Olympics Triplecast
The Olympics Triplecast was an experimental
Overview and history
NBC, which had broadcast rights to the Games,[Note 1][1] thought that viewers would be willing to pay US$95 to $170 to see events live, which would normally be shown on tape delay on the network in prime time. It partnered with Cablevision,[2] the prominent New York cable provider, to create three channels: Red, White, and Blue. A special three-button remote control with the colors of the channels as the buttons was offered by some cable operators for free as a lure to sign up for the service.[3] Channels aired twelve hours a day (from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET) then repeated their content for the other twelve hours.[4] Programs came from the world feed.[5] As an inducement for people to order the Triplecast, NBC featured star announcers and pundits, such as Chick Hearn for basketball.
Channel programs
- The Red channel featured swimming events during the first week and track and field events during the second week.
- The White channel featured many individual sports, such as equestrianand other sports.
- The Blue channel featured team sports, such as basketball, baseball, volleyball, water polo, and team handball.
Issues
Several issues plagued the Triplecast.
Logistics
Cable providers took a lower profit cut than they normally do for pay-per-view events. A national center was also set up (1-800-OLYMPIC) to take calls, but it often had trouble telling if a viewer's cable system was participating. In January 1992, for instance,
Low uptake
The biggest issue with Triplecast was low uptake. NBC estimated two million people would subscribe to the programming.
The final tally of Olympics Triplecast subscribers was 200,000.[9] It was enough of a flop that Chuck Dolan was already acknowledging by August 6 that "the public didn't find enough incremental value for the Triplecast over what they could get on NBC" and that "we blew it from an economic point of view." It also surfaced that research figures were enhanced. While one percent of surveyed viewers said they would "definitely" buy the TripleCast, that number was enhanced in press materials by adding those who declared they would "probably" buy the service.[10]
Cannibalizing the main coverage
The TripleCast service took a very austere, no-frills approach to broadcasting that included play-by-play and commentary, but few graphics and absolutely no feature stories or background vignettes. According to some TripleCast viewers, this made the main NBC coverage seem "schmaltzy and overproduced".[7] In addition, NBC's main coverage was denigrated to some extent, with Triplecast viewers knowing some results 10 hours or more before the events were aired on the main network.
Advertising
Original Triplecast advertising promoted that the service was "live with no interruptions" — though half of the broadcast day was a repeat. The New York City Consumer Affairs Department charged NBC and Cablevision with deception in advertising as a result.[4] Eventually, the parties settled, with NBC and Cablevision agreeing to clarify the advertising.[11] In addition, about 10 percent of NBC's 205 affiliates refused to run Triplecast advertising because they did not want to promote competition for their broadcast.[6]
Legacy
Even before the Olympics started, many criticized the business model. On July 16, nine days before the Opening Ceremony, one
NBC did not use pay-per-view to cover any future games. While NBC alone broadcast the
- 2012 Olympic Games.
- For the
- During the 2008 Summer Olympics, NBC also streamed 2,200 hours of 25 different sports live on NBCOlympics.com. Most events shown on NBCOlympics.com were shown with no commentary. The number of hours of coverage has expanded further for each succeeding Games.
- For the 2018 Winter Olympics, the addition of the new Olympic Channelwill allow further expansion overall to the network's schedule of coverage.
- For the 2020 Summer Olympics, NBC’s streaming service Peacock also became a part of its coverage, showing highlights and even airing exclusive live coverage of select events.
NBC currently holds the U.S. rights to the Olympics through 2032.
Notes
- Rainbow Programming Holdings, parent company to several cable networks) and produce round-the-clock (twelve hours live each day, then repeated for the next twelve hours) coverage of other Olympic events on three pay-per-view channels. The venture was a financial disaster, with NBC and Cablevision each losing about $50 million each.
References
- ^ Gallant, Joseph. "TV Broadcasting History – The World Comes Together in Your Living Room: The Olympics on TV". Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- ^ "The 1992 Barcelona Olympics". NBC Sports History Page.
- ^ Article at findarticles.com
- ^ a b "Triplecast Ads Are Cited." New York Times 17 Jul. 1992: 10.
- ^ Sarni, Jim. "Quick Remote Trigger Is A Triplecast Must", Miami Sun-Sentinel, 27 July 1992.
- ^ a b Sandomir, Richard. "OLYMPICS; Triplecast: An Olympian Blunder or Innovation?", The New York Times, 29 June 1992.
- ^ a b c Zoglin, Richard; Ty, William. "How Much Is Too Much?" TIME 10 Aug. 1992: 64.
- ^ Diamond Joe (25 July 2012). "20 Years After: The Olympics Triplecast". Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- ^ Sandomir, Richard (25 July 2012). "Happy Anniversary, Triplecast". The New York Times blog. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- ^ Sandomir, Richard. "BARCELONA; Overpricing of Olympics' Triplecast Service Is Acknowledged", The New York Times 6 Aug. 1992: 14.
- ^ "OLYMPICS; Settlement In Triplecast Ads." The New York Times 22 July 1992: 10.
- ^ Macnow, Glen. "Triplecast May Be A National Failure At This Year's Games NBC Needs A Huge Viewing Audience To Make Its $401 Million Gamble On The Olympics Pay Off. So Far, It's Not Even Close.", Philadelphia Inquirer, 16 July 1992.
- ^ Sandomir, Richard. "Click, Click, Click: The Year In Gaffes", The New York Times 25 December 1992: 8.
- ^ Sandomir, Richard. "SPORTS BUSINESS; Some Shaky Precedents for New York Sports Fans." New York Times 28 Aug. 1994: 35.
- ^ DePrez, Greg. "The Olympics TripleCast: still revolutionary, still relevant", Multichannel News 22 June 1996.
- ^ Lawler, Richard (27 May 2012). "NBC lays out 2012 London Olympics broadcast plan on TV, internet, apps and in 3D". Engadget. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
