# OMG! NBC 2014 Winter Olympics coverage sucks! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 5, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586 "2014-02-05T17:54:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/63 "2014-02-10T05:53:23Z")
What’s up with Bob Costas’s eye? ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/64 "2014-02-10T15:44:47Z")
Pinkeye, or similar type infection. He’s mentioned it a couple times. It looks a lot better today, compared with Friday night. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/65 "2014-02-10T15:53:09Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > Weird. I’ve been watching the B Team coverage I guess, for the most part, with Tara Lipinski, Johnny Weir & Terry Gannon. I guess I didn’t notice that there were two teams. I recommend the B Team, actually. Tara & Johnny are surprisingly articulate and good, both at explaining the technical stuff and not blithering non-stop. I much prefer them to older team. Also, Johnny speaks Russian and that’s a nice touch. I’ll have to go through the schedule and make sure I’m taping the B team as much as possible. The “B Team” coverage is always on NBC Sports Network., and except for the Men’s Free Skate, it always starts at 10 AM Eastern, 7 AM Pacific. Here’s the figure skating schedule: Monday 2/10 - off Tuesday 2/11 - Pairs Short Program Wednesday 2/12 - Pairs Free Skate (10:45 AM) Thursday 2/13 - Men Short Program Friday 2/14 - Men Free Skate Saturday 2/15 - off Sunday 2/16 - Dance Short Program Monday 2/17 - Dance Free Skate Tuesday 2/18 - off Wednesday 2/19 - Ladies Short Program Thursday 2/20 - Ladies Free Skate There will also be an exhibition on Saturday 2/22; I think that starts at 12:30 PM Eastern. Of course, since it’s an exhibition (“it is not a competition - please, no wagering”), it doesn’t really matter who does the commentary as the routines will be more artistic than technical. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/66 "2014-02-10T23:40:34Z")
Having just heard the RDS announcers squawk and screech so much for Alexandre Bilodeau during the men’s moguls final that I thought they were going to stroke out, I’m no longer going to be accusing American networks of exceptional homerism. It was 25 solid seconds of “ALLEZ ALEX!” and “OOOOH!” with no other commentary provided. NBC definitely has problems, though. Like, who puts up a 4-hour event replay video and then doesn’t put a pause button on the video player, or allow you to jump around? Ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/67 "2014-02-11T03:31:54Z")
Looks like Costa’s other eye is infected now, poor guy. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/68 "2014-02-11T04:12:00Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > Looks like Costa’s other eye is infected now, poor guy. Yeah, I was coming to post the same thing. At least they match now. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/69 "2014-02-11T05:28:35Z")
Do they ever show the medal ceremonies anymore? I haven’t seen one yet this Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/70 "2014-02-11T06:43:17Z")
I’ve seen a couple, I think they were at the end of the NBC afternoon and late-night broadcasts. ---
**Author:** ![rckymtn3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@rckymtn3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rckymtn3)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/71 "2014-02-11T08:22:35Z")
Begin Rant- From Bob Costas interviewing the gold medal winners previous to the actual broadcast of the event they medaled in (both slopestyle snowboard winners) to the atrocious commentary of the Opening Ceremonies, I started the 2014 Winter Games with bile in my throat. Can NBC really fuck it up, AGAIN? Answer is a resounding YES. To listen to commentators repeat ad nauseam the fifth ring not operating because they reached too high (Russian Organizers) to the commentary that Russia was careful not to display the less palatable parts of it’s history during the ceremony (because we all know how honest and forthright USA was during it’s Opening Ceremonies by having the slaughter and rape of American Indian resources as well as the “Slavery of Africans” Dance Number prominently displayed. Barf. What bullshit. That was just the first day. Now, I have DVR’d every channel (NBC, NBCSports, USA, CNBC, MSNBC) and every episode is a mish mash of chaotic, guess where you are now, programming. It’s quite a haul to actually follow a sport. I like the sliding sports, the downhill, as well as the Nordic sports. I have recorded everything they have broadcast, and there’s things they are just not showing. Hubris on their part. They’ve decided to show the dancing female Luge athlete (Kate Hansen) umpteen times like some creepy dirty old man network, yet fail to follow the female Luge athlete that is actually in the running for a medal for the first time ever (Erin Hamlin). NBC’s answer to all the backlash of their poor coverage is to say “we have over 1500 hours of sporting events” which is true of you include dorky public interest jaunts to Siberia for a cheap laugh to back stories of the most boring kind, to studio discussions that seem to go on forever as you scratch your eyes out because there’s actual sporting events they could be showing to ten minutes of commercials every five minutes. So yeah, if that’s what they include as “sporting events” then yes, it’s a true statement. I believe them. It’s got to add up to 1500 hours. But if you count the actual coverage of the sports? It’s going to be more like 40 hours. NBC shouldn’t be allowed to bid on another Olympic Game. Period. I’ll even go so far as to say I wish the big three (NBC, CBS, ABC) would die already. They are heading that direction anyway thanks to the excellent programs on cable and subscriber tv (think HBO etc). They just need to go away already. End of rant. > [@Bob Ducca](#): > > I work as a media buyer and regardless of how shoddy NBC’s coverage is, people watch it. A lot of people watch it. So many people watch it that it pretty much dominates every time period it’s in, and when doing our media buys we have to account for the ratings it will pull away from the other networks (many of which will just run repeats against it). That’s fine and all Bob, if in fact there was an alternative, you would indeed see a change in your numbers. Yes, a lot of people watch the monopolized coverage that is NBC. It’s the Olympics, and there’s interest in the sporting events. We are forced to watch the NBC coverage. The issue is that NBC is pandering to the you media buyers and the “reality tv” crowd. Sorry, but there is a higher social calling for the meeting of countries to have friendly competition, but sadly, it’s turned into a social media fuckfest full of melodramatic crap, and advertisers hocking their worthless crap. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/72 "2014-02-11T08:50:32Z")
> [@rckymtn3](#): > > That’s fine and all Bob, if in fact there was an alternative, you would indeed see a change in your numbers. Well, I guess NBC ought do its best to continue to buy exclusive rights then… ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/73 "2014-02-11T17:33:34Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > Do they ever show the medal ceremonies anymore? I haven’t seen one yet this Olympics. I have seen two, both times at the end of the prime-time coverage. No bonus points for guessing which two. Hint: USA has won two gold medals so far. Some sports may have two medal ceremonies - one right at the end of the event, and another at the “official medal ceremony area”. I noticed at the end of the figure skating team competition that they appeared to be setting up medal podiums on the ice; also, since figure skating events end late at night, their “official” medal ceremonies are scheduled for the next day. You would think that NBC would make even a small deal over Evgeny Plushenko winning a medal in his fourth straight Olympics (and Lipnitskaya winning a gold). ---
**Author:** ![PacifistPorcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PacifistPorcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PacifistPorcupine)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/74 "2014-02-11T17:53:55Z")
I have yet to watch a second of the Olympics on TV. On the other hand, I’ve watched like 30 hours online. Just the sports I want, no weepy sap bullshit stories, all ad free. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/75 "2014-02-11T23:11:11Z")
> [@rckymtn3](#): > > Begin Rant- > From Bob Costas interviewing the gold medal winners previous to the actual broadcast of the event they medaled in (both slopestyle snowboard winners) to the atrocious commentary of the Opening Ceremonies, I started the 2014 Winter Games with bile in my throat. Can NBC really fuck it up, AGAIN? Answer is a resounding YES. > > To listen to commentators repeat ad nauseam the fifth ring not operating because they reached too high (Russian Organizers) to the commentary that Russia was careful not to display the less palatable parts of it’s history during the ceremony (because we all know how honest and forthright USA was during it’s Opening Ceremonies by having the slaughter and rape of American Indian resources as well as the “Slavery of Africans” Dance Number prominently displayed. Barf. What bullshit. > > That was just the first day. > > Now, I have DVR’d every channel (NBC, NBCSports, USA, CNBC, MSNBC) and every episode is a mish mash of chaotic, guess where you are now, programming. It’s quite a haul to actually follow a sport. I like the sliding sports, the downhill, as well as the Nordic sports. I have recorded everything they have broadcast, and there’s things they are just not showing. Hubris on their part. They’ve decided to show the dancing female Luge athlete (Kate Hansen) umpteen times like some creepy dirty old man network, yet fail to follow the female Luge athlete that is actually in the running for a medal for the first time ever (Erin Hamlin). > > NBC’s answer to all the backlash of their poor coverage is to say “we have over 1500 hours of sporting events” which is true of you include dorky public interest jaunts to Siberia for a cheap laugh to back stories of the most boring kind, to studio discussions that seem to go on forever as you scratch your eyes out because there’s actual sporting events they could be showing to ten minutes of commercials every five minutes. So yeah, if that’s what they include as “sporting events” then yes, it’s a true statement. I believe them. It’s got to add up to 1500 hours. > > But if you count the actual coverage of the sports? It’s going to be more like 40 hours. > > NBC shouldn’t be allowed to bid on another Olympic Game. Period. > > I’ll even go so far as to say I wish the big three (NBC, CBS, ABC) would die already. They are heading that direction anyway thanks to the excellent programs on cable and subscriber tv (think HBO etc). They just need to go away already. > > End of rant. > > That’s fine and all Bob, if in fact there was an alternative, you would indeed see a change in your numbers. Yes, a lot of people watch the monopolized coverage that is NBC. It’s the Olympics, and there’s interest in the sporting events. We are forced to watch the NBC coverage. The issue is that NBC is pandering to the you media buyers and the “reality tv” crowd. Sorry, but there is a higher social calling for the meeting of countries to have friendly competition, but sadly, it’s turned into a social media fuckfest full of melodramatic crap, and advertisers hocking their worthless crap. If there are certain specific sports you are interested in, everything is available online. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/76 "2014-02-12T11:07:06Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > If there are certain specific sports you are interested in, everything is available online. IF you subscribe to cable. IF the site actually works. IF you can find something on the website. IF you don’t want to see any specific athlete or heat and are okay with not being able to skip around in an event if you’re not watching live. IF you’re willing to put up with advertising in the middle of an online stream. Online is not an answer when the execution is terrible, as it is yet again. Much better to tunnel into Canada or the UK and use the CBC or the BBC. ---
**Author:** ![PacifistPorcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PacifistPorcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PacifistPorcupine)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/77 "2014-02-12T12:19:48Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > IF you subscribe to cable. IF the site actually works. IF you can find something on the website. IF you don’t want to see any specific athlete or heat and are okay with not being able to skip around in an event if you’re not watching live. IF you’re willing to put up with advertising in the middle of an online stream. > > Online is not an answer when the execution is terrible, as it is yet again. Much better to tunnel into Canada or the UK and use the CBC or the BBC. I keep seeing things like this posted. Am I the only one that has had next to no problems with NBC’s streaming service? ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/78 "2014-02-12T14:30:17Z")
> [@PacifistPorcupine](#): > > I keep seeing things like this posted. Am I the only one that has had next to no problems with NBC’s streaming service? No, no. Me too. There are two of us! (Of course, in a population of ~300 million, that’s a very small minority.) ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/79 "2014-02-12T15:43:11Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > I have seen two, both times at the end of the prime-time coverage. No bonus points for guessing which two. Hint: USA has won two gold medals so far. > > Some sports may have two medal ceremonies - one right at the end of the event, and another at the “official medal ceremony area”. NBC is slipping - they showed the ceremony for a Canadian gold medalist during its NBC Sports Network coverage. (It’s possible that they may have shown others during breaks in ice hockey games, or right before/after curling; I don’t record those.) As for the “two ceremonies”, I caught the “in-arena ceremony” for the team figure skating online; they don’t award medals or play anthems - they just have the medalists stand on podiums and they receive bouquets of flowers. I think the only events where they will have the actual medal ceremonies at the competition sites are the ones (like men’s ice hockey) where the competition is on the final day of the Olympics. > [@PacifistPorcupine](#): > > I keep seeing things like this posted. Am I the only one that has had next to no problems with NBC’s streaming service? The only problem I have had is trying to find video of past events. I can get to the main video page (and it tells me that I have full access), but the only way I found the event I was looking for was by stumbling across it, and I haven’t been able to get back to it after the first time. ---
**Author:** ![PacifistPorcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PacifistPorcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PacifistPorcupine)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/80 "2014-02-12T23:53:24Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > The only problem I have had is trying to find video of past events. I can get to the main video page (and it tells me that I have full access), but the only way I found the event I was looking for was by stumbling across it, and I haven’t been able to get back to it after the first time. I can help you with that: [Current day schedule.](http://www.nbcolympics.com/olympics-live-extra-schedule) There are links at the bottom for previous days. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/81 "2014-02-13T04:33:57Z")
The guys doing the commentary for the snowboard half pipe really suck. One of them described a run as “a machine gun of awesomeness.” And guys, the scores are divided by four, so they’re all gonna end in .00, .25, .50, or .75. Stop saying someone needs 90.26 to take the lead, it ain’t gonna happen. You could heard the PA announcer from the site. He can do math. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586/82 "2014-02-13T12:12:07Z")
Jeez, I thought it was NBC choosing not to give us the medal ceremonies. Do you mean to tell me the IOC actually GOT RID of them?! Isn’t it the dream of every Olympian to stand on the top of the podium and hear your national anthem played? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omg-nbc-2014-winter-olympics-coverage-sucks/680586.md?page=5)