{"id":1323883,"date":"2022-02-21T19:39:44","date_gmt":"2022-02-22T00:39:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1323883"},"modified":"2022-02-21T19:39:53","modified_gmt":"2022-02-22T00:39:53","slug":"genocide-games-disaster-nbcuniversal-paid-7-75b-for-olympics-rights-saddled-with-ratings-loser-for-10-more-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/genocide-games-disaster-nbcuniversal-paid-7-75b-for-olympics-rights-saddled-with-ratings-loser-for-10-more-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Genocide Games Disaster: NBCUniversal Paid $7.75B for Olympics Rights, Saddled with Ratings Loser for 10 More Years"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgenocide-games-disaster-nbcuniversal-paid-7-75b-for-olympics-rights-saddled-with-ratings-loser-for-10-more-years%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1323883&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 There were many reasons to think NBC made a savvy business deal in 2014 when it locked up the American media rights to the Olympics through 2032 for $7.75 billion.<\/p>\n<p>As the Beijing winter games come to a close, it\u2019s harder to see them now.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>These Olympics were a disaster for the network: a buzz-free, hermetically-sealed event in an authoritarian country a half-day\u2019s time zone away, where the enduring images will be the emotional meltdown of Russian teen-agers after a drug-tainted figure skating competition and a bereft Mikaela Shiffrin, sitting on a ski slope wondering what went wrong.<\/p>\n<p>Many American athletes underperformed, and arguably the most successful \u2014 freestyle skier Eileen Gu \u2014 competed for China.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19961826\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/GettyImages-1238496008-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19961826\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/GettyImages-1238496008-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Ailing Eileen Gu of Team China wins the silver medal during the Olympic Games 2022, women\u2019s Freeski Slopestyle on February 15, 2022 in Zhangjiakou China. (Christophe Pallot\/Agence Zoom\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Viewers stayed away in alarming numbers, and NBC has to wonder whether it was extraordinarily bad luck or if the brand of a once-unifying event for tens of millions of people is permanently tainted.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cGiven the investment, they\u2019ve got to be disappointed right now,\u201d said Andrew Billings, director of the sports communications program at the University of Alabama.<\/p>\n<p>Network executives say there are no plans to try and adjust or escape from its rights deal. Several experts say that would be unlikely, given how live sports are increasing in value and represent one of the few ways advertisers can gather large audiences to sell automobiles or beer. NBC Olympics President Gary Zenkel talks optimistically about future games in Paris, Italy and Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<p>Beijing, like Tokyo last year, took place in an environment where the primary objective was to prevent the spread of COVID-19. That meant no fans or athletes\u2019 families in the stands, no quirky stories about the host country and even few announcers: most of NBC\u2019s team worked from an office building in suburban Connecticut.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCertainly one of the great supporting actors in every Olympics is the host city,\u201d Zenkel said. \u201cIt\u2019s the culture, the people, even the sponsor activations. People from all over the world come together and that is not (in Beijing) and there\u2019s no way for us to try to translate something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Through Tuesday, an average of 12.2 million people watched the Olympics in prime-time on NBC, cable or the Peacock streaming service, down 42 percent from the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. The average for NBC alone was 10 million, a 47 percent drop, the Nielsen company said.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s even with the average inflated by airing directly after the Super Bowl, a night that brought in 24 million viewers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"google-auto-placed ap_container\">\n<p>NBC Sports chairman Pete Bevacqua said ratings are in line with what they told advertisers, who are sold packages that include linear and streaming coverage. NBC has not yet said whether the Beijing games turned a profit or lost money.<\/p>\n<p>Thursday\u2019s figure skating, where Russian Kamila Valieva competed despite a positive drug test and fumbled away any chance at a medal, was excruciating television.<\/p>\n<p>One woman on Twitter <a class=\"x5l\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/noah_zoey\/status\/1494682373983768579\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">proclaimed<\/a> the Olympics were \u201cover for me. My lasting impression will be fake snow against a backdrop of 87 nuclear reactors in a country with a despicable human rights record during a pandemic. And kids who can look forward to years of therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Winter Olympics without mountains and snow was always a bad idea but the IOC went ahead and selected Beijing, China anyway. Note the grim looking background complete with a nuclear power plant. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QrGQvE0YAZ\">pic.twitter.com\/QrGQvE0YAZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Corby Waste (@MissionArtist) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MissionArtist\/status\/1491992645316399104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 11, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The image of Valieva standing alone on the ice, looking terrified before her performance, stuck with NBC\u2019s Mike Tirico. \u201cThe adults in the room left her alone,\u201d he said on the air. \u201cPortrayed by some this week as the villain, by others as the victim. She in fact is the victim of the villains.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While there has long been corruption in the bidding process for the Olympics, the Valieva episode tarnished the actual competition, Billings said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s even more damaging to the product,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>For NBC, \u201cthis feels like a particularly vulnerable moment,\u201d said someone closely involved with the Olympics and television, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of ongoing business ties.<\/p>\n<p>The person would not be surprised if someone at NBC was looking for ways to improve its deal with the International Olympic Committee given how badly Beijing went, but thought it \u201chighly unlikely\u201d the network would try to get out of the deal altogether.<\/p>\n<p>The time zones for Paris and winter 2026 in Italy are still not ideal, with the prospect of no live events in prime time in the United States. That changes for Los Angeles in summer 2028.<\/p>\n<p>The 2030 Winter Games could be held in North America, with Vancouver and Salt Lake City expressing interest. The IOC could name a host city next year. Brisbane, Australia, was named the summer 2032 host last year.<\/p>\n<p>Bevacqua and NBC realize there is work ahead to build an Olympic brand that has been tarnished over the past six months.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we in many ways have to work internally with the IOC with the USOPC to rejuvenate the Games coming out of Tokyo and Beijing in preparation for Paris, Italy and LA. That is going to be a strategic priority of ours,\u201d Bevacqua said.<\/p>\n<p>NBC knew, even before the pandemic, that the Tokyo and Beijing games were likely to be the low point of the rights deal, said John Ourand, media writer at the Sports Business Journal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThings look particularly bleak now,\u201d Ourand said. \u201cIt certainly is a low-water mark. But two of the next three Olympics are going to be blockbusters for NBC.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Between cord-cutting and changed viewing habits due to streaming, the media world is in the midst of revolutionary change in how entertainment is consumed. Live sports is one of the few dependable ways to get people to turn on their televisions. Even though rights fees are rising astronomically and viewership is going down, few media companies regret these investments, said Neal Pilson, a former CBS Sports president who runs a sports consulting company.<\/p>\n<p>NBC locked in the full media rights for games in 2028 and 2032 at prices set in 2014.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think they will look to get out of it,\u201d said Rick Burton, professor of sports management at Syracuse University and one-time chief marketing officer for the U.S. Olympic Committee. \u201cIt\u2019s Park Avenue. It\u2019s a showcase property that no one else has. They just have to make it more attractive for people who are moving away from TV.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That means being able to monetize different ways that people consume Olympic content, particularly a young generation searching on phones for something interesting. Streaming is becoming more important \u2014 NBC has so far streamed 3.5 billion minutes from Beijing, compared to 2.2 billion in South Korea \u2014 so expect more attention paid to Peacock.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re at a place now where you can open up an app on your phone or a connected TV and have a place where the Olympics are staring you down in all their glory,\u201d Zenkel said. \u201cThere isn\u2019t a piece of content that\u2019s not discoverable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although European games might not be best for a prime-time television audience, they will be better for people who want to see events on demand, NBC said. The executives said it was possible that more exclusive content will be moved to Peacock, which requires a paid subscription. But they also envision Peacock as a one-stop home for everything about the Olympics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wouldn\u2019t run to say (the rights deal) is not working for NBC,\u201d Pilson said. \u201cOn the contrary, I think it is and it will work better for them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 There were many reasons to think NBC made a savvy business deal in 2014 when it locked up the American media rights to the Olympics through &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1323883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1323883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1323883"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1323883\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1323883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1323883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1323883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}