The 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will bring 10,500 athletes to compete in 306 events. Not only were they the most watched on traditional TV, but it also set records for the most live streaming for an event. Back in 2010, the network was judged to have vastly overpaid for the Sochi Winter Games, losing hundreds of millions because of the steep price paid to broadcast them.
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“While the physical safety of athletes and in-person attendees in Rio has dominated headlines around the 2016 Olympics, digital safety is also a critical concern”, researchers said, in a blog. This isn’t surprising considering the whole cable cutting trend has forced cable providers to offer live streams of their channels and has effectively created a whole new industry of cable alternatives. Bravo, for example, is hosting the Olympic tennis exclusively between 9.30am and 10pm, in an interesting transition from Shahs of Sunset and RHOC. But don’t expect to see many Olympic highlights during the fortnight on ESPN, the self-proclaimed Worldwide Leader in Sports.
With so many different competitions and so little time to view everything, NBC is doing its best to put live events and highlights at your fingertips, no matter which device you’re using or where you’re at. Women are typically the demographic most drawn to watching the Olympics on TV, and that drives NBC’s production.
When your 7-day free trial expires from Sling, you can jump over to the free trial offered by PlayStation Vue.
If you get NBC through your cable subscription, you’ll also have access to all of NBC’s streaming content via the NBC Sports app and NBCOlympics.com.
Golf Channel, which will carry the Olympics’ golf competition, can be added by choosing the $34.99 Core programming package, which has more than 70 channels, compared with the $29.99 Access package. However, any of its Sling Blue subscribers will receive a preview of CNBC and MSNBC during the Olympics. The U.S. will also look to continue its recent run of dominance in women’s soccer, men’s basketball and women’s beach volleyball. For a streaming package that covers all of the above and more, Sling TV is asking $40 a month-which is about what a cable TV bundle costs. You will need cable login credentials (sad trombone). It is not just online either; once again NBC is airing the ceremonies on TV with a one-hour delay. These three apps all have the same features though, such as detailed spectator guides, tips for a great time in Rio de Janeiro, play-by-play results with real-time medal tables, along with awesome coverage and fantastic photos as well as some cool competitions.
It’s also worth remembering that some other countries have national broadcasters that stream the Olympics for free. On top of that, you have one of the biggest doping scandals in history overshadowing everything.
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“Our digital team does an unbelievable job getting all that information to us so we’re all in sync, but it is indeed a courageous new world”, said Jim Bell, NBC Olympics executive producer. You might not get to see all the live action, but you’d get the primetime evening and the daily show, which is something.
