Video Coverage

SPOTLIGHT: Young girls tuning out Olympics

Pete Wylie — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:07:18 -0400

For all the hype about NBC's unprecedented online video coverage of the Olympics, and the massive ratings they have seen so far, there is one major demographic slipping through the cracks.

According to a MediaLife story, fewer girls aged 12 to 17 are tuning in to the 2008 Olympics than tuned in to the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

While overall viewership is up 14 percent from Athens, rating for teenage and tween girls fell 11 percent. It's an interesting point to note for advertisers attempting to reach this choice demographic.

For more:
- MediaLife reports on missing Olympic-watching teenage girls.

Olympics online videos ratings surge

Pete Wylie — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:41:08 -0400

NBC has seen encouraging results for its online video coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games, according to Nielsen Online figures released Monday. On Friday, Aug. 8, 436,000 unique U.S. viewers accessed video coverage of the opening ceremonies and the few sports that began competition prior to the festivities. Traffic almost doubled the next day, as nearly 900,000 viewers took in video coverage of the first full day of competition.

Despite some problems with load speeds, initial lag on longer videos and network embargoes of some content, the online presentation of the Olympics appears to be a relatively seamless success so far for NBC, not to mention Microsoft's Silverlight video technology and Limelight Networks' content delivery service.

NBC intends to carry more than 2,000 hours of online video to supplement its live broadcast coverage of the Beijing games. Advertisers and Olympic sponsors are watching closely to see if online coverage will attract and keep fans of sports that don't make it to direct broadcast.

For more:
- Nielsen reports top ten Olympic websites and complete NBC Olympic video stats

Related Articles:
The Online Olympics Open
Olympic Headcounting

Take me out to the ball game (and Stanley Cup)

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:59:55 -0400

Yahoo has announced a three year deal with MLB.com, the digital side of Major League Baseball, for video distribution and ad sales while the NHL is expanding their online video coverage.

Yahoo has a three year deal with MLB.com to syndicate content from MLB.tv on Yahoo Sports through 2010, giving Yahoo users the ability to watch live and on-demand baseball games outside of their home markets. MLB.com says this will be more than 2,400 games each year and Yahoo Sports will also broadcast the FastCast broadcast game recap show and other MLB.video. Yahoo users will pay between $14.95 and $19.95 per month (or between $89.95 to $119.95 per year) depending on video quality. Yahoo will also be the exclusive advertising partner for MLB.tv in the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

The National Hockey League is touting NHL Network Online, available free at NHL.com and delivered through a new broadband player to deliver seven new dedicated channels of NHL multimedia programmed around distinct themes. Fans will be able to get a daily fix of "The Hockey Show" exclusively produced by the NHL and live events will be dished up on "NHL LiveWire" with sponsorship by Cisco.

NHL's new broadband player was designed and developed in coordination with builder/broadcast manager NeuLion. The NHL and NeuLion have worked together to provide a solution to make the fans happy with online viewing while allowing the NHL to integrate in corporate sponsorships through custom skins for the player or rotating panel ads.

For more:
- Yahoo announcement of MLB.com video deal
- News.com Blog on Yahoo Baseball Deal
- The NHL Broadband Player press release
- USA Today's NHL online video coverage expands

Related articles:
Millennial Media Adds MLB.com to Fastest-Growing Mobile Advertising Network
MLB slides into iTunes
Airborne Entertainment Scores Winning Goal with Launch of "NHL Clubhouse"