‘Live’ coverage can depend on where you live

Is it live or is it Memorex for the Games?

NBC toned down the showbiz in its Olympic TV, such as by reducing the lengths and maudlin nature of its up-close-and-personal features. Still, NBC’s Beijing prime-time action is the only big U.S. sports coverage that’s live in some time zones and tape-delayed in others – as if it were morning news or prime-time entertainment.

While all swim finals and lots of gymnastics air live from Beijing for the 82 percent of U.S. households in Central and Eastern time zones, they’re held – just like, say, “Good Morning, America” or “American Idol” live finales – for regular network prime-time slots in Mountain and Pacific time zones. As if they were “Today” cooking segments.

And like “Dancing With the Stars” labeled “live” onscreen when its on tape-delay in the West, NBC’s “live” graphic remains – NBC says it couldn’t take it off the feed – on the tape-delay. Viewers get subtle, if not confusing, tips that it’s not live by onscreen graphics at least three times per hour listing the actual time of day in various time zones.

Something similar happened with the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games. NBC hoped prime-time action airing live in the East would also air live on its West Coast affiliates. But those stations didn’t want live action, partly since it would cut into their own local news shows, but also because they figured holding action for prime time would draw more viewers than live action when fewer people watch TV.

Olympic TV will never become regular TV sports. It’s way too different.

There aren’t many gymnastic fantasy leagues or betting on diving and, unlike other sports, women usually make up the majority of Olympic prime-time audiences. When most Olympic sports, outside the Games, are shown as sports, they often produce microscopic viewership.