During the opening ceremony to the 2012 London Olympics, many U.S. viewers were upset they couldn’t watch it live. NBC waived its right to live-stream the ceremony, choosing to show it on tape delay later in the evening, during primetime coverage.
Viewers vented their frustrations on Twitter. Some expressed anger at NBC directly. Others said they were disappointed they couldn’t watch the ceremony while simultaneously live-tweeting it, as British viewers did. We called NBC for comment, and will update this post if they respond.
UPDATE: An NBC spokesman said of the network’s presentation of the ceremony: “They are complex entertainment spectacles that do not translate well online because they require context, which our award-winning production team will provide for the large primetime audiences that gather together to watch them.”
Compiled below are some common complaints posted by Twitter users .
NBC showing complete contempt for its audience by not showing or streaming Olympics opening ceremony live
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NBC making an incredible bid for gold medal for Stupidest Network Ever. No livestreaming, no broadcast, just pretending it doesn’t exist.
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Wow, you serious NBC? The Olympic opening ceremony is on a tape delay 3 hours after it happens? Ya’ll can’t be serious…
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Why didn’t NBC show the Opening Ceremonies LIVE and show them again on tape delay in prime time? #Olympics #PPLwatchAtWork
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Incredible that #Olympic sponsors thought they could hold out until prime time to show the opening ceremonies. Rookie move
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Users complained that they couldn’t live-tweet about opening ceremonies, even though they were reading tweets from other people who were watching them live.
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From the Twitter comments, Olympics opening ceremony sounds kind of cool. Too bad I can’t see any of it because of tape delay. Thanks, NBC!
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Whoa whoa whoa, wait a second – NBC is broadcasting the opening ceremony on TAPE DELAY? It’s 2012! I need to live-tweet!!
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Twitter vividly describes the emotion and drama unfolding at this very moment in London… and on my NBC station: Wheel of Fortune.
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Many users addressed NBC’s Olympic Twitter account, asking why the network wasn’t broadcasting the ceremonies on TV or online.
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I love how @NBCOlympics is live tweeting the event they’re not live broadcasting #morons
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Other viewers did find a way to watch the opening ceremonies live. The Huffington Post had a viral story that linked to live Internet streams of the ceremonies.
Hey Internet, Help Us Watch The Opening Ceremony Live
While CTV is airing the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony live across Canada, and BBC will have live coverage in the United Kingdom, …
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Katie Jacobs Stanton, head of Twitter’s international strategy, saw an opportunity for social media in the delay.
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Our friends in Europe are speechless watching the opening ceremonies. Too bad we’re viewless in the US. At least we have ___________________________________
What do you think of NBC’s approach in choosing not to show the opening ceremonies live in the U.S.?
