Canadians this morning could wake up, turn on the TV and watch the CBC's coverage of the Beijing opening ceremony live.
Not so in the United States, where NBC delayed its telecast until prime time tonight.
While Canadians were watching the massive and occasionally spectacular ceremony, NBC's Today show was previewing the U.S. team and airing a feature on Chinese food.
While the CBC showed us the parade of athletes, NBC gave its viewers Live With Regis And Kelly.
There was no way for the U.S. audience to watch the opening ceremony live, unless it had access to a feed from outside the country. Viewers in U.S. markets close to Canada would have been able to pull in the CBC's over-the-air broadcast.
We won't belabour this point. NBC, which is owned General Electric, is in the business of making money. And tape delaying the big Olympic events until the evening spikes prime time audiences, allowing the network maximize advertising revenue.
Still, as we mentioned before, it is remarkable that in the United States, in the 21st century, coverage of major Olympic events are not available live.
