Huge ratings for NBC and the Olympics
We've talked about China on this blog so you know where we stand on the issues there. But I love sports and I did actually watch some of the Olympics over the weekend. I haven't checked them out in many years, but I was interested in seeing Phelps swim this time around. Apparently---America was glued to their sets for this one.
NBC Universal's Olympics coverage is drawing huge audiences, helped by the extravagant opening ceremony and swimming star Michael Phelps, and setting the stage for what could be record TV ratings for the Games. NBC Universal said the first two days of the Beijing Olympics drew an average audience of 29.1 million, making it the most highly rated broadcast of the Summer Games held outside the United States since 1976.
In total, 114 million viewers tuned in for at least part of its broadcast in the first two days, about 20 million more than the 2004 games in Athens, NBC said, citing figures from Nielsen Media Research.
I was shocked it received these ratings. Watching Bush sit next to Putin while the invasion of Georgia was happening was pretty pathetic, even for him.
Thx Driftglass for the image.
... and no one can afford the gas to go anywhere, so...
I'm not watching. Intentionally.
It's amazing how we kiss China's ass when they are one of the worst countries in the world. If they didn't need our money, they would wipe us off the face of the earth (or at least try to). What do you think they are working towards within the next few decades?
The picture should have used one of the Five Friendlies instead of the generic squiggle guy.
The parts I have seen the crowds were pretty light in the stands.
I don't have a tv but watch when I go to the gym. The person next to be brought it to my attention. She said "I figured the Chinese would let people in for free just to fill the seats."
Jef @ 3:
ummm...yeah sure, why dont we worry about ourselves, straighten up our act, and then worry about others. Lets stop complaining about China, Russia, Sudan and other problems that are out of our reach and lets start dealing with the problems that we can actually deal with such as : Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Mexico, and our own social problems. Grow up.
The Chinese have actually been rounding people up to sit in seats- even giving them tshirts of opposing teams - this was reported on CBC...and yes, the seats have been pretty empty- for everything...Phelps has been amazing to watch...( I also read in some other papers that their numbers were actually down compared to Athens....) and they are not really run anything on their other cable stations - nothing really on MSNBC, boxing on CNBC...and nothing on USA or Bravo....so they kind of misled people when they said there was plenty to see....
10:30 tonight ( east coast time) was the earliest we got to see Phelps all week....
sam @ 6:
and btw, when I say Israel, I mean the fact that we aid it with 3+ Billion dollars in aid, countless dollars in military hardware, and all the while we encourage it financially, yet we ask them to stop building illegal settlements and they do the contrary.
iraq= lets get the hell out before it becomes our eternal hell
mexico: illegal immigrants and the war on drugs.
our plate is full, lets take our time, because our police duty is valid in our backyard only, so stop, please stop
harley @ 5:
Exactly what I thought too.
You are not alone, I am certain that I have never seen so many empty seats at an Olympic event as there were at two different venues.
Well...I hope the Olympic coverage back in the nifty 50 is better than what I've had to deal with here.
The only events I have been able to see in Japan are Judo and ping pong.
Judo and ping pong.
And highlights of Japanese athletes crying when they don't win.
...and ping pong.
They're kicking out baseball but the Olympics love them some ping pong.
If I may borrow a phrase from our great and glorious VP: So!?1?!
I am so over beach volleyball. I love watching the Olympics but NBC has over programmed a very boring sport to watch. Do they not have enough cameras to cover some of the sports that the USA has scored gold medals in that we will never see? This first week of the coverage has been a dud. Now when beach volleyball comes on I switch over to Bravo, no matter how boring it is better than volleyball.
sam @ 6:
Agreed, Sam. No doubt the Chinese regime sucks, but if we don't do something to fix what ails us here in the good ol' USA, we'll be in the same boat, right after the next internal terr'ist attack and Patriot Act III.
i'm sure bush was just offering putin pointers on what to do and what not to do when invading a much weaker sovereign nation....mostly what not to do.
He just won #7 in a close one.
The Serbian Team has filed a complaint...he did touch first...he was I:100th of a second faster....but the films from all angle show him touching the wall first....even in slo-mo.....we will see what happens...
Americans are curious about their new masters.
Phelps has been amazing. Other than that, this Olympics and its coverage have been utterly lackluster. But I can't blame people for watching since I would rather watch the Olympics than the onslaught of wretched reality shows. Hard part is flipping to when an actual sport is being played instead of blathering commentary.
i WOULD like to see the opening ceremony... missed it...
can't seem to find it... last i looked, all i could find were bits of info that it had been pulled from the you-tube...
if anyone has a link, i'd much appreciate it!
enigma4ever @ 16:
Who are you saying touched first, Phelps?
Katy about the Opening - try the CBC and see if they have it archived ( I know they had it...) ...about the Phelps race- the protest was filed- but the Reffs said nope- that Phelps touched the wall first..Gold Holds....
TO number 20, Crazy Like a FOX- yeah...Phelps touched first....they showed the footage of him touching the wall from all angles- even from above and below and even in slow motion....were you watching?
I honestly do not get any of this fascination. People honestly care about guys swimming now because a guy from this country is better at it than anybody else? Honestly? When do people ever follow swimming? This is hype and people are falling for it, and I honestly don't know why. Honestly.
enigma4ever @ 22:
Couldn't believe he made it he was so far back.
But he kept driving towards the wall and the other guy reached and thought he was far enough but wasn't quite.
That's how I saw it. But really heard to tell.
Al-Qaeda moment: Bush, in a sweaty shirt, touching the bare back of a female beach volleyball player.
The Olympics and the IOC are a joke.
An unimpressive Olympics from a country that has a government that lies, cheats, and bullies.
The scary thing is that a lot of the Chinese are so brainwashed, that they ignore the obvious and are in a state of denial. My co-worker is an example. He refused to believe that the Chinese state media lied about the lip-synching 8 year-old. Even after I showed him cached versions of The China Times (which were scrubbed from their sites).
Completely irrational and brainwashed. And yes, I know a lot of Americans fit into this category as well, so spare me the equivalence.
Sorry, I meant "The China Daily"
Anonymous Source @ 23:
He's breaking all world records. And Mark Spitz from 1976 is the only other one with more gold medals in an Olympics.
"country that has a government that lies, cheats, and bullies."
so??? EVERY government does that.
I don't begrudge Phelps any of the medals he won, but doesn't swimming have an advantage over any other disciplines?
In swimming you have individuals at varying distances, medleys at varying distances, and team events.
So if you are the best at one. like freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke or backstroke, or several of them, you are just about guaranteed several medals if your team is also good. and all you do is swim - fast.
Even running does not offer that opportunity.
Anon @ 29:
Not like the PRC. They are in a world of their own. And I forgot -- oppresses, as well.
to number 24= I did not believe it either- until I saw the replay- it litterally all came down to fingertips touching...( about Phelps...)
And to Anony No23.... about swimming Phelps is amazing- does not matter what country he is from- he is a phenom ( like Micheal Jordan in the water....) he is crashing records left and right ( which is hard to do in swimming)....and since when is it not alright to admire Swimmers- male or female- they are amazing and hell nice to watch in those suits glide through the water....right?
( would you rather Watch WWF instead ???)
Number30:
actually you are not right about swimming - it is the opposite-it is VERY rare for Swimmer to be That Good at ALL strokes....
I have no interest. I'm not watching. Well, I don't watch TV anyway, but even if I did, I wouldn't be watching.
I do remember though how big a deal a 1976 Olympics were, as a little kid... for whatever reason, that was a hugely popular olympic year, the ones afterwards were a letdown.
BillO the Clown must be depressed with NBC's ratings. He hates NBC/MSNBC/GE, primarily because of Keith Olbermann. I'm surprised Orally hasn't called for a boycott of the Olympics...at least a boycott of NBC's coverage.
craig @ 34:
Good for you. You must feel so proud of yourself to share disinterest.
The Olympic Committee selects the venues, not the athletes - protest those who placed the Olympics there, not the athletes. You might consider, however, that without the games in Beijing, discussion of all things contemporary Chinese would not be happening, and so the average slumbering American would continue to live in their impenetrable fog. It is a dilemma...and that alone stirs the thought-pot. Good.
It is pretty hard not to appreciate what Phelps has done. Of course I'm proud of him, especially being from the Ann Arbor area. It will be a long time until his individual efforts are are topped. The guy is awesome, not just for his genes, but for the effort he put forth. Without his determination, he could have never achieved it.
I love sports, too, John. I own a TV. I watch regularly. But I will not watch any of these games. Awarding the games to China is a travesty. My pathetic little act won't accomplish anything, but it's all I can do.
Yes the athletes are unbelieveable but broadcasting the medals events live makes it worth watching even more
Jef @ 3:
I find that comment more than a little xenophobic. Have you ever been to China? The people are kind, friendly and curious. They ask the most personal questions but expect to be asked the same in return. I was only there briefly on a consulting job but it's my next vacation destination. If you judged all Americans by the behavior of their most recent government you might think they're all warlike zealots but I know this is not so. Quite the contrary. It is true that the Chinese are very nationalistic. They have been taught that for generations now and to resent every slight real or imagined. That could be said of a lot of people.
Peter G @ 41:
I think the commenter was referring to the Chinese government. And in that respect, the members of the CCP are, indeed, scary as hell.
The effect of extreme control of the media (which is a thousand times worse than the U.S. media -- and I think the U.S. corporate media is pretty bad) equals 100's of millions of brainwashed Chinese. Nationalism on this level is, indeed, scary.
BTW, I have a question for you. Were you ever "critical" of the Chinese government to a Chinese citizen?
I have bee -- multiple times. And nearly everytime I get the same reaction of denial and anger towards the gall of me having posed a critical question to the government
.
.
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enigma4ever @ 33:
Even more so today than in Mark Spitz' day. He's an amazing all-around swimmer setting world records while racing against specialists in each event. Furthermore, he's not just swimming in the medal races, but in the prelims and semis as well. Phelps will have swum seventeen races against the best in the world in one week by the time he's done--sometimes with less than an hour between races. That's what makes his performance so spectacular. It's not one individual race, it's the consistent excellence over a number of races with the fatigue building as he goes.
america has been glued to their seats for the past 49 years without me, and i suspect that it will continue on much the same for the remainder of my life and beyond.
I'm not interested. Too many pros. Too much time & money wasted on sports. Amateur mystique has disappeared from the games.
it helps that the marquis events are being shown live on the east coast...but for the life of me, i cant figure out why they wont show them live in the west coast...so what if its not in prime time...people wouldve left work early to watch the womens all around and phelps swim
ratings will be down in 4 years when the show comes from england and no one gets the events live...
also, thanks to the economy, families are staying home...together...free tv is rather cheap
ratings will go down a bit when track and field takes center stage
im just happy that ive been able to watch all of the baseball, softball and wrestlng online
greatest thing happened in the usa vs canada ballgame tonite
top of the ninth, canada up, 1 out, man on first...and the canadian team thinks the pitcher has balked...usually you will hear a couple of players yell balk....but this time the entire tream and coaches started screaming....'BALK....FUCKING BALK....FUCK SHIT, ARE YOU EVEN WATCHING THE GAME!!!!"
it was totally bush...but totally hilarious...as the frustration of blowing a 4 run lead and watching your medal chances go out the door finally did the normally calm canadians in
it was nice to see someone other than americans acting like asses
oh...and the only reason beach volleyball is in the olympics is because of the suits and the cheerleaders....sex sells
have to note one other thing
america is now (at least on the woman's side) a superpower in gymnastics
and this only occured as a result of the fall of the soviet union and the eastern block
the top coaches are all former eastern block coaches and/or athletes
and liukin, who won the gold, is the daughter of two world class soviet gymnasts
and watch as more and more parents move or send their sons and daughters to plano...the new capitol of world gymnastics
ronhohn @ 30:
not really...even more than track and field, swimming demands alot from all the muscle groups....therefore to swim at the top level everyday for a week, is almost unheard of
what has helped phelps and others is the new speedo suits...which allow them to glide in the water and also almost massage the muscles as you swim....that is why you are seeing records fall by seconds rather than 100ths of a second
but i cant see how suits can be legal...but drugs are not...both enhance an athletes ability and allow them to recuperate much faster
Jef @ 3:
we no longer have the moral authority over anyone
we have kept quiet while our country invaded another without provocation
we have kept quiet while our country tortures and kills those only accused of a crime
etc
so the chinese are totalitarians....and we live under an almost fascist state
the yankee-doodle trickbag has been ripped
for the apple-pie empire has begun to fall
actions have consequences
grave ones are grave
the end is near
cheers!
Watching the olympics is a substitute for something Americans use to do in August; taking a family vacation.
George W. Bush and the republican party have destroyed our ability to have fun also! These guys suck on so many levels!
Radically Moderate @ 9:
I'm not one to normally watch much of the Olympics, but I've seen more in the last week than probably the last three combined. That said, I don't think I've EVER seen such light crowds, even for events that China was expected to excel in (gymnastics especially). Not sure what's going on, though I suspect the cost of tickets are out of reach of many locals.
Great photo.
I have enjoyed the games very much so far, but one wonders and worry's about what benefits the Chinese regime will get out of the games, rather than the games benefitting the Chinese people.
US women's fast-pitch softball: outscored opponents 36 to 1, allowed only four hits in 29 innings. Way to go!
I figure people are just curious to see where their jobs went. That, and unemployment = free time.
fastfeat @ 54:
That's why they're gonna kill the sport for the NEXT Olympics.
Has anybody been watching the day-time coverage, anchored by that dismally stupid, dense, vapid, boring--albeit 'pretty'--woman, whose name I cannot recall?
Mostly I cannot watch the prime-time crapola. Then, turning on the day-time coverage, I hear this unrepentant dolt anchor-woman announcing how we were gonna see another competition between 'democracy' and 'communism?" I though i'd fuuking PUKE...
What most Americans don't realize is that we have collectively lost credibility over the last 8 years, no matter what your political stripes.
Buscho has damaged EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN'S reputation abroad, because today people around the globe roll their eyes at you when you try to say anything about what's good or bad for another country, Obama supporter or not.
katy @ 19:
Ah, but you can buy the DVD from NBC! Seriously, we saw a spot on late last night about the "complete" Olympics being available from NBC on DVD, following the completion of the games, of course. Anything for a buck.
They can't be serious about this "complete" thing. How many DVDs would that involve? A couple hundred or so?
In most situations, comparing someone or something to the Nazis is inappropriate vis-a-vis "Godwin's law".
In the case of comparing the 2008 olympics to the 1936 olympic, it is wholly appropriate, the world lending legitimacy to a corrupt and murderous regime.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=NvCCFwSMZZs
http://www.claudiax.net/GIFFERS3/BeijingOlympics-BloodSport.gif
http://heady.co.uk/rm/beijing_2008.gif
http://www.beijinglogo.org/gra/beijinglogoANIM.gif
http://www.beijingolympicsfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/china-tibet...
http://pajamasmedia.com/upload/2007/08/Olympics_FreePress_250.gif
http://bp3.blogger.com/_XWMHOKSnvhg/R_ruMPGHxxI/AAAAAAAADCc/5UC4agNaE5w/...
http://www.faniq.com/images/blog/china-tibet2.JPG
On top of that, the olympics are dirty. As far as I'm concerned, anyone running the 100m under 9.9 seconds is on steroids, as are (no name dropping) those who set multiple "world records" and "win" multiple medals in a matter of days. Compared to the olympics, baseball and the NFL are pure.
Larry @ 12:
Totally agree! Just how much Volleyball can we stand. I would have liked to see some Track and Field and the Equestrian events. Apart from swimming and gymnastics - the coverage has been a total waste of time.
craig @ 34:
Well, the next Olympics didn't happen - at least for Americans. In 1980, the Olympics took place in Moscow and Pres. Jimmy Carter prevented our team form participating. A number of other countries also took part in the boycott which was put in place to
"protest USSR's invasion/intervention in Afghanistan," of all places. So, JC had the guts to stand up and protest against another superpower.
Do you really believe those numbers? This is from the network who faked the fireworks in the opening ceremony. There is absolutely no buzz about the olympics out here on the west coast. Guess NBC is counting channel surfers as dedicated viewers. This is all a manufactured East coast corporate tool.
The reason people are watching the Olympics so much is because they're burned out on everything else on the idiot box.
In particular, politics.
Nov can't get here soon enough.
i'm happy for phelps, but the media is going overboard in mentioning his name.
i'm already tired of the guy.....and i don't want to be.
if the word "michael phelps" were a drinking game, you would be blowing chunks in an hour.
carefulwiththatAXEeugene @ 63:
That's a brilliant idea. Might have to try it tonight.
Last Olympics was a disaster. Too many and too long on the bio storys to lead up to a bronze. Too many commercials. And the avoidance of key olympic competitions, just because Americans weren't favored.
I want to see who wins the 100 Meter. I want to see the semi-final and finals of Soccer. I want to see the gymnastic and water polo games. I want to see the wrestling and basketball championships. I want to see volley ball and pole-vaulting championships. Who wins the weight-lifting and shot-putting challenges? Show me the 20KM and relay races. Bicycles and horses. Where are the decathlon and discus throwers?
I am proud to say that I have not watched 1 second of this hyped-up trash. When the Olympics become a free venue for real athletes without tons of political bullshit, maybe I'll be interested.
News
Viewers Angered Over Scarce Live Olympic Programming
NBC's decision to show the most-anticipated Beijing Olympics events during primetime resulted in an avalanche of complaints, particularly from West Coast viewers, who saw virtually nothing live, including Michael Phelps's first swimming victory on Saturday, which would have aired at 7:00 p.m. if it had been presented live but was instead delayed until 10:00 p.m. Writer Henry Blodget wrote on the Silicon Alley website Sunday: "Sponsors don't benefit when fans are tuning in to see How Michael Phelps won rather than If He Wins. They don't benefit when viewers are cursing the network and throwing imaginary fruit at the TV. They don't benefit when the country develops a collective loathing for the network that lasts far longer than the two-week games." Today's (Monday) New York Times reported that some viewers were able to find live coverage on the Internet posted from foreign websites. But NBC, it said, engaged in what the newspaper called "a game of digital whack-a-mole" to shut down the unauthorized video.
http://www.movieflix.com/news.php#100
it's still a DISGRACE for nbc not cover the opening of the olympics LIVE. even 3rd world countries were able to provide that service to its citizens. the olympics should NOT be hostage to corporate interests. it is the patrimony of the world and everybody should experience it, even vicariously, as it happens.
watched the interview of bob kostas with phelps and spitz last night. kostas gave phelps cues to be gracious but the egocentric boy did not take it. spitz was clearly the better human being.
choosing what sport to include in the olympics is almost always a western decision. whatever sport the west excels in, they include. you dont see bowling and pool in there because the west does not dominate it. beach volleyball is there because it is a venue for retired indoor volleyball players to continue playing, and it is an opportunity for the west, especially the u.s., to medal.
congrats to China and to NBC. Definitely not perfect, but they are showing lots of coverage, especially on alternate channels in the middle of the night for hours on end. Perhaps I had low expectations, but since they've exceeded what I expected I'm satisfied.
Christ, you people are ugly tonight. Must be the full moon. It's this kind of negative bull that alienate centrists and loses us elections. The Olympics are supposed to bring us together, not give individuals an opportunity to get on the soapbox and bludgeon people who train their whole lives when the rest of us choose to sleep in, sit in bean-bag chairs, and eat cheetos, all the while screaming at the TV. When any one of you haters steps away from the doughnuts long enough to JUST GET IN SHAPE, feel free to jump back on here and comment.
Dara Torres is a champ that is not doping. When this Olympics ends, she will be one of the most-tested athletes for doping in history. Piss off. Michael Phelps has a gift. The fact that he is representing his country at a time when we could all use some good news is fantastic. So piss off again.
Bush is the president. He's at the Olympics. He'll be gone in a few months. How about taking some comfort in that? Why ask the atheletes to pay his bill? THEY'VE BEEN TRAINING FOR YEARS FOR THIS! Long before Bush stole the White House.
There are times when I think that some progressives want nothing but bad news non-stop, so we can endlessly remind everyone what morons they were for reelecting him, and how superior and enlightened we are. Let it go. Instead, try, try, try to find a way to cheer on people who want to restore just a little of our pride, and see some fruits to their labor.
Jesus, is it too much to ask that we get to feel good again, and cheer on our countrymen, even if it is just for a couple of weeks? Or do we have to put on our frowny face every freakin' day, just to prove to the rest of you that we REALLY love our country, so much so that we can NEVER show patriotism again as long as the GOP is in the House? Well, Scr*w You. I love my country. And I am proud of my atheletes. America is NOT Bush. I am America, and for God's sake, SO CAN YOU! So break out the Michael Phelps Special Edition Commemorative Plates, and let's have some Apple Pie!
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