IHT: Movers: NBC ads suffer amid Olympics rating war

[PhilipShore]

International Herald Tribune
Movers: NBC ads suffer amid Olympics rating war
FEBRUARY 20, 2006

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/02/19/bloomberg/bxmove.php

NEW YORK: The U.S. television network NBC Universal may be forced to give advertisers free or discounted air time to make up for low viewership after its Olympic coverage twice failed to gain top ratings this week, according to some media buyers.

NBC sold about $900 million of ads for the games in Turin, aiming to dominate ratings as it had during the previous seven Winter Games. The company, a unit of General Electric, promised advertisers it would make up for low ratings with television time at other events - and media buyers, like Andy Pappalardo, said NBC's performance put it at risk of triggering the agreements.

The Turin games drew an average of 12.4 percent of U.S. households with televisions in the first seven days of the games, according to Nielsen Media Research. That's down from the 19.5 percent who watched during the same period at the 2002 event in Salt Lake City, Utah. The opening seven days at the Olympics in Nagano, Japan, in 1998 had a 16.4 rating.

[ThoughtCriminal]

1. Maybe it's the coverage

Although, I don't think it's as bad as it was for the Nagano and Salt Lake games.

I wish I could get Canadian stations.

[JI7]

2. coverage from then could have turned people off also

and of course some of the ratings of Salt Lake could have been because of it being held in the states.

[ThoughtCriminal]

5. I think you're right

Teary pre-packaged fluff pieces broadcast while exciting live events were in progress was a huge turn-off for people who actually cared about the competition. With Salt Lake, they could not event use the time difference excuse.

[aquart]

3. What ratings war?

Everyone but ABC is doing reruns. For sweeps!

[KharmaTrain]

4. What's To Watch?

Let me start out by saying I'm watching the NBC's Hi-Def coverage right now and I've been watching all week...probably as much as '98 and 2002. And I'll say it's all for the eye candy...something to watch other than a CSI or informercial. I have really little clue about nuances of each sport (as I won't see them again for another 4 years) and even far less interest in some cross-country skier from Norway or a poor, destitute luger who worked his way through luge school...nice, but who cares, all I want to see is action. And it's not just any action...I want what Jim McKay once called "the agony of defeat". It's so easy to root for the favorites...it's so much more compelling (and American) to revel in failure and frustration. And that might be the problem here.

The U.S. Hockey team is already out of contention...the medals aren't coming as easy as they did in years past...and face it, even this America finds it hard to lose to Latvia. While it's been a very well-run affair, it's been too well-run. There's no real melodrama...no Tanya Harding...no drunk American hockey players trashing hotel rooms.

As far as NBC's coverage...yawn! Costas and Lampley are the only ones I pay attention to...the rest are just noise while I'm waiting for the next spill or diapointing finish. I wouldn't hold a tag day for NBC/Universal...they already banked the $900 million and can and will give payback commercials for months to come (they planned on it)...they made money and be assured they'll be back with an even bigger bid for the next Olympics.

Cheers...

[Rosco T.]

6. I've been watching the CBC coverage... live baby, live... n/m

[malaise]

7. Maybe if Brian Williams did

not begin the coverage of the games with his disgusting political diatribe, people might actually have watched. Fugg NBC - I hope they lose millions.