While channel surfing a while ago, I came across a foreign rebroadcast of the Tour de France. The tape was from network with British-accented commentators. There was an emblem of a leaf and the letters OLN (I think) in the upper left corner. So here’s the thing. Every rider’s jersey was shown on the tape. Businesses of all kinds and nationalities were advertised on the jersies. Except for one part of Lance Armstrong’s jersey which was pixelated out. Namely, the words “United States Postal Service”. Why? Rules against advertising foreign government agencies on that nations T.V. stations? Some kind of advertising exclusivity right by a competing carrier? The next step in the childish "I-hate-France / Je deteste des Americans phase we’re going through? What gives?
Are you sure it was pixelated? Yesterday Lance had an accident which resulted in the lettering on his back becoming smeared and difficult to read.
Dunno Ticker. Everything else on his jersey was in focus including that stylized eagle emblem that the post office uses. There was just this floating fuzzy area where the words should have been.
OLN is the Outdoor Life Network. They’re carrying the Tour de France in North America. Website: www.olntv.com. I guess you could ask them.
Before anybody says anything: Try this URL instead: www.olntv.com
Thanks Manduck. I’ll check it out.
Yeah - you think they would have censored Alizeé flashing her arse at the entire world… these crazy punks…
I just checked the OLN link from Manduck. I seems you get the same coverage we have in the UK - hence the British accents of the commentators. I can understand what you say LabRat, it did look like censorship at first glance but it really wasn’t. At one point the commentators even pointed out the smudged lettering after the fall - and they were watching a live feed which would have been virtually impossible to pixellate in real-time.
I watched the entire 2002 tour on OLN and have watched about 90% of this years tour. OLN has never pixellated out any part of Lance’s jersey on any coverage I have seen.
Wait wait wait. Alizee’ flashed her butt and I missed it? :smack:
Yeah, in her little blue mini-skirt at the concert to start the celebrations of the “Cent Ans de Tour De France”… the internet is packed with the picks. I think she was singing “J’en ai Marre”…
Thanks for all the help folks. I guess Ticker’s got it right.