The Online Olympics Open

Summer Olympics coverage starts today, and NBC will attempt to present 2,200 hours of "unprecedented" online sports coverage from Beijing over the next couple of weeks.

Online viewers will be able to watch up to four live streams simultaneously through a video player based upon Microsoft's Silverlight technology. If it works, it is expected to boost coverage around less-popular events that rarely get TV time and demonstrate a way to monetize them.

Wire-to-wire (to IP) coverage will include fencing, table tennis, trampoline and archery. The event is being billed as a super "long-tale" event and is also expected to showcase Silverlight technology, which is a competitor to Adobe's Flash.

Streaming video is being linked with as-it-is-typed text commentary from NBC sports editors that will be linked into specific video frames. On-demand viewers will be able to click on text to jump to a particular described scene.

NBC and Microsoft are working with several partners to put  the Games online. Limelight Networks is a key player; earlier this summer, the company helped Disney deliver 860,000 "plays" of "Camp Rock" in 24 hours. 

For more:
- Tune into Seattle Times coverage of NBC's online Olympics

Related articles:
Hoping online revitalizes the Olympics
Olympic Headcounting