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Numbers on the NBC's Silverlight Olympic Coverage

By | August 11, 2008, 11:05am PDT

Summary: Tom Steinert-Threlkeld has a great rundown of the numbers behind this weekend’s Olympic coverage. The highest day of coverage was on August 10th and it saw about 3.42 million video streams with 66.7 million page views and an average time spent on the site of 15 minutes. Pretty good numbers but as the BTL piece [...]

Tom Steinert-Threlkeld has a great rundown of the numbers behind this weekend’s Olympic coverage. The highest day of coverage was on August 10th and it saw about 3.42 million video streams with 66.7 million page views and an average time spent on the site of 15 minutes. Pretty good numbers but as the BTL piece notes, that’s only about 2% of a typical YouTube day. So it didn’t exactly take the world by storm.

But one number I thought was interesting was that according to the Wall Street Journal, 90% of people watched the TV exclusively while only 0.2% watched the online version exclusively. But a decent number, 10%, watched both TV and the online version. This is the number I’m most interested in tracking through the games because I think that’s the best example of how people are changing their viewing habits towards rich media online. Giving up TV entirely would be a little ridiculous, but if the big media companies can augment TV coverage with more detailed (or more obscure) coverage on the web, that’s a winning formula.

In general, I’ve been pretty happy with the NBC and the Silverlight Olympics experience. Though some of the criticisms are well founded, that’s more to do with failure in the actual application than it is technology.

More info at Beet.tv.

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Disclosure

Ryan Stewart

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Stewart/?page_id=379

Biography

Ryan Stewart

Ryan Stewart holds an economics degree from the University of Pennsylvania and is now a Rich Internet Application developer and industry analyst. After graduating from Penn, he spent two years developing applications for the Wharton School and pushing the idea of the web as a platform for learning. Ryan now lives in Seattle with his wife and works as a developer for WorldClass Strategy while running his own consulting company, helping clients build and architect Rich Internet Applications.

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It's just not fair!
crenstrom 18th Aug 2008
You sound like my 3 year old... If you don't want to run the system that the application is designed to run on, don't complain about it.

And of course they got a sweet deal... NBC & Microsoft walk hand in hand (eg: MSNBC). I would have been surprised if they went with anything else.
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Would have loved to watch
itguy08 11th Aug 2008
but the GARBAGE known as Silverlight won't run on my PowerPC Mac (the last PPC Powerbook).

I sent them an e-mail about this and that they should have picked Flash or generic MPRG4 for the transport so ALL could see the video.

It's a shame that NBC is in bed with this GARBAGE. They should have standardized on a true cross platform environment rather than a proprietary and poor Microsoft solution.
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It begs the question...
TheTruthisOutThere@... 11th Aug 2008
if it won't run on your PC, how do you know its garbage?

Or do you think its garbage only because it doesnt support a platform made obsolete by Apple that now only has 2.76% marketshare, and falling (Net Applications, Q2 2008)?
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Me too!
ccrashh2@... 11th Aug 2008
Yeah...I was so P.O.d that I couldn't watch online using my 386 with Windows 3.1.1/DOS 5. Totally sucks. Those b'tards!
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Uhh, no.
itguy08 11th Aug 2008
Let's see here, a 3.25 year old machine that does EVERYTHING ELSE well, including RUN THE LATEST OS is much different than a 15 year old computer.
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It may have been the Mac
GuidingLight 11th Aug 2008
that was GARBAGE.
Why would Apple move to an Intel chip if it did not make the computer better?

Apple does not do things unless it is a benefit to the consumer.
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PowerPC Mac
LBiege 11th Aug 2008
Even Apple themselves are giving up on this PPC junk by switching Intel, so I guess it's not M$ fault you are left dead on the wrong machine.
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It's garbage because....
itguy08 11th Aug 2008
They chose a platform that is not supported on all platforms when they could have chosen Flash or MPEG4, they could reach 99.999% of Internet users.

It would also have been cool to have some footage for the iPod/iPhone (not possible with Flash, I know).

Sorry, I'd rather deploy the proven, known solution that works for 99.99% of Net surfers (Flash) rather than alienate 3% of them.

Which begs the question:
Did they really intend to reach the widest possible audience or did they get "an offer you can't refuse" from Microsoft to use Silverlight over Flash?
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It can't be Silverlight because it doesn't run on your computer. It can't be Flash because, as you admitted, the iPhone/iPod doesn't support Flash. Same argument rules out Java. MPEG4 isn't comparable since it isn't a development platform so I'm not sure why you bring it up.

I'll close by suggesting a fix for your Silverlight frustrations: "Get Windows: It Just Works" happy
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The iPhone content would have been an added cool thing.

However, Flash IS the standard, it IS available on more platforms, it DOES WORK ON ALL PLATFORMS, and is a better solution.

And Windows gives me headaches by day, I'll stick with performance and reliability in my Macs. Thanks.
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For your info Silverlight is "cross-browser, cross-platform, and cross-device plug-in". I think your post would have been more helpful if you have only googled for a more enlightened opinion.
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Do tell....
itguy08 12th Aug 2008
Where can I get Silverlight for my iPhone?
Where can I get Silverlight for my Palm Treo Centro?
Where can I get Silverlight for Linux from MS? (Mono is nice but...)

Didn't think so....
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It's just not fair!
crenstrom 18th Aug 2008
You sound like my 3 year old... If you don't want to run the system that the application is designed to run on, don't complain about it.

And of course they got a sweet deal... NBC & Microsoft walk hand in hand (eg: MSNBC). I would have been surprised if they went with anything else.
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Silverlight reach
JustMeUK 11th Aug 2008
While people may not (and many will not) have the Silvelight plug-in installed... it takes just a few seconds to get it.

So the argument of "not being available" does not really stand... It runs on IE, Firefox and Safari on PCs and Macs... last time I checked 90%+ of the whole market
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Not 2.0
itguy08 11th Aug 2008
Which is required for NBC, is not available on PPC Macs.
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Dead end platform
Johnny Vegas 11th Aug 2008
PPC MAC is dead. Even Apple is't be building new software for it. You'd have to be stupid to invest resources in developing for it. Adobe wouldn't build Flash for it today either. NBC would have been stupid to sacrifice the HD and mulitple MBR streams to add the extra couple percent of users Flash would allow. They made a wise choice. MAC PPC buyers no so much...
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Unless
j.m.galvin 11th Aug 2008
you want to reach any of the tens
of millions of PPC macs.

The idea of the web video is to
make money for NBC by selling
ads. They're just shooting
themselves and their advertisers
in the foot.
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Funny
itguy08 Updated - 11th Aug 2008
3.5 years ago PPC Macs were the only game in town for Mac users. And many of those machines are running along fine, including mine.

Just a couple months ago I bought Aperture 2.0 for this PPC Mac and it runs fine.

Just a couple months ago I bought Office 08 for this PPC Mac and it runs fine.

I even, Ghasp! edit videos, make DVD's, and transcode videos on this box. It ain't the speediest thing but it works fine.

Just the other month I bought an iPhone 3g and guess what, it works fine on this Mac.

Want me to continue? Point is there was no need for Silverlight. Not now, not ever.

And it's pure BS that you about multiple feeds, multiple MBR streams, etc.... Funny how YouTube can do it with Flash and serve more video to more people. Funny how at best you'd need 2 streams, HD and SD, probably the same as $hitLight.

Face it, it is a bad decision to run Silverlight, plain and simple.
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Silverlight is great!
NonZealot 11th Aug 2008
Face it, it is a bad decision to run Silverlight, plain and simple.

Only for you! The rest of us are loving it! happy
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Who says its great?
itguy08 12th Aug 2008
I've not heard that.

The only ones that drool over it are those that are blind to anything but MS.
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give it a shot?
wolvie3421 13th Aug 2008
have you even tried silverlight? i think the olympics implementation of it has been more rich and better than any other flash video streaming i've ever seen anywhere.

you should try it out before you bash it.
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Wrong
j.m.galvin 11th Aug 2008
It only works on Intel Macs.
Millions and millions of PPC macs
can't see it.

It only works on the highest
version of OSX 10.4 - again only
on Intel macs - or above.
Anybody with anything before
that cannot see the videos.
Let keep moving on to open web formats. We have been there
done that with Flash and now Silverlight, give the world a break
with the corporate lock down via proprietary leg hold traps!
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Boy, all these talk and all you need is to download the "free" application. Nobody is locking you down with either Flash or Silverlight.
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Answer to your question
TheTruthisOutThere@... 11th Aug 2008
Which begs the question:
Did they really intend to reach the widest possible audience or did they get "an offer you can't refuse" from Microsoft to use Silverlight over Flash?


Oh, I think the answer is clear. NBC is in the business of making money, Microsoft (in this respect) is in the business of making a large installed base for Silverlight, and its Win-Win situation for all but you 3% who aren't supported.
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IOW
itguy08 11th Aug 2008
MS Paid NBC to use Silverlight. They could have gone Flash like everyone else.

Aleniating over 3% of your potential audience is never good business sense.
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Are you sure?
AllKnowingAllSeeing 11th Aug 2008
PPC Macs may be 3% of the market, but is everyone in that 3% going to watch the Olympics online?

What if only .05 percent of PPC users are going to be interested in doing so?

It knocks that percentage down to less then worth it.
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i don't have scientific proof, but could you imagine getting the silverlight feature set implemented in a flash environment?
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B4 Macs coming out in 1984 ...
LBiege Updated - 11th Aug 2008
99% of PCs were running text-based user interface apps so you are suggesting Apple should have never produced a GUI-based Mac, right?

Just cut the whining, M$ didn't force you into a PPC Mac. You picked the junk yourself.
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So it didn?t exactly take the world by storm.

No one outside the US is allowed to watch it.
What will be interesting is to see what happens in the next few days... It is understandable that people wanted to watch the opening in HD on their big screens and over ther weekend they are possibly at home anyway...

The next few days with people checking in from their office or looking for individual events and possibly catching up to see the odd final with a US guy winning a gold medal in an obscure sport we may see an increase in use of the NBC site and we'll hear more feedback and reaction...

I wish this was available in Europe too!!!
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Why bother...
GrimmReaperSound 11th Aug 2008
Why is everybody so up in arms about getting a technology and content that is not even able to show the opening ceremonies in real time!
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NBC didn't want to.
LBiege 11th Aug 2008
Not that they could not.
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I agree
AllKnowingAllSeeing 11th Aug 2008
It's not that it wasn't capable of doing it real time, NBC wanted people to watch it on TV.

How many advertisers would cough up the money they did to NBC for ads if they thought a percentage would watch it on the PC instead?
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Broadcasts Just How The Gate Keepers Like it
christopher.j@... 12th Aug 2008
I've been really looking foward to watch the olympics and the experience (I'd hoped that matched Live8...actually expected better).

But it's not...actually it's a joke from the interface to the quality which is terrible.

NBC won't allow anyone from Canada or elsewhere in the world to watch their coverage broadcast on line (so much for an open internet). This blocking from one country to another (guess it's the theme with China) is not the direction we need to be going.

I understand the logistics (just not logically)but give me a break the USA has 350 million people...we have 33 Million which isn't in my mind worth blocking given ONLY 3.4 Million streams reported on in this article are occuring (that is squat!).

The Olympics have boasted for months on IPV6 and the global online broadcast but I'm sorry this is a terrible QOS experience/broadcast.

I haven't seen/experienced the silverlight platform which NBC conviently has you install then tells you you can't access it from your country.

Live 8 blows the doors off this experience...this to me is step back on so many levels.

There should be centralized broadcast centre in China that has all the events that every/any countries designated network can select/choose what they wish to grab broadcast.

It is very disturbing the gate keepers are continuing their control on what should be an open pipe from anywhere....becuase this isn't testing the internet AT ALL!

This is what happens when everyone doesn't play together but strives to carve up their own piece/control/profit within their boarders.

Oh well...
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Maybe They were afaid of an EU induced
windozefreak 13th Aug 2008
MONOPLY lawsuit???
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RE: Obscure sports online
ClarenceD 12th Aug 2008
I enjoyed using NBCOlympics.com to locate the scheduling for some Judo competition. I was disappointed that it isn't on TV at all, but I did watch a "rewind" of a completed event online, in the "Enlarged Video".

I was able to move back and forth through the five hour segment, finding the matches I wanted to see.

I have a few minor complaints about the interface. For a long video, the time slider moves in too large an increment, a few minutes is the smallest click I could manage.

There is no fast forward, which would make it easier to scan through until I fuond a match of interest.

The screen, even the large one, is not as large as the online video of TV shows that I have watched online from Fox.com.
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Microsoft was smart to get the Olympics to utilize Silverlight rather than Flash or any other platform. It will be interesting to see if developers see this as an opportunity based on the expanded user base who now has Silverlight installed on their computers.

It would be interesting to find out what Microsoft had to give up, financially or otherwise, to have the Olympics choose their technology. Whatever the cost, in the end it may have been worth it if the market continues to grow for them.

MBridge
http://www.MBridge.com
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it is so great, the only ones complaining are those who can't use it or view olympics with it.

I feel your pain....I really do, but let me tell you, you are right for being upset....it is totally awesome!
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Screw Silverlight
David Blomstrom 12th Aug 2008
I understand that Silverlight works on a Mac, but I'm just fed up with Microsoft and its de facto CEO For Life, Bill Gates.

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