This month, NBC is planning to broadcast an astounding 835 hours of coverage from the Vancouver Winter Olympics -- more screentime than the last two Winter Games combined. The network is hoping to recoup the $820 million it paid for rights to the Games by offering extensive live coverage on MSNBC, CNBC and USA Network, and tape-delayed broadcasts on NBC in prime-time. With the opening ceremonies set to commence on Friday, will NBC's saturation strategy pay off? (Watch NBC's Winter Olympics promotional ad)
NBC is gambling people still care: NBC's $820 million gamble "could shape how the Olympics are staged and televised" for many years to come, says Gil Lebreton in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. But keep in mind that the 2006 Winter Olympics were a ratings disaster. NBC's bet will only work if it can get new viewers as excited as the old generation of fans got watching Franz Klammer barrel down the mountain in the 1976 Olympics.
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