Written by Liz Gannes
Posted Friday, August 8, 2008 at 10:10 AM PT

 

Beijing Olympics Live on Justin.tv

Update: All the channels mentioned in this story are down, replaced by the message “Content from this channel removed at the request of the copyright holder. This channel will be accessible again in 24 hours.”

As we’ve been writing all week, tape delays are an excellent way to ensure that people find a way around the official means to watching the Olympics. So, for instance, if you were to head over to Justin.tv right now (which often carries unauthorized sports footage, which tends to conclude before the DMCA notice makes it out of the lawyer’s office), you could see multiple live streams of the tail end of the opening ceremonies and ongoing soccer matches.

We’re not condoning this behavior, but we have to say we’re mighty frustrated to see evidence that the Olympics is happening all around us, but when we turn on NBC, we get Today Show hosts yapping about Chinese breakfast foods.

Watch live video from www.Maroc-Jadid.Com on Justin.tv

Post-mortem: The Justin.tv channels were taken down, but that was just after the fireworks concluded — a.k.a. when it ceased to matter. And as commenters are noting below, more channels are springing up there and elsewhere. I just spoke with Brian Stelter at the New York Times, and he said the U.S. is the only country he can find where the opening ceremonies were tape-delayed. Between the two of us, we didn’t find evidence that hundreds of thousands of people were using these illicit streams, so maybe we’re making a mountain out of a mole hill — and this could be considered successful anti-piracy action. The reality, though, is tape delay is a total anachronism.

However, my conclusion is that NBC missed the opportunity for the biggest live-streaming event to date. With all the work they’ve put into NBCOlympics.com and all the lucrative advertising they’ve sold, they could have had millions of people watching simultaneously this morning, feeling that global togetherness/warm fuzziness at the same time as everyone else. Instead we have to settle for stale warm fuzzy feelings tonight on tape delay. Lame.

Another update: Here’s Brian Stelter’s article.

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Comments & Trackbacks

  1. http://itsgametime.tv/OlympicsLive.html

    Live stream is still up.

    Scott Wallace on August 8th, 2008 at 10:50 am - Permalink

  2. Its going to be a losing battle more streams poped up on Justin.tv after the others got taken down .

    Matt_ on August 8th, 2008 at 10:56 am - Permalink

  3. My Mum called me from Australia this morning while the olympics opening cermony was on there and asked if I was watching …….

    Matt_ on August 8th, 2008 at 11:53 am - Permalink

  4. do you know what is strange about your post – you’ve written about justin.tv before – you clearly know at least some of the founers – you acknowledge that nbc is missing the boat and that justin.tv is providing an amazing service in their stead – but your tone only communicates contempt for justin.tv

    in other words – they provide you a service – you flame them on your blog…

    that just doesn’t make sense to me

    joe on August 8th, 2008 at 2:31 pm - Permalink

  5. Hey Joe, I don’t think I’m flaming them at all. I think you are reading overtones that are not there.

    Liz Gannes on August 8th, 2008 at 3:30 pm - Permalink

  6. Yeaah!
    Watch 2008 Beijing Olympics online at THIS_HIGH_QUALITY_STREAM

    yjtrytyu on August 9th, 2008 at 3:53 am - Permalink

  7. http://satellite-tv-online.blogspot.com/2008/08/watch-beijing-2008-online.html

    chrys on August 9th, 2008 at 1:27 pm - Permalink

  8. Take care with the link on the post before mine, it is a trojan virus.

    Tangananica on August 12th, 2008 at 8:45 pm - Permalink

  9. [...] his network’s success at reeling in viewers, revenues and buzz — with no regard for complaints about time delays and technical problems. THERE’S NO QUESTION WE DID THE RIGHT THING IN [...]

    Zucker: Tape Delays = Bottled Excitement « NewTeeVee on August 15th, 2008 at 10:21 am - Permalink

  10. Watch Beijing Olympics 2008 Live on

    http://olympicslivechannel.blogspot.com

    Good Quality Streaming

    Olympics Live on August 16th, 2008 at 11:17 pm - Permalink

  11. [...] in record numbers on both new and oldteevee (except in San Francisco). On the other hand, between tape delays and a crummy online video experience, it’s also been pretty [...]

    5 Ways to Fix the Next Olympics Online « NewTeeVee on August 20th, 2008 at 4:29 pm - Permalink

  12. بحب كل شياء جميل

    MEDO on September 16th, 2008 at 1:42 pm - Permalink

  13. NBC sucks thats why their ratings are in the tank

    james on October 1st, 2008 at 8:40 am - Permalink

  14. [...] such as Ustream and Justin.tv. Justin.tv, in particular, has come under fire by sports leagues for hosting camcorded streams of live game broadcasts. The company says it takes down streams whenever it is asked to. But the [...]

    Copyright Meets a New Worthy Foe: The Real-Time Web on May 21st, 2009 at 9:01 pm - Permalink

  15. [...] such as Ustream and Justin.tv. Justin.tv, in particular, has come under fire by sports leagues for hosting camcorded streams of live game broadcasts. The company says it takes down streams whenever it is asked to. But the [...]

    Copyright and the Real Time Microblog Phenom : Beyond Search on May 23rd, 2009 at 10:02 pm - Permalink

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