Fans can watch every Olympic event live online
NEW YORK — Usain Bolt could be defending his Olympic 200-meter title on a Thursday afternoon in the United States.
Fans will be able to watch the race live online for the first time during this summer's London Games, but what they'll see is very different from the tape-delayed, prime-time package that will still air a few hours later.
NBC executives decided to shift from their longtime philosophy and make every event available as it happens, convinced that the plan will build interest in the Olympics and not siphon off viewership from the traditional nightly broadcasts. That means the Internet streams will be fairly minimalistic, a move aimed at tempting fans to re-watch the competition in a more stylized presentation on the network that evening.
"You'll be able to live the moment," said Rick Cordella, the vice president and general manager for NBC Sports Digital.
The online coverage will use the world feed instead of NBC camera angles. That's what viewers in many smaller countries see on their local networks, so the production is high quality, if less specialized than Americans are used to for the Olympics. There will be basic graphics and, for some popular sports, announcers from the Olympic Broadcasting Services.
Cordella said he didn't know yet which commentators would call high-profile events like track, swimming and gymnastics for the OBS.
And if Bolt wins in another world record, fans will have to wait until prime time to see a post-race interview.
"It's not infringing upon prime time," Cordella said.
NBCOlympics.com streamed many smaller sports live during the 2008 Beijing Olympics for a total of 2,200 hours, but the big-ticket events were held back. This year, more than 3,500 hours will be shown on the website. For the top sports, replays will not be available online until after the event airs in prime time.
The service will include extra feeds for certain sports — fans can watch each apparatus in its entirety during gymnastics and up to five courts for tennis.
Most of the Internet streams will be available only to viewers who subscribe to cable or satellite services. They will need to "authenticate," log in to prove they are customers. The "TV Everywhere" model has become popular with many networks as a way to allow viewers to watch programs on multiple devices while encouraging them to stick with cable and satellite providers. Cordella said he believed viewers were becoming more familiar with the process.
Social media has proliferated since Beijing, and NBC is counting on buzz from viewers who watch events live to attract others to the prime-time broadcasts.
"If Bolt sets a record and prances over the finish line," Cordella said, "you want to see that."
— Rachel Cohen, AP Sports Writer
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Ergen lays out Dish Network's 10-year plan
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Charlie Ergen, the billionaire who controls Dish Network Corp., has a 10-year plan to transform the satellite TV provider into a one-stop shop for Internet access, video and voice services at home and on the go.
Ergen said that no major telecommunications company has figured out how to combine all those things in one package in the United States. Cable TV operators provide data, video and voice services in the home, but don't mimic that offering on mobile devices.
Cellphone carriers are great at mobile data and voice, but have made only small inroads providing video signals to homes.
"It doesn't have to be that you drop three calls in New York City and it doesn't have to be that you get your bill and you don't understand it," he said. "We can change that."
Ergen, 59, told the Milken Institute Global Conference on Tuesday his company is trying to provide all three major services to homes and on mobile devices within 10 years.
"When we go install video in your home we can say, 'No matter where you are, you can take that video with you,'" Ergen said. "You can also get your broadband and make your voice calls."
"It doesn't have to be that you drop three calls in New York City and it doesn't have to be that you get your bill and you don't understand it," he said. "We can change that."
Dish has gradually been compiling the assets that it needs to make such an all-encompassing service possible.
On the video end, it already has deals with large TV networks through Dish and bought struggling video rental chain Blockbuster out of bankruptcy in April 2011 to bolster its ties to movie studios.
In March, Dish, based in Englewood, Colo., completed its purchase of two satellite operators, DBSD North America Inc. and TerreStar Networks Inc., whose wireless licenses it hopes to use to offer broadband Internet access. Both offer satellite-based wireless services and have authority to operate ground-based services as a backup.
— Ryan Nakashima, AP Business Writer
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DirecTV launches new digital division
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Satellite entertainment provider DirecTV Inc. has created a new digital division to help it sell more shows and other content over the Internet, and on mobile devices including tablet computers.
The new division will be led by Tony Goncalves, who joined DirecTV in 2007 and has held positions in sales and product management. Goncalves helped secure DirecTV's partnerships with AT&T and CenturyLink.
DirecTV also said Monday that Paul Guyardo, the company's head of U.S. sales and marketing, will add responsibilities for both traditional ad sales and sales for the company's new digital ventures.
Guyardo will take the new title of chief revenue and marketing officer and continue to report to CEO Mike White. Guyardo joined the company in 2005 as executive vice president and chief marketing officer.
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Lawmakers pass Arizona anti-stalking bill
PHOENIX — Lawmakers in both chambers have approved a revised Arizona anti-stalking bill that had riled social media users for making it criminal to annoy or offend someone online.
In a 52-6 final vote, the Arizona House passed a proposal Monday updating state harassment and stalking laws to include smartphones and cyber communication.
Shortly after, the Senate approved the bill 27-3.
A provision in the bill that free speech advocates said could lead to people being criminally charged for online comments permitted by the Constitution has since been dropped.
The bill's focus is now on behavior intended to intimidate or threaten. It also states the law would not apply to constitutionally protected speech.
The legislation will now head to Gov. Jan Brewer's desk for a signature.