As if we needed a reason for the #NBCFail hashtag to make a comeback. But here we are.
The opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics kicks off at 11 a.m. ET, but NBC is skipping the live stream for American viewers and will run a packaged broadcast at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday. Because you need context or something.
Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Sports Group, said, “We want to put context to it, with the full pageantry it deserves.” So tape delay it is.
“We are looking to maximize the viewing experience for our audience,” said Lazarus, noting that NBCU was likely to “put snippets of it out throughout the day” for people curious about the proceedings.
NBCU’s decision to air every athletic contest live ends a longstanding company practice of saving much of the best stuff of the Olympics for broadcast on the company’s flagship network during primetime.
NBC Universal executives explained that streaming the grandiose ceremony so early in the day (U.S. viewers on the East Coast would have seen it at 11 a.m.) would be both confusing and underwhelming.
The Verge asks, “Will #NBCFail trend once again?”
https://twitter.com/__meggles/status/431789865055686656
Chances are good.
https://twitter.com/mghutty/status/431804087219523584
https://twitter.com/JoseAnd911World/status/431768280182054912
https://twitter.com/MatthewAltamura/status/431787844965642241
https://twitter.com/MattCrandall444/status/431800258591744000
Evergreen tweet:
https://twitter.com/mouseymcglynn/status/431792852100599808
