Internet the Big Winner in 2010 Olympics

As much as you've enjoyed watching the 2010 Winter Olympic Games with your family, you more than likely have been accompanied by an overlooked, but important guest. This guest could make itself comfortable in your pocket, on your lap, on the side table next to your couch or even in the next room. This guest also is a contributing factor to the $250 million NBC is expecting to lose while broadcasting the Olympic Games and serving as the entertainment for "family night."

Who is this guest? Why, the Internet, of course.

While past Olympics gave viewers the option to view one channel, with one network deciding which sport would air, the 2010 Vancouver games came with the opportunity to personalize your Olympic experience via the Internet.

Web sites like CNN's iReport and NowPublic.com have kept NBC on its toes by featuring special projects devoted to the 2010 games - by the people, for the people. These sites allow the general public to post videos, articles and general commentary live from Vancouver.

NBCOlympics.com has been combating these bohemian content-volunteers and taking advantage of the NBC broadcast oligopoly by offering more than 1,000 hours of free live coverage to "registered TV viewers." Cable-subscribing sports fans simply enter their cable service provider from a drop-down list, push play and enjoy their favorite event without having to wait until nightfall.

Viewer connectivity through social media also has been a major theme of the 2010 Olympics, with Alex Huot, the head of the International Olympic Committee, guessing this year's events will become "the first social-media Olympics."

Advertisers embraced the social-media movement by inviting spectators to interact with their brand digitally. Visa has devoted 40 percent of their Olympic advertising budget to creating a YouTube channel and releasing six, pre-aired TV advertisements. Visa has encouraged fans to view these ads and pick their favorite for a chance to see their name appear when the ad airs live.

Coca-Cola entered the game by developing an iPhone app for Olympic buffs to stay informed while on the go. The app includes news, updates and the ability to cheer for America with the sounds of an air-horn, cowbell, an audience roar and, of course, the pouring sound of an ice-cold Coca-Cola. The brand also required their sponsored athletes to tweet about their upcoming competitions and Olympic thoughts.

Twitter compiled a section of professional Olympians (twitter-athletes.com), which gives users the chance to receive intimate descriptions from their favorite athletes about intensive training or pre-competition jitters. Followers can tweet back to their idols, possibly sending them congratulation messages for winning the gold, or heart-felt condolences for coming up short.

Numerous Winter Olympic update informers also sprouted up all over Twitter, giving real-time information to followers about medal winners, competition times and interviews featuring athletes.

And with the good, also comes the bad.

With NBC delaying air times and social media keeping us instantaneously aware of event winners/ losers, social media might be seen as a spoiler alert for avid Olympic fans. The real-time accessibility and ability to read about it on a tweet will more than likely take away from the overall Olympic joy of actually watching your country win the gold.

This premature medal awareness from social media is one of the major suspects in NBC's $250 million loss.

Whether or not you see the Internet involvement with the 2010 games as a good or bad partnership, you can't ignore the impact it is having on viewers and advertisers alike.

The Internet is allowing us to connect directly with the games, sponsors and athletes by bypassing the traditional, one-choice-doesn't-fit-all network (NBC). It's also allowing us to create our own options, our own way. Having more options leads to greater control of our own time. In my opinion, the Internet already has won the gold. 

Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Sunday, February 28th.