NBC Universal Olympic Coverage

[homeskillet]

I noticed this broadcast schedule of the Olympic Games on www.nbcolympics.com and it really sounds like wall-to-wall coverage. Really noticed that NBC-HD will be on 24 hours per day. Wonder if any of the Satellite providers (D* E*) will carry this channel?


---------------------------------
Following is a breakdown of the standard Monday-Friday schedule of the coverage of the 2004 Athens Games on the NBC Universal networks (NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Bravo, Telemundo, HDTV).


LOCAL NBC STATION

The NBC network schedule is divided into three dayparts: afternoon, primetime and late night -- for a total of 226 hours of coverage over 17 days beginning with the Opening Ceremony on Friday, Aug. 13, at 8 p.m. ET.

NBC's primetime coverage will include gymnastics, swimming, diving, and track and field.

The first week of the Olympics features gymnastics and swimming, two sports in which the USA is especially strong this year. The USA's women's gymnastics team is the reigning world champion and favorite for a team gold medal and the USA men's gymnastics team is led by Paul Hamm, the reigning all-around world champion. In swimming, the USA is as strong as ever. Michael Phelps, the 19-year-old phenom, is looking for a record gold medal haul and Natalie Coughlin is the world record holder in the 100m backstroke and a multi-medal threat.

NBC-HI DEF
24 hours a day

For the first time by a U.S. broadcaster at a Summer Olympics, NBC will provide high definition coverage. NBC's separate, unique HDTV coverage on NBC's digital affiliates, presented by Sony Electronics Inc., will provide HDTV coverage on delay of six sports from the only main Olympic venues provided in high definition by the Olympic host broadcaster. Those sports include swimming, diving, gymnastics, track and field, medal rounds of basketball and the men's soccer gold medal final. The HDTV coverage will total 399 hours and is a completely different production from the standard definition broadcast on the network. NBC has 124 HDTV affiliates with the potential to cover 86 percent of the country.

MSNBC
2 a.m.-7 a.m., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

MSNBC, available in 82 million households, will carry a total of 133.5 hours over 18 days. MSNBC will be the main provider of live, weekday, long-form coverage of a full range of Olympic sports, including softball, soccer, beach volleyball, wrestling, canoeing, basketball, rowing, and weightlifting. On weekends, MSNBC will cover boxing, while CNBC carries live coverage of a wide range of Olympic sports. On each of the two days prior to the Opening Ceremony, Wednesday, Aug. 11 and Thursday, Aug. 12, MSNBC also will provide coverage of the opening soccer matches, including the USA women vs. Greece.


CNBC
5-8 p.m.

CNBC, available in 86 million households, will carry 111 hours of Olympic programming over 16 days, beginning Saturday, Aug. 14. On weekdays following "Closing Bell," CNBC will feature long-form coverage of Olympic boxing from 5-8 p.m. ET. On weekends, CNBC will have expanded, live, long-form coverage of a wide variety of Olympic sports including beach volleyball, soccer and taekwondo while MSNBC covers boxing.


BRAVO
5 a.m.-Noon, 5-8 p.m., Midnight-1 a.m.

Bravo, available in 76 million households, will carry a total of 122 hours of Olympic coverage over 14 days, also beginning Saturday, Aug. 14. Bravo will feature a wide range of sports including tennis, equestrian, sailing, track cycling, archery, badminton, judo, synchronized swimming, handball and table tennis.


USA NETWORK
7-10 a.m.

USA Network, available in 88 million homes and billed as the cable home of the U.S. Olympic Team since it began airing regular U.S. Olympic Trials coverage in May, will continue with that theme during the Games with live coverage of many of the USA women's and men's basketball games. USA's 49 hours of Olympic coverage from Athens covers 14 days beginning at 8 a.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 15 with live start-to-finish coverage of the women's cycling road race through the streets of Athens -- an event that has traditionally aired on NBC in primetime. In addition, USA will provide live, all day, Grand Slam-style coverage of all the tennis gold medal finals (men's and women's singles and doubles) on the middle weekend of the Games, Aug. 21-22.


TELEMUNDO
1-8 p.m.

Telemundo, which reaches 91 percent of U.S. Hispanic viewers in 118 markets, will provide 169.5 hours of Olympic coverage over 18 days. This marks the first time in U.S. television history that the Olympic Games have exclusive coverage in any language other than English. Telemundo will feature soccer, boxing and semifinal and gold medal final of baseball. Telemundo, in addition to MSNBC, will provide coverage of opening soccer matches on Wednesday, Aug. 11, and Thursday, Aug. 12.

[Nick]

Let the Games begin!

That's an amazing schedule of coverage. NBC is holding nothing back. This is the first time I will be enjoying the Olympic games in beautiful, crystal clear W--I--D--E-S-C-R-E--E--E--N high definition TV, and from Athens, where the games first began.

I watched another Olympics in even higher definition when I attended the 1996 games in Atlanta. There's nothing like being there.

I'm pumped. Oompah!

[thebigjp]

Oompah!
Lets just hope that the coverage isnt as boring as it has been in the last few years!

[Mark Holtz]

Okay, wheres the website to keep track of all the coverage?

[Michael P]

Anyone remember NBC's PPV "Tripple Cast" back sometime in the 80's (probably the 88 Olympics IIRC)? It was a bomb. PPV was in it's infancy and you had to purchase the whole package, even if you were only interested in one event.

Due to the commercial failure of the "tripple cast", we now get multichannel Olympic coverage on free and basic subscription networks :)

[homeskillet]

Olympic Coverage: www.nbcolympics.com and enter your zip code for the O-Zone to get local listings.

[CoriBright]

Olympic Coverage: www.nbcolympics.com and enter your zip code for the O-Zone to get local listings.

If you already have your zip code entered for local news at MSNBC's website it appears to pick it up automatically!

[Nick]

My only complaint with NBC's coverage is the cutaways to what seems like 30 minutes of back story about each athlete, starting with the day they were born in obligatory humble surroundings. If wanted that, I would turn to the E!Biogra&ephy channel.

NBC, show us the games and we'll show you the money!

[homeskillet]

I was wawtching some Olympic Qualifying thing on NBC today and they had an ad for the Olympics being broadcast in HDTV. Interesting point, they kept saying "Only Cable Can Provide NBC in HD" and it was a big promo for www.onlycablecan.com which I didn't think was a good thing for NBC to promote. I guess that answers my question of "Will NBC HD be on DISH or DirecTV"

[Mark Holtz]

Olympic Coverage: www.nbcolympics.com and enter your zip code for the O-Zone to get local listings.Thanks muchly, it's now in the calendar.

[homeskillet]

www.nbcolympics.com/hd is the HDTV address.

[SamC]

Interesting point, they kept saying "Only Cable Can Provide NBC in HD" and it was a big promo for www.onlycablecan.com which I didn't think was a good thing for NBC to promote. I guess that answers my question of "Will NBC HD be on DISH or DirecTV"

Strange, it comes in just fine with a $26 Rat Shack antenna, however my local cable bandit doesn't have HD, in fact its doesn't even have stereo.

[HappyGoLucky]

I watched another Olympics in even higher definition when I attended the 1996 games in Atlanta. There's nothing like being there.

I'm pumped. Oompah!
I was excited about the Atlanta games before they happened. The during, however, was completely different. I lived within the security zone, and the Canadian and Japanese consuls lived in the same building as I, so just to enter or leave meant a security check, bags searched, car searched, etc. It got really old really quickly. I couldn't even have people come visit unless I actually accompanied them through the checkpoints. I know it was for security and for our own good, but that doesn't lessen the pain of it.

[DarrellP]

Wonder if any of the Satellite providers (D* E*) will carry this channel?
You forgot VOOM, who carries BravoHD.

[invaliduser88]

NBC-HI DEF
24 hours a day

For the first time by a U.S. broadcaster at a Summer Olympics, NBC will provide high definition coverage. NBC's separate, unique HDTV coverage on NBC's digital affiliates, presented by Sony Electronics Inc., will provide HDTV coverage on delay of six sports from the only main Olympic venues provided in high definition by the Olympic host broadcaster. Those sports include swimming, diving, gymnastics, track and field, medal rounds of basketball and the men's soccer gold medal final. The HDTV coverage will total 399 hours and is a completely different production from the standard definition broadcast on the network. NBC has 124 HDTV affiliates with the potential to cover 86 percent of the country.


Why the hell does the HDTV have to be delayed! That was my big complaint about the HD coverage of Salt Lake two years ago!

[DarrellP]

Why the hell does the HDTV have to be delayed! That was my big complaint about the HD coverage of Salt Lake two years ago!
During the Winter Olympics there was no advertising on the HD channel so they wanted you to view the regular channel so you could get your fill of beer and soap. :grin:

[urnote96]

I know that i wont be watching a lot of the games on the NBC stations, as all they talk about is the US Olympic teams. I choose to watch by far a better station that not only does their country but other countrys .. CBC of canada. The hockey on this is unbeilvable also. This is one thing the candians know how to do. Keep it on one channel most of the time instead of being like NBC and splitting it up inbetween 6 different channels.

[Joe Capitano]

Just make sure you either have a big TiVO or brew up enough cups of Joe to keep you awake through the wee small ones. The CBC's coverage is L, I, V, and E - the way the good Olympics Gods wanted it to be, and they've been known to split-screen when they needed to. Truly the best all-around coverage, with a bit less commercial time than the statesiders.

The one downside - unless you're properly prepared: the CBC partners with TSN for some of the event load (mostly the lesser stuff).

[Neutron]

Fortunately this year's Olympics isn't all the way around the world. We will actually get to see more of this in the daytime.