NBC has strongly denied a rumor that it would televise swimmer Michael Phelps potential record-setting 8th gold medal of the Olympics live on the West Coast.
After TVNewser reported that an anonymous tipster told them NBC was “giving serious consideration” airing Phelps’ race on Saturday night live in all time zones, NBC spokesman Brian Walker responded, “It will not be shown live on the West Coast. … This is a baseless rumor and I don’t know the genesis of it.”
NBC will continue its current policy of airing its prime-time Olympic coverage on a three-hour delay in the West. Walker explained NBC’s policy thusly: “The reason that we’re showing this in the normal prime-time patterns on the West Coast is because this is when the majority of people are available to watch.”
So far, NBC’s strategy has not hurt ratings, as “three of the five top-rated major markets and eight of the top 17 are in the Pacific or Mountain time zones.” San Diego, Salt Lake City, Denver, Phoenix, Sacramento, Portland, Los Angeles and San Francisco are all averaging over a 21 rating for the Olympics.
