5 ms·

Well, companies such as Google need to start buying broadcast rights and put it all on the 'net. I am sure they can make far more money online than NBC ever pu

Well, companies such as Google need to start buying broadcast rights and put it all on the 'net. I am sure they can make far more money online than NBC ever pulls out of their advertisers. For one thing, these days lots of people DVR shows not just for convenience but to skip the commercials. I sure do. I'd rather watch something 30 to 45 minutes after the fact than have to endure the obtrusive commercials.

eurleif 14y ago
If Google put the Olympics online with its own commercials (I assume that's how they would monetize it?), why would you stop watching your commercial-free DVR recording in favor of Google's broadcast?
- robomartin 14y ago
  Far more convenient. Better quality. I get to watch what I want vs. egocentric American coverage. I get to watch it on my schedule. I get to watch it on different devices. I can even watch it on the road or while camping. I'd probably even get to watch it in different languages (granted, not so applicable to the London event) The ads might even be relevant. And, in general, I prefer to support 'net-based entertainment vs. broadcast because, well, they suck. There are probably more reasons beyond these.
  - w1ntermute 14y ago
    > I get to watch what I want vs. egocentric American coverage. Believe it or not, the mainstream American audience wants to see egocentric American coverage - they enjoy it.
    - excuse-me 14y ago
      Or presumably they could just make a movie version where the opening ceremony is in New York and they win all the medals?
    - robomartin 14y ago
      > Believe it or not, the mainstream American audience wants to see egocentric American coverage - they enjoy it. Probably true. I hate it. Don't get me wrong, I love to see how our athletes are doing. I simply don't enjoy the cultural isolation and exclusionist coverage that our media pushes on us. Here's an opportunity to learn about others and we get fed a typical short-attention-span American egocentric media diet. This becomes very evident once you travel around the world, look back at the US and make some comparisons. When it comes to the Olympics, World Cup or other events it is also particularly bothersome because the US is made-up of hundreds of cultures that have come together to adopt this nation. This does not mean that Afgani-Americans or Chilean-Americans don't not want to see how the teams or athletes from their native soil are doing. Events like the Olympic Games are opportunities to honor the many cultures that form this nation by, at the very least, providing reasonable exposure to their athletes and stories as well. This is where online coverage could be so far ahead of typical network stuff. You get to watch what you want. Another thing that doesn't sit will with me is when accident reports go something like "139 people, three Americans". OK, I get it, you are trying to tell our country that three of ours got lost in the accident. However, for some reason, these reports always sound like they don't respect the rest of those lost in the accident. I surely can't be the only one who feels this way. Finally, why are NFL or NBA teams "World Champions" when the competition is national?
      - harshreality 14y ago
        e.g. "139 people, three Americans" It's important to know to what degree an attack entangles the United States, politically speaking. Everyone's life is beyond value, philosophically speaking, but U.S. political response depends on how many Americans were involved. Therefore, it makes sense to report that number to United States viewers.
        deleted 14y ago
        [deleted]
        eurleif 14y ago
        To what extent might this be a self-fulfilling prophecy?
- acdha 14y ago
  I would pay Google for access or watch ads if they had YouTube-quality video and ads before / after but not during the content.
packetslave 14y ago
NBC paid $1.1 billion just for the US broadcast RIGHTS, nevermind all of the other production costs. That would be a pretty big gamble for Google to take, to assume they could generate enough revenue through online advertising to make a profit.

eurleif 14y ago

If Google put the Olympics online with its own commercials (I assume that's how they would monetize it?), why would you stop watching your commercial-free DVR recording in favor of Google's broadcast?

robomartin 14y ago
Far more convenient. Better quality. I get to watch what I want vs. egocentric American coverage. I get to watch it on my schedule. I get to watch it on different devices. I can even watch it on the road or while camping. I'd probably even get to watch it in different languages (granted, not so applicable to the London event) The ads might even be relevant. And, in general, I prefer to support 'net-based entertainment vs. broadcast because, well, they suck. There are probably more reasons beyond these.
- w1ntermute 14y ago
  > I get to watch what I want vs. egocentric American coverage. Believe it or not, the mainstream American audience wants to see egocentric American coverage - they enjoy it.
  - excuse-me 14y ago
    Or presumably they could just make a movie version where the opening ceremony is in New York and they win all the medals?
  - robomartin 14y ago
    > Believe it or not, the mainstream American audience wants to see egocentric American coverage - they enjoy it. Probably true. I hate it. Don't get me wrong, I love to see how our athletes are doing. I simply don't enjoy the cultural isolation and exclusionist coverage that our media pushes on us. Here's an opportunity to learn about others and we get fed a typical short-attention-span American egocentric media diet. This becomes very evident once you travel around the world, look back at the US and make some comparisons. When it comes to the Olympics, World Cup or other events it is also particularly bothersome because the US is made-up of hundreds of cultures that have come together to adopt this nation. This does not mean that Afgani-Americans or Chilean-Americans don't not want to see how the teams or athletes from their native soil are doing. Events like the Olympic Games are opportunities to honor the many cultures that form this nation by, at the very least, providing reasonable exposure to their athletes and stories as well. This is where online coverage could be so far ahead of typical network stuff. You get to watch what you want. Another thing that doesn't sit will with me is when accident reports go something like "139 people, three Americans". OK, I get it, you are trying to tell our country that three of ours got lost in the accident. However, for some reason, these reports always sound like they don't respect the rest of those lost in the accident. I surely can't be the only one who feels this way. Finally, why are NFL or NBA teams "World Champions" when the competition is national?
    - harshreality 14y ago
      e.g. "139 people, three Americans" It's important to know to what degree an attack entangles the United States, politically speaking. Everyone's life is beyond value, philosophically speaking, but U.S. political response depends on how many Americans were involved. Therefore, it makes sense to report that number to United States viewers.
      - deleted 14y ago
        [deleted]
      - eurleif 14y ago
        To what extent might this be a self-fulfilling prophecy?
acdha 14y ago
I would pay Google for access or watch ads if they had YouTube-quality video and ads before / after but not during the content.

packetslave 14y ago

NBC paid $1.1 billion just for the US broadcast RIGHTS, nevermind all of the other production costs. That would be a pretty big gamble for Google to take, to assume they could generate enough revenue through online advertising to make a profit.