Olympic viewing: NBC critics loud on social media

NEW YORK (AP) — In the age of social media, NBC now has millions of television critics who make their opinions known about every aspect of Olympics coverage instantly.

They've even set up their own hashtag on Twitter: (hash)nbcfail. The online complaints focused Saturday on NBC's decision to air the marquee swimming event won by American Ryan Lochte on tape delay in prime time, and Friday on the network not streaming the opening ceremony online. Sunday's critics started early: people wondering why the U.S. men's basketball team's opening game aired on a cable network while women's cycling was shown on NBC.

The conversation is so active that NBC's executive producer of the games, Jim Bell, took to Twitter to answer critics and even change the way NBC is doing something in response.

"(hash)nbcfail is filled with a lot of crying and snark and humor, but NBC can actually learn something from it," said Jeff Jarvis, a media critic who writes the Buzzmachine.com blog.

Complaints about tape delayed coverage are an evergreen with Olympics held on foreign soil. But the London Games are the first with Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites in full flower, in a mobile phone era where people carry computers that instantly deliver news in their pockets. It has amplified the impatience of viewers who want to see events on their large-screen TVs instantly and haven't been mollified by NBC's decision to stream the events live online.

James Poniewozik, Time magazine TV critic, tweeted that "NBC tape delay coverage is like the airlines: its interest is in giving you the least satisfactory service you will still come back for."

That drew a quick response from NBC's Bell: "You do know that all sports events are being streamed live right?"

"I do, indeed!" replied Poniewozik. "Have enjoyed it. Apparently a lot of folks still prefer watching it on TV."

NBC says it saves big events for prime-time airing because that is when most viewers are available to watch them and where the network makes the bulk of its advertising revenue. Since prime time on the U.S. East Coast coincides with 1 a.m. London time, there are no events to air live then. NBC representatives noted that there were 39 hours of live events Sunday on NBC and its affiliated networks.

Even as it defends its approach, NBC clearly hears those critics. One of Bell's Facebook posts highlighted coverage of Sunday's cycling race by saying it was all-caps LIVE. The network advertised its live streaming on the prime-time broadcast.

Jonathan Wald, who produces Piers Morgan's CNN talk show and used to work at NBC, tweeted that "the medal for most Olympic whining goes to everyone who complains about what happens every four years. Tape delay."

One of those complainers, in fact, was Morgan: He tweeted his disdain Friday for NBC's decision not to make the opening ceremony available live.

The advent of Twitter makes it seems as if there's a lot of unhappiness when the majority of viewers are watching NBC on tape delay and appear satisfied with it, Wald said in an interview.

NBC can point to television ratings justifying their approach. The Nielsen company said the opening ceremony drew more than 40 million people Friday, the most ever for one of those Olympic events. Saturday's first night of coverage was seen by 28.7 million, another record, beating every other first night of Olympic competition. In Beijing four years ago, 24 million watched on the corresponding night.

Jarvis said he believes NBC could satisfy fans by, for example, televising events like Lochte's race live in the afternoon and then repeating it at night. He acknowledges, though, that he's not the one who'd potentially be risking millions of dollars in advertising revenue if such a decision cut into prime-time viewing.

NBC has tried to "hold on to old media strategies in a new media world," Jarvis said. "And that's a mistake."

Some of the online complaints seem to take special glee in bashing NBC, with a few describing it like an Olympic sport of its own. Some are quite personal, like the CNN producer who tweeted Sunday: "No USA basketball in my hotel room. Why they aren't putting it on NBC's main channel is beyond me!"

Bell, in some of his back-and-forth with online critics Sunday, answered one tweeter who described herself as a St. Louis mom and complained about NBC's "Nightly News" on Saturday airing results of events that hadn't been shown on the network yet. Bell tweeted that he'd look into it, and shortly after told her that "Nightly News" would announce a "spoiler alert" to tell people to avert their eyes if they didn't want to see results.

Not everyone online is a critic. On Sunday, the U.S. Olympic sailing team tweeted that it was "by far the greatest sailing TV coverage in Olympic history."

ROWDY vs. PHELPS: Does Michael Phelps need bulletin board material anymore? If so, Rowdy Gaines provided it with his sharp criticism of Phelp's first final this weekend. "He just didn't train for it ... You can't fake that event," Gaines said.

UP CLOSE: Understand NBC's need to help us get to know obscure athletes in obscure sports. But the news about two synchronized divers who both collect rubber ducks felt like self-parody.

UPCOMING: Ryan Lochte's bid for a second gold medal is featured on NBC's Monday night coverage.

___

NBC is controlled by Comcast Corp.

View the original article here

Queen tours Olympic Park after debut as Bond Girl

LONDON (AP) — Fresh from her star turn as the latest Bond Girl, Queen Elizabeth II returned to Olympic Park for an encore Saturday, while the usually biting British press gave a resounding review: We are amused.

The queen visited with fawning British Olympians in the athletes village and rode to the top of the 377-foot (115-meter) Orbit tower beside the stadium, where on Friday night she officially opened the 2012 Games. Her husband, Prince Philip, and London Mayor Boris Johnson accompanied her.

Dressed in a royal blue silk dress, crepe coat and matching hat, the queen could be heard remarking at the views of the London skyline and countryside. She wore a brooch given to her in 1948 — the last time London hosted the Olympics and four years before her accession to the throne.

In describing her role in the opening ceremony, created by director Danny Boyle, Johnson said the queen had told him she was "very, very impressed with the success of her first film appearance, her first dramatic venture. It was very funny and seems to have gone down particularly well with the international audiences."

And, it seems, with the British media.

The Guardian called the queen's appearance "one of the highlights of Danny Boyle's tumultuously inventive opening ceremony of the 2012 Games. ... Now, thanks to Boyle, we really have seen everything."

"I was worried that there was too much self-parody, that the world might be laughing at us," wrote columnist Giles Coren in The Times of London. "But they were laughing with us. They were silently awed."

The show-stopping moment featured the queen making her acting debut alongside Daniel Craig, who portrayed James Bond in a film beamed into the stadium.

Boyle's production showed Bond striding into Buckingham Palace to escort his VIP guest to the Olympic ceremony. Many had expected a famous actress to play the role of the queen, and there was an audible gasped as the real-life royal was seen to swivel round in her desk chair and declare: "Good evening, Mr. Bond."

Buckingham Palace confirmed that the 86-year-old monarch agreed last year to participate. The filming took place at the palace in March and April and featured two of the queen's corgi dogs: Monty and Holly.

At the end of the film segment, two stuntmen dressed as Bond and the queen parachuted from a helicopter into the stadium, and moments later Elizabeth and Philip emerged in the stands.

Boyle told NBC television that the queen had been a natural. "You don't have to tell her something twice," he said. "She picks it up straight away, about cameras and angles."

The sequence has already provided the defining images of the games, according to the Daily Telegraph in Australia, where the queen also reigns.

"A few hundred years ago director Danny Boyle could have been sent to the Tower for even suggesting such treason," the Sydney newspaper said. "But as if to show how far England and the monarchy have come in that time, Her Majesty not only let Boyle get away with it. She was actually in on the joke."

The German newspaper Die Welt wrote that "often seen as reserved and unapproachable, the queen changed all that alongside James Bond."

The queen offered more surprises Saturday as she met about 150 members of the British Olympic team. Spectators took in the scene from balconies draped in Union Jack flags.

"For her to come through and meet the athletes, and see where we're living, it was amazing," said Rose Anderson, 24, a member of the women's basketball team.

"She went inside one of the athletes' bedrooms and chatted to us. It was just awesome, especially after last night," she said. "Last night will never be topped. I'll never get an experience like that again, and then this will never be topped either."

The queen also met athletes from other nations in the dining hall.

"She's beautiful," said Jess Fox, who competes for Australia in the canoe slalom. "We saw her from afar last night in the stadium, but it was amazing to see her like this."

___

Rob Harris in London contributed to this report.

View the original article here

Olympic Games opening sparks betting flurry on filmmaker Boyle

LONDON (Reuters) - Bookmakers expect record gambling on the 2012 Olympics after the opening ceremony prompted a flood of bets on event mastermind Danny Boyle receiving a knighthood - and confusion over wagers laid on who would light the Olympic flame.

Since London won the Olympics in 2005 gamblers have forked out on the closely guarded secret of who would light the flame, with British five-times gold medalist, rower Steve Redgrave, the clear favorite.

But in the end, seven young athletes selected by seven British Olympians lit the flame in unison, causing divides in the bookmaking ranks over how to handle the bet.

Ladbrokes and Stan James decided to pay out on all seven of the British Olympians involved which included Redgrave, Daley Thompson and Kelly Holmes.

William Hill voided all bets and refunded about 50,000 pounds ($80,000) wagered on the event since 2005.

"It is a bit disappointing as we've been taking bets on this for years and in the end there is no winner. There is no way anyone could have predicted any one or all of the seven people chosen," William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said.

Stan James said it had voided all losing bets, meaning punters got their money refunded.

"It's a once in a lifetime occasion and we thought it appropriate to make this gesture after such an incredible start to the London Olympics," spokesman Rory Jiwani said.

Bookmakers said the success of the opening ceremony devised by Boyle, who won an Oscar for his movie "Slumdog Millionaire", had ignited a feelgood factor and already boosted gambling interest in the Olympics - and not just in the sports.

QUEEN ON FILM

Boyle, 55, is being tipped to be awarded a knighthood in the New Year Honours List by Queen Elizabeth, whom he somehow managed to persuade to take part in her first movie role.

During the opening ceremony, a film showed James Bond actor Daniel Craig arriving at Buckingham Palace and escorting the Queen to a helicopter. Minutes later a helicopter appeared over the stadium and released two parachutists. The Queen then walked into the stadium to huge cheers from the 60,000 crowd.

"Everyone was amazed and wowed at what Boyle did last night," Ladbroke's spokeswoman Jessica Bridge said. "Before this Danny Boyle was 2-1 to get a knighthood but due to the sheer volume of bets we have cut this to 5-4."

She said the largest bet so far was 5,000 pounds.

Coral spokesman David Stevens said they were running odds on Saturday of 6-4 that Boyle is knighted next year, having been 4-1 immediately after the opening ceremony.

Jirwani said the ceremony had boosted patriotic pride with odds of 4-5 that the British team will win more than 22 gold medals compared to 19 in Beijing which could push them above Russia to be third in medal table behind the United States and China.

Bookmakers are forecasting between 50-100 million pounds ($80-160 million) will be wagered on the London Games, which would be four to five times more than gambled at Beijing but still way short of other major sporting events.

They expected plenty of money on football and tennis with some interest in cycling after Bradley Wiggins' Tour de France victory.

The men's 100 meters race, a highlight of the Olympics, was not seen as a great draw for gamblers.

Mark Maydon, commercial director of the Sporting Index Group, said the odds were against Jamaica's Usain Bolt setting a new world record at this event after stunning the world with his 9.69 second win at Beijing. Bolt cut this to 9.58 a year later.

He predicted the 100 meters would be run in 9.71 seconds with only half of the 8-strong field running under 10 seconds.

Sharpe said gamblers were not enthusiastic about the race.

"It really is a two-horse race between Bolt and (fellow Jamaican) Yohan Blake and gamblers like to have a bit more competition than that," he said.

(Editing by Alison Williams)

View the original article here