STAMFORD, Conn.—NBC Sports is reporting that the U.S. Women’s Hockey’s overtime victory on Feb. 19 over Canada was the most watched women’s hockey game on record, averaging 5.3 million viewers on USA Network and Peacock with the audience peaking at 7.7 million viewers in overtime.

Viewing totals for the full Winter Olympics are expected early this week.

NBCUniversal also reported that Alysa Liu’s gold-medal winning performance in the figure skating free skate, and the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team’s 2-1 overtime victory over Canada in the gold-medal game, produced the most-watched Winter Olympics weekday coverage since Feb. 17, 2014, averaging 26.7 million viewers for the live afternoon window (Milan Prime: 2-5 p.m. ET) and Primetime in Milan (8-11 p.m. ET/PT) across NBC, Peacock, NBCU Digital Platforms and Versant’s USA Network, according to preliminary Nielsen data and digital data from Adobe Analytics

Thursday Feb. 19 also marked the 14th consecutive day that NBCU’s Milan Cortina Winter Olympic audience has topped 20 million viewers, according to official Nielsen Big Data + Panel viewership and preliminary data from Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

Through Thursday, the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics is averaging 24.1 million viewers on NBC, Peacock, NBCUniversal Digital Platforms and Versant’s CNBC and USA Network – marking the most-watched Winter Games presentation at this point since the 2014 Sochi Olympics, according to official Nielsen Big Data + Panel viewership and preliminary data from Nielsen, and digital data from Adobe Analytics. Viewership is up 93% from the 2022 Beijing Olympics at this point (12.5 million).

STAMFORD, Conn.—As movie theaters continue to struggle to maintain profitability, they're looking at new ways to fill seats. AMC, the nation’s largest theater chain, is adding an arrow to its quiver in the battle to attract new moviegoers by announcing this week that it will host NBC’s live coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer. 

Although ithe lineup doesn't include the opening and closing ceremonies (often the highest rated shows during the two-week event), select daytime hours of NBCUniversal’s live coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics will be shown in approximately 160 AMC locations nationwide, starting July 27 and running through Aug. 11. Tickets will be available for purchase through AMC and Fandango this summer.

The theater offering is part of what NBC promises to be unprecedented coverage of the 2024 Olympics. “Paris 2024 will have more programming hours on the NBC broadcast network than any previous Olympics, and in a Summer Games first for Peacock, the service will stream every sport and event, including all 329 medal events, for over 5,000 hours of live coverage,” the company said this week. Numerous NBCU cable networks and Spanish-network Telemundo will also carry coverage. 

On March 29, an NBCUniversal promotional trailer for its coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics will begin to run in AMC theatres nationwide.

“The Olympic Games always provide a wonderful, shared experience, and this summer communities across the country will have the opportunity to cheer for Team USA or their own hometown hero in local AMC Theatres,” said Gary Zenkel, President, NBC Olympics. “The afternoon broadcasts on NBC will offer many of the most compelling live moments from Paris, and we believe these gatherings will fuel overall enthusiasm for the Games.”

“We are excited to extend NBC’s daily live coverage of the Paris Olympic Games to AMC Theatres across the country, allowing fans to gather and watch the drama, intrigue, and spectacle of the Summer Games this July,” said Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO, AMC Theatres.

Since NBCUniversal confirmed to The Wall Street Journal earlier this fall that it is considering ending its network programming at 10 p.m. and giving that hour back to its affiliates, speculation has been running rampant about the decline of network primetime programming.

I’m surprised by this reaction since this trend is nothing new and has been going on for a long time. It is part of a slow, gradual shift of scripted programming toward online streaming media from over-the-air primetime broadcasting. If NBC does cut back its primetime schedule—and it very well might—no decision will be made until next year. 

Common Sense
Let’s use a little common sense here. The handwriting has long been on the wall for top-tier scripted programming on over-the-air television. (Let’s be clear—this does not include live sports, events or late-night programming, which will remain broadcast staples for the foreseeable future.) The burst of streaming media choices, however, was bound to put financial pressure on the networks’ primetime schedules. 

Television began with only three networks competing among themselves in the 1950s. Now there are dozens of networks—many with very compelling programs. The competition for eyeballs is more ferocious than ever.

So, of course, costs are not only a concern for the broadcast networks, but also for highly competitive streaming outlets as well. Even NBCU’s Peacock, the network’s new streaming media arm, is ramping up its spending on new shows. That is bound to put pressure on the costs at the NBC on-air network.

The fact is there are some great shows being made today—perhaps the best in the history of the television medium. The problem is, to watch most of them requires much agility on the part of the  viewer and fees to a range of streaming services. A lot of us do “free trials” to watch shows we want to see and then forget to cancel the service. I get it—that’s a clear business model for streaming services.

There is also the issue of commercials. Yes, network television is supposedly “free” (that’s another argument), but many of us now have developed an intolerance for commercial breaks. We got that from paid streaming media services, thank you.

Also, hybrid broadcast-internet late night shows have changed television. I can’t remember ever watching “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on a live feed; I always watch it the next day on the internet. All television is fragmenting in different directions and that is part of the complications for the traditional over-the-air networks.

Let’s face it, though most of us enjoy watching good, creatively produced television programming, where we watch it is definitely changing. Broadcast network television is no longer the big dog in the viewing game. 

“Networks are at an inflection point in terms of costs,” a broadcast veteran told Hollywood’s Deadline. “Live sports have emerged as the main driver going forward, and their high prices are putting pressure on costs for the rest of the lineup. The question is whether affiliates would like fewer hours of primetime network programming.”

Game-Changer
I see the internet as a game-changer that will gradually erode over-the-air primetime broadcasting, especially if the best shows (and most costly) continue to move to pay services. There is only so much good programming and where it is shown will determine where the audience follows.

NBCU, which owns 43 NBC and Telemundo affiliates, could see cutting its network primetime programming to enhance those local broadcasters. But again, what viewers want to watch in that late primetime hour will be determined by program quality and little else. My guess is some affiliates will strike gold, while others will flounder. It all depends on the quality of the programming the station puts in that hour.

ABC, owned by Disney, is mainly focused now on Disney+, ESPN+ and FX/Hulu. Recently, Disney moved its “Dancing with the Stars” to Disney+ after 17 years with the ABC network. That’s a sure sign of changing priorities.

Though there is no change yet afoot at CBS, Fox has slimmed down its primetime lineup and altered its programming due to the Disney-Fox deal. Since the merger, Fox has mainly focused on sports, animation and non-scripted entertainment.

Of course, driving all broadcast primetime is advertising. That number has been reduced to the over-the-air networks from its high point of $70 billion several years ago. Five streaming services—Hulu, HBO Max, Discovery+, Paramount and Peacock—accounted for 65% of online spending last year.

It should be noted that NBC, ABC and CBS are the only English-language broadcast networks that currently air shows at 10 p.m. each weeknight. Those shows are usually dramas. It also should be noted that each of the broadcasters has experienced primetime ratings declines over the past decade. Other networks that have reduced their primetime schedules over the years include The CW and Fox.  

Television is transitioning very slowly, but it is clear that traditional broadcast networks are gradually being cut back in order to fund streaming. This trend is not new and continues at a steady pace.

The lesson is this: great programming will always have viewers. Where audiences watch it is constantly changing. 

BURBANK, Calif.—Paul Telegdy, chairman of NBC Entertainment, is leaving the company as NBCUniversal announced a new structure for its TV and streaming business.

Telegdy was being investigated by the company for allegations of professional misconduct with talent and co-workers.

In the new structure, Frances Berwick will head NBCU’s Entertainment Business and Matt Strauss will lead Direct to Consumer, with both reporting into Mark Lazarus, who was named chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming earlier this year.

“We have an unparalleled portfolio that is now in an even stronger position to drive growth for the business. With the power of NBC and the broadcast model, coupled with the strong cable entertainment brands and the new addition of Peacock, we have massive scale and a deep library of valuable content that can live across platforms,” said Lazarus. “We are incredibly fortunate to have some of the most talented executives in the industry leading the charge and am confident that we are poised to win in this competitive landscape.”

Berwick, who had been in charge of NBCU’s Lifestyle Networks, including Bravo, E! and Oxygen, will map out programming strategy and spending on content across the company’s TV entertainment brands. She will oversee the operations of all networks and all dayparts.

Berwick will also implement “creative windowing and scheduling strategies across the NBC broadcast network and the cable entertainment networks.

Strauss, a former Comcast exec who oversaw the launch of NBCU’s streaming platform Peacock, will continue to oversee Peacock. He will share the programming and acquisition function with the entertainment units in the portfolio.

International networks, headed by Ken Bettsteller, and Fandango, run by Paul Yanover, will report to Strauss.

As part of the reorg, there will be a Entertainment Programming unit. A search for a leader of this unit is underway, the company said. Entertainment Programming will have content groups responsible for scripted programming, unscripted programming, late night and alternative. It will have primary oversight of all original programming for NBC, NBCU’s cable entertainment networks and Peacock. It will also work with NBCU’s studios and outside production companies.

NBC Sports continues to be led by Pete Bevacqua.

Several executives have been promoted to Lazarus’ team, including Christy Shibata, who will head finance; Brian Dorfler, human resources; Dave Pietrycha, business development and Andra Shapiro, legal.

NBCU Television and Streaming includes Telemundo Enterprises, led by Beau Ferrari; the NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, led by Valari Staab; and Affiliate Relations, led by Phil Martzolf. Both Telemundo and the owned station group as well as affiliate relations will continue to report to Lazarus and operate as separate business units within the portfolio.

CEREDIGION, U.K.—The Reliable Internet Stream Transport (RIST) Forum has announced 15 new members have joined its ranks, led by NBC Universal and Hitachi-Comark.

The list of companies that have joined the RIST Forum as affiliate members includes American Public Television, Arena HD, Broadcast Wireless systems, Caton, Cyan View, Enensys, Hitachi-Comark, NBC Universal, Sienna TV, SIP Radius, Softvelum, Tata Communications, Tubical and Videohouse. DTV Innovations has also joined as an associate member.

The RIST Forum, which now features more than 80 members, is committed to the adoption of the RIST protocol for high quality broadcast-grade video over the public internet. RIST aims to create an industry-wide, interoperable transport solution that can be implemented by any vendor into its equipment.

For more information, visit www.rist.tv.  

PHILADELPHIA—NBC Universal has been getting the support of its parent company Comcast this February for managing the broadcast and digital transports of all its broadcasts, most notably Super Bowl LII and the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Comcast Business’ next-generation, advanced network has been connected the NBC Universal’s broadcast facilities across the country, which enables the broadcast of the company’s 24/7 content. Comcast Business has also been integrated into 29 NBC and Telemundo-owned and operated stations, integrating broadcast and digital linear distributing, while also supporting the connectivity needed to uplink the NBC network to more than 200 affiliate stations.

The features of Comcast Business’ Metro Ethernet Services include a 10 Gigabit Diverse Wave infrastructure and 1G Diverse Ethernet Virtual Private Line connection. These offerings deliver a secure connection between sites that can be an alternative to traditional TDM private lines and older packet technologies like Frame Relay. EvPL enables users to bypass the public internet and securely transmit traffic over a private connection, backed by an SLA.

The Winter Olympics are currently underway and will continue to be broadcast through Feb. 25.

STAMFORD, CONN.—The weekly “Sunday Night Football” matchup will now be available to stream through your smartphone starting in the 2018 season. NBC Universal made the announcement through a press release that it had acquired the streaming rights all mobile devices for “SNF” from the NFL and will offer it to fans through its NBC TV Everywhere platform. As per the agreement, NBCU can extend those authenticated streaming rights to its cable, satellite and telco partners, as well as virtual MVPDs.

NBC Sports Digital had previously been streaming “SNF” to desktops, tablets and connected TVs since 2008, but this new deal will allow for these games to be live streamed to mobile phones.

As part of the expanded distribution, streams will now also include national advertising and local affiliate advertising. The reach of national ads, which will continue to be sold exclusively by NBCU, will be further extended by passing through to Verizon and NFL mobile platforms, per last week’s agreement between the NFL and Verizon.

UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIF.—A partnership between NBC Universal and Cineo Lighting has resulted in the development of a new LED production lighting system, the LightBlade.

The LightBlade series of lights are available in three configurations: the LB50 stand-alone linear source; the LB1K, an integrated 4x4-foot soft source; and the LightBlade Ladder Light, which is based on NBC Universal’s backdrop lighting system. The 50 W, 1.5x48-inch light engines can operate in a variety of physical layouts, including stand-alone operation.

Additional features of the LightBlade products include reference-quality variable white light from 2700K to 6500K; color rendering with CRI>90, R9>95, and a saturated color engine that works with high-CRI white light.

More products are currently be developed for use on location and on stage.

NBC Universal and Cineo Lighting are showcasing the new LightBlade lights at Cine Gear Expo in Stage 14 at booth S126.