abcnews.go.com
20.02.2022 / 06:19
Once savvy, NBC's Olympics deal is shakier after Beijing
NEW YORK -- There were many reasons to think NBC made a savvy business deal in 2014 when it locked up the American media rights to the Olympics through 2032 for $7.75 billion.As the Beijing winter games come to a close, it's harder to see them now.These Olympics were a disaster for the network: a buzz-free, hermetically-sealed event in an authoritarian country a half-day's time zone away, where the enduring images will be the emotional meltdown of Russian teen-agers after a drug-tainted figure skating competition and a bereft Mikaela Shiffrin, sitting on a ski slope wondering what went wrong.Many American athletes underperformed, and arguably the most successful — freestyle skier Eileen Gu — competed for China.Viewers stayed away in alarming numbers, and NBC has to wonder whether it was extraordinarily bad luck or if the brand of a once-unifying event for tens of millions of people is permanently tainted.“Given the investment, they've got to be disappointed right now,” said Andrew Billings, director of the sports communications program at the University of Alabama.Network executives say there are no plans to try and adjust or escape from its rights deal. Several experts say that would be unlikely, given how live sports are increasing in value and represent one of the few ways advertisers can gather large audiences to sell automobiles or beer.