Author: Anita Sthankiya
Over five billion people worldwide had access to the 2018 Olympic coverage, as reported by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS). In the USA, NBC Universal aired more than 2,400 hours of coverage across TV and digital platforms. NBC however, was heavily criticized by other media organizations for inaccurate statements about other countries and its overall programming. The PyeongChang Winter Olympics have wrapped up, and countries around the world will welcome home their athletes with pride and patriotism, but will also left wondering who won some of the sporting events.
The Washington Post quickly jumped on Katie Couric’s bizarre explanation about why the Dutch are good speed skaters. During the game’s opening ceremonies, Couric suggested that when Amsterdam’s canals freeze over, skating is “an important mode of transportation.” “It is probably not a news flash to tell you the Dutch are really, really good at speed skating,” she said. “All but five of the 110 medals they’ve won have been on the speed skating oval. Now, ‘Why are they so good?’ you may be asking yourselves. Because skating is an important mode of transportation in a city like Amsterdam which sits at sea level,” continued Couric. “As you all know, it has lots of canals that can freeze in the winters. So, for as long as those canals have existed, the Dutch have skated on them to get from place to place, to race each other, and also to have fun.”
The Post, the Dutch, and others on social media chimed in to mock Couric, with many using memes and overarching statements to get their point across.
While the NBC commentary during the Olympics was scrutinized, it wasn’t the only snafu from the broadcaster. Network commentators Bode Miller and Dan Hicks crowned Anna Veith the winner of the super G women’s event, despite the competitors still to come. Hicks said, “Four straight Olympic golds in the women’s super G for the skiing powerhouse of Austria. I just about can’t believe it!” According to Vulture.com, the programming then switched to the men’s figure skating finals. NBC did eventually switch back to the super G after Ester Ledecka from the Czech Republic won the race, but the damage was done. NBC showed a lack of sportsmanship and support for athletes from other countries by failing to show the entire race.
Of course, the USA isn’t the only country under scrutiny for their coverage of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. North Koreans have not been given access to the international event. According to The Associated Press, North Korea blacked out the games in their country. The only reports from the games were about the visit of Kim Jong Un’s younger sister attending the opening ceremony.
Un previously announced North Korea’s plan to participate saying he would send 500 people to the games including 22 athletes, 21 reporters, and the all-female cheering squad.
According to Martyn Williams, a North Korea media watcher, there haven’t been any televised reports about the games on state run media KCTV. State-run newspaper KCNA also steered clear of the games using only basic stories and still photographs, mainly because they are not subject to the same restrictions as television.
Williams said previous Olympics were generally reported with the focus on North Korean athletes a day or two after the competition, but this time around nothing was shared on television. Williams implied Korean athletes were performing very poorly at the games and were well behind other competitors.
Other countries also missed out on the action, including Singapore. After months of discussion, Mediacorp had not agreed on a licensing fee with Dentsu, which holds exclusive broadcasting rights for the Summer and Winter Olympics in 22 Asian countries until 2024. According to Straitstimes.com, Dentsu wanted to sell the rights to the 2018 Winter Games and 2020 Summer Games as a bundle, but the offer was rejected by Mediacorp.
As a result, the national broadcaster stated there would only be regular updates on the games, but no live coverage. Supporters of the Singaporean athletes and other countries were unable to support any of the athletes participating in the games in real time. They lacked the ability to join in social media conversations and meet with friends to watch the events live, or come together as a community to share in national pride.
When countries show either a lack of support for the games, or ignore the winners of each sport because they don’t represent their respective home countries, it can be argued it shows poor sportsmanship by the media.
Viewers were also angry at Australia’s Seven Network for its Winter Olympics coverage.
According to The New Daily, viewers were unhappy with the amount of replays featuring Australian athletes, which was often prioritized ahead of live action. Viewers at The New Daily complained events not featuring Australians were placed on the back-burner, including hockey.
A spokesperson from Seven Network told The New Daily the focus of the programming was on the Australian competitors and that other action could be accessed through their app.
The overall statement from viewers in North America, Australia, and other countries was that they were disappointed in coverage from their national stations. While the mandate from these networks is to highlight athletes in their respective countries, the Spirit of the Games is to celebrate all athletes, regardless of their country.
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