The ratings are out for the previous week. It seems that with more than 30 million viewers, the clear winner is NBC. The network's exclusive coverage of the Olympic Games drew in many more viewers than any other network's programming. Despite the top notch ratings, there have been some problems with the coverage.
Here is a look at the top five coverage problems that viewers have noticed:
Ignoring Tribute to Terrorist Victims
According to NBC, there were several moments during the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic Games that had to be cut for length, audience and commercials. NBC received some criticism for failing to air a tribute to victims of a terrorist attack that occurred in London, England, in 2005. NBC claims to have not realized this had been a tribute to terrorist victims, but the damage was done.
Questionable Commercial
Just after Gabby Douglas won the gold medal in women's gymnastics for the individual all-around, announcer Bob Costa indicated that perhaps she would now be an inspiration to many young African-American girls. NBC then cut to a commercial that featured a monkey performing gymnastics. The commercial was for an upcoming sitcom on the network.
Evander Holyfield
One NBC program featured an interview with a random person who was picked out of a crowd. Fans across the country likely instantly recognized that the man who had been picked was actually former boxing champion Evander Holyfield. Unfortunately, those in charge of the NBC program did not appear to recognize him and did not take advantage of what could have been a great impromptu interview.
Spoiling Missy Franklin's Big Win
In a commercial that aired just before Missy Franklin's first medal in a swimming competition, there was a promotion for the next day's morning show that would feature an interview with Missy Franklin. Unfortunately, the commercial made it clear that the swimmer got the gold medal. Americans who had avoided the spoilers of her victory were understandably upset at not being able to enjoy the suspense while watching the race.
Usain Bolt's Big Win
For those who wanted to see Olympic events in real time, and not wait for the primetime showing of the edited events, NBC streamed many events over the internet. Unfortunately, it just so happened that the stream began buffering during the men's 100m race. As one of the most hyped races during the 2012 Olympic Games, some fans wondered if this was done on purpose to get people to watch the race on NBC during primetime.
Though Kristin Watt is not a fan of all sports, she does follow the news on most sports religiously. Major news events in sport do tend to ripple out to others and she makes sure that she never misses the big stories.
