NBC Details Olympics Coverage: Over 5,000 Hours, All Online*

Well, it's good to see broadcasters are getting with the times when it comes to major sporting events. NBC is going to be showcasing the 2012 Olympics from London, and naturally, they're doing everything they can to deliver the events in every way possible. But, there are a few catches. Coming soon, users will be blasted with over 5,000 hours of coverage, spread across NBC, NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, Telemundo, NBCOlympics.com, Two Specialty Channels & 3D. Sounds like quite the undertaking, and we're betting you'll be hard pressed to keep up. But for avid fans, this will be the first Olympics broadcast in 3D, and it'll surpass the coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics by nearly 2,000 hours. NBCUniversal will average 291 hours of coverage per day over London's 19 days (including two days of soccer competition prior to the Opening Ceremony), and for the online viewers, there will be plenty to enjoy there as well.


The networks of NBCU will provide coverage of all 32 sports and all 302 medal competitions, and NBC will broadcast 272.5 hours of London Olympic coverage over 17 days.  NBCOlympics.com will live stream every event and sport for the first time ever. In all, the site will live stream more than 3,500 total programming hours, including the awarding of all 302 medals. NBCOlympics.com will live stream NBCU cable channels NBC Sports Network, MSNBC, CNBC and Bravo, but they will only be available to authenticated cable, satellite or telco customers. That's a big "but." But honestly, it's not unexpected. The same kind of "gotcha" is present with HBO Go and plenty of other online outlets.

Either way, it's good to see the Olympics getting so much online coverage. Clearly, cord-cutting is going on, but you better keep it connected if you want to view online. A strange paradox, indeed.