew he's already lost at that point. The openeing ceremony coverage was a farce as well. It was long over by the time NBC showed it and they cut out large sections so they could air interviews with us athletes. (no tribute to terrorism victims for instance.)

Another Orwellian factor to the NBC coverage is the american isolationism. I've only seen medal ceremonies when americans get gold, none from other countries, if americans get silver or bronze they dont show it either and I assume its because they play a national anthem other than the usa(?). Its kind of strange and I hope I'm wrong.

SL10

InTheTrees wrote: »

NBC is the network with the rights to show the olympics.

YOu need to be a cable subscriber to get the full benefit though, (the (free) evening coverage is crap) and then you'll have NBC, msnbc, cnbc, nbcsports, bravo and there's also an Olympic soccer channel and a basketball channel. Now they're not always showing olympic coverage on all those channels but always at least two of them. (plus the soccer and Bball).

The best coverage is online though at NbcOlympics.com (you still need to be a cable subscriber), They have every event live and most on replay after as well. It helps if you can stream from computer to TV.

I've been incredibly impressed with the online coverage, we've never had such comprehensive coverage before, Every single event covered live and then available to replay after. The only issue is that a lot is without commentary and you realize how important that is.

The broadcast coverage has come in for a lot of criticism mostly because of NBC's greed with Primetime coverage. Most ad revenue is made during 8pm-11pm, so NBC saves the best events for evening coverage and BLOCKS online and daytime coverage so for instance here on the west coast (3hr time diff from the east coast), we had to wait 12 hours to see the phelps swimming race which everyone knew he's already lost at that point. The openeing ceremony coverage was a farce as well. It was long over by the time NBC showed it and they cut out large sections so they could air interviews with us athletes. (no tribute to terrorism victims for instance.)

Another Orwellian factor to the NBC coverage is the american isolationism. I've only seen medal ceremonies when americans get gold, none from other countries, if americans get silver or bronze they dont show it either and I assume its because they play a national anthem other than the usa(?). Its kind of strange and I hope I'm wrong.

Thanks for all the information - Im staying in a hotel at the moment so will i be able to get access to the live streaming from NBC?

InTheTrees

SL10 wrote: »

Thanks for all the information - Im staying in a hotel at the moment so will i be able to get access to the live streaming from NBC?

The basic rule I read is that if the cable provider the hotel is using gets MSNBC and CNBC then they can also access the online content. Sometimes Hotels will only subscribe to a "basic" cable service.

Now how a guest at a hotel takes advantage of that I'm not sure, ask at the front desk maybe? I think all you have to do is enter the name of the hotels cable provider and it should automatically log in.

The NBC site to access onlline content is:

www.nbcolympics.com

MadsL

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say NBC is showing Team USA, and endless promos of airbrushed US athletes.

Today for example they showed highlights of the Heptathlon in about 3 mins. Endless interviews with US swimmers however....

avalon68

MadsL wrote: »

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say NBC is showing Team USA, and endless promos of airbrushed US athletes.

Today for example they showed highlights of the Heptathlon in about 3 mins. Endless interviews with US swimmers however....

They showed John Joe Nevins boxing match tonight though! Must have slipped through accidentally! between some volleyball or water polo or something.....they really are only covering stuff with Americans for the most part though. Very frustrating, and dont get me started on the commentators!!

FatherTed

To be fair though this is the US and NBC concentrates on US athletes like RTE does Irish athletes.

Hazys

There are so many US athletes and the audience is american, its only fair that the vast majority of coverage is on US athletes.

Look at it from the other perspective. Just say you are from Ohio and your local state athlete just medaled in the Javelin but NBC decided to show the boxing final instead (one of a dozen boxing finals) between an Irish guy and an English guy, how pissed would you be?