Director Danny Boyle wove lavish musical tributes to the economic Revolution and also the U.K.'s National Health Service into the Olympic gap Ceremonies, which just about feels like a Monty Python sketch. Paul McCartney sang flat. Ryan Seacrest scan his queries off note cards.
And none of it mattered.
In TV terms, the Olympics are the best of high ideas -- a noble ideal concerning international fellowship, mixing sports, politics and also the inherent drama of coaching a whole life (to borrow from another marquee event) for one shining moment. Forall the second-guessing concerning the London Games -- together with the recurring issue of tape-delayed events for primetime within the U.S., or conversely, diluting NBC's efforts by promiscuously scattering thousands of coverage hours across NBCUniversal networks and also the internet -- the initial ratings were spectacular. Despite an uneven gap Ceremony with as several peculiar prospers as dazzling ones, over forty million individuals tuned in Friday, per Nielsen estimates, amassing an Oscar-sized audience on a network that averaged but a fifth as several for the 2011-12 TV season.
Yet that is conjointly why tries to bottle and preserve the magic -- as NBC is once more seeking to try to to -- virtually invariably fall flat.
NBC has opted to provide special promos for several of its new shows, using Olympic themes. whereas one will admire the creativity, the tip result encompasses a manner of obscuring instead of highlighting what these programs might need to supply.
Perhaps that is why the ad that the majority stood out Friday was really for successive James Bond movie, "Skyfall," that enjoyed the added bonus of getting star Daniel Craig create a grand entrance with the queen. observe high-class product placement.
Saturday's coverage of the primary full day of competition was predictably jingoistic. Indeed, one might simply have mistaken an introduction of the U.S. men's gymnastics team with a spot for "The Expendables 2" airing a couple of minutes later. And having Ryan Seacrest recap social-media responses to the Games would surely take the gold if pandering to younger demos becomes an Olympic event.
Still, preliminary results for Saturday looked sturdy, suggesting Friday was no fluke. NBC conjointly caught a possible break story-wise with swimmer Michael Phelps' fourth-place end, that ought to add zest and suspense to his quest to become the most-honored Olympic athlete ever.
An element of fatigue is nearly certain to set in by the second week, however by then, the set up is for everybody to own seen enough promos for "Go On," "Revolution" and "Chicago Fire" to last a lifetime.
Whatever the issues concerning diluting tune-in -- beginning with the gluttonous buffet of programming offered -- the Olympics endure, and small is probably going to stop London from being a rousing success by today's fragmented broadcast standards. As former NBCU chief Jeff Zucker observed throughout the last Summer Games in 2008, "The pipes still work" -- even though the plumbing seldom has to accommodate such a stream of viewers.
Once Phelps and company get out of the pool, though, it is a whole new ballgame, and what appears like a rush of momentum will quickly prove ephemeral.
Like a gold medalist, NBC are often forgiven for exulting within the moment. nonetheless if history's any guide, we'd all be wise to recollect the excellence between catching a wave vs. just creating a splash.
And none of it mattered.
In TV terms, the Olympics are the best of high ideas -- a noble ideal concerning international fellowship, mixing sports, politics and also the inherent drama of coaching a whole life (to borrow from another marquee event) for one shining moment. Forall the second-guessing concerning the London Games -- together with the recurring issue of tape-delayed events for primetime within the U.S., or conversely, diluting NBC's efforts by promiscuously scattering thousands of coverage hours across NBCUniversal networks and also the internet -- the initial ratings were spectacular. Despite an uneven gap Ceremony with as several peculiar prospers as dazzling ones, over forty million individuals tuned in Friday, per Nielsen estimates, amassing an Oscar-sized audience on a network that averaged but a fifth as several for the 2011-12 TV season.
Yet that is conjointly why tries to bottle and preserve the magic -- as NBC is once more seeking to try to to -- virtually invariably fall flat.
NBC has opted to provide special promos for several of its new shows, using Olympic themes. whereas one will admire the creativity, the tip result encompasses a manner of obscuring instead of highlighting what these programs might need to supply.
Perhaps that is why the ad that the majority stood out Friday was really for successive James Bond movie, "Skyfall," that enjoyed the added bonus of getting star Daniel Craig create a grand entrance with the queen. observe high-class product placement.
Saturday's coverage of the primary full day of competition was predictably jingoistic. Indeed, one might simply have mistaken an introduction of the U.S. men's gymnastics team with a spot for "The Expendables 2" airing a couple of minutes later. And having Ryan Seacrest recap social-media responses to the Games would surely take the gold if pandering to younger demos becomes an Olympic event.
Still, preliminary results for Saturday looked sturdy, suggesting Friday was no fluke. NBC conjointly caught a possible break story-wise with swimmer Michael Phelps' fourth-place end, that ought to add zest and suspense to his quest to become the most-honored Olympic athlete ever.
An element of fatigue is nearly certain to set in by the second week, however by then, the set up is for everybody to own seen enough promos for "Go On," "Revolution" and "Chicago Fire" to last a lifetime.
Whatever the issues concerning diluting tune-in -- beginning with the gluttonous buffet of programming offered -- the Olympics endure, and small is probably going to stop London from being a rousing success by today's fragmented broadcast standards. As former NBCU chief Jeff Zucker observed throughout the last Summer Games in 2008, "The pipes still work" -- even though the plumbing seldom has to accommodate such a stream of viewers.
Once Phelps and company get out of the pool, though, it is a whole new ballgame, and what appears like a rush of momentum will quickly prove ephemeral.
Like a gold medalist, NBC are often forgiven for exulting within the moment. nonetheless if history's any guide, we'd all be wise to recollect the excellence between catching a wave vs. just creating a splash.
London olympics schedules, results and medals details here - London Olympic Games 2012 Results
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