Another reason to be grateful that Americans don't watch "soccer"! Or are you bored of that too ;)
Meh - I think it's because it's not a case of an established artist. It's not a case of a professional performer. It's a situation where an unknown child is presented to the world, apparently singing, and I for one accepted her performance as "true". I wasn't all that impressed by it (a collective groan went up in our room when she came on) but knowig it was purely based on looks... Shame. Don't they have Pop Idol over there?!

Maybe I don't care so much because I didn't really think she was singing from the start.

I think the opening ceremony was great regardless of a bit of acting on the part of a cute little kid. In fact, I thought it was awesome. Best ever.

Nah. Sydney definitely had more jaw-dropping moments.
And that's not sucking up - we all agreed it. Then again they're a group of arty-farties and I just cracked up at the giant shrimp.

Yep, I do think it's great. Know why? Because we are still, at least at the moment, the biggest market for this stuff. We consume pretty much any damn thing we want and we vote with our dollars. The olympics aren't free and the advertisers aren't stupid. That's why it is set up to air when it's convenient for us.

There are a lot of consumers in other time zones too. For instance, Japan. What's the population there these days? And how many of them tune in to the olympics? I suspect quite a vast number. Possibly more than the US even, especially combined with China and the host of other nations in similar time zones.

could be. let me know when they spend what we do. better forward that email on to all the advertisers too. you may not like it and it may not be true for much longer but you can't deny that events like this revolve around the desires of the US public. Welcome to markets in action.

Well my point is that it revolves around the whole world. Not the US.

your point was that it sucks that events are scheduled to coincide with our prime time. There is a perfectly logical reason that events are scheduled that way. regardless of who is participating, watching, and enjoying the olympic games the advertisers know who pays the biggest chunk of the bills and schedule accordingly. To do otherwise would be foolish.

Again, my point is not about the financial aspect of it. My point is that the rest of the world never gets to see events live unless they have access to a tv during US prime time because whoever it is and for whatever reason, it happens every time.

My point is that it's simply not fair on 'the rest of the world'.

So are you going to say the same thing again or accept that maybe a sporting event such as the Olympics where so many other countries are represented should at least be aired during prime time in the country that's hosting? Or do you think that's an unreasonable wish? If so, why? What makes viewers in the US more important for any other reason than their consumer dollars?

The $900,000,000 NBC paid the Chinese for the broadcast rights.

bidniz is bidniz

Once again, if you can come up with any other reason than financial ones I'd like to hear them.

Why should there be any reason than accommodating the customer?

I'm sure no one means to be rude, but money is the only reason that actually matters in the reality of the situation...

Please tell me you aren't naive enough to believe the olympics would be televised at all if money weren't the motivating factor. Please? The whole reason networks want the olympics is for the advertising income. Executives aren't sitting around twiddling their patriotic thumbs hoping for some great event to broadcast for the sheer joy of it. They want a program a bunch of people watch so they can charge a bunch of other people a bunch of money. The money IS the reason.

And beyond that, who said anything about fair? What does this have to do with fair? Why should fair even be a factor in the equation?