How NBC’s Olympics Strategy Became a New Media Fiasco

As the 2012 Summer Olympics commenced, it seemed the most heated rivalry was not among the athletes but between NBC and its viewers. The broadcast network, which paid $1.18 billion for the right to air the games, seemed to have its streaming strategy sewn up. But a series of decisions about digital distribution did not sit well with U.S. viewers, who drowned NBC’s Olympics coverage in a deluge of complaints.

By delaying the broadcast of key events by five hours and requiring a cable subscription to view them online, NBC managed to rile up quite a few of its U.S.-based viewers, a growing number of whom are accustomed to watching TV on the Web and mobile devices.