NBC Fails to Maximize Investment in Olympics

What’s up NBC? You’ve paid millions of dollars to secure exclusive rights to the Olympics for the US market. And all you have to show for it is to be last when it comes to Olympic updates.

By now, a significant number of Americans—your target audience—have probably watched the amazing 100m dash of Usain Bolt, where he broke the world record without even breaking a sweat!

And surely lots of people have also watched Michael Phelps win 8 gold medals, especially that 100m men’s butterfly finals, where American Michael Phelps won at the last moment—by just 0.01 seconds.

But they didn’t watch it on nbcolympics.com, which only featured still photos of the events. Nor will they watch it on your delayed telecast—why watch it on TV when it’s already available on the web, right now?

You literally dropped the ball on this one NBC! You could’ve uploaded the videos on your own website, and monetized them. We wouldn’t really mind if you placed advertisements before your videos, but only if you were the first ones to make Olympic videos available online—and if it was easy to watch them on your website.

Instead, a lot of people who wanted to watch Olympic events—not necessarily as they happened had to resort to watching videos on YouTube and download torrents. Probably because you didn’t give them what they wanted?

Kawika Holbrook said it best:

NBC seems to be playing its video cards too close to its chest. Why not put everything up after they air? Why not make them embeddable on any site with a quick ad? Why now sell a daily Sports Center-like recap show on iTunes for two bucks? So many opportunities to engage us. So much fear.

Shame on you NBC, the internet holds so much potential for you to earn off it. And you’re squandering this opportunity!