While some American television viewers are grumbling about the retro feel to NBC’s London Olympics coverage, with tape-delayed broadcasts of the opening ceremony and other events, audiences in Britain are getting a more contemporary — even futuristic — TV Games.

There, BBC is providing marathon coverage — 2,500 hours of programming during the more than two weeks of the Games. At the touch of a button on their remote controls, viewers can choose among as many as 24 live feeds of various events, whether basketball or fencing.

“We wanted to give people every venue, from first thing in the morning to last thing at night,” said Roger Mosey, director of BBC’s Olympics coverage.

Full article:
With Live Streaming and New Technology, BBC Tries to Be Everywhere at the Olympics – New York Times – August 5, 2012
By ERIC PFANNER
Link to New York Times article

Critics of NBC’s coverage of the London Olympics have voiced sometimes brutal commentary on Twitter using the hashtag #NBCFail, but with one week left in its comprehensive, multiple-platform coverage, NBC’s own take is that its programming is a success. Ratings are up over what had been an impressive performance in 2008 in Beijing, and a predicted loss of $200 million or more has been turned around to a cautious prediction of a possible small profit.

Mark Lazarus, the chairman of NBC Sports Group, said in a conference call last week, “We think there’s a small chance that we could make a little bit of money.”

Full article:
NBC’s Coverage in London Is Becoming a Rating Success With a Shot at a Profit – New York Times – August 5, 2012
By BILL CARTER
Link to New York Times article