United States Senator Herb Kohl has criticized NBC Universal regarding its online coverage of the Olympics over the past few weeks. We previously covered NBC's screwy Olympics coverage as well.
Senator Kohl didn't agree with NBC's decision that restricted online Olympics coverage to NBC partners and paid TV subscribers. The company seemingly may not have thought to allow viewers to pay for online coverage -- especially if shown live -- even though it also could have helped increase revenue.
Comcast is currently attempting to purchase NBC Universal, which has Sen. Kohl and some consumer rights' groups worried about future things to come from NBC. The ability of a cable operator to control content will be carefully monitored by the government, which will look to punish Comcast if caught abusing its powers.
Despite strong ratings throughout the Winter Olympics, NBC also was criticized for not showing events live on the west coast. Even though Vancouver shares the same time zone as the west coast of the United States, many events were still delayed for three hours.
NBC has struggled greatly, especially its late night television lineup, which recently saw Conan O'Brien leave as Jay Leno went back to the Tonight Show.
There is a growing market for online content -- Comcast, Comedy Central, ABC, NBC and other major broadcasters already provide full episodes and video clips of TV shows and movies online, with more networks expected to follow.
The big question is; would a Comcast - NBC marriage stifle the flow of NBC/Universal content online in an attempt to monopolize and preserve cable TV subscribers?
