A few weeks ago, the Big Ten Conference announced plans to launch its own TV channel devoted to Big Ten sports. Could the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) be far behind?
It seems the USOC is exploring the idea of launching a 24-hour Olympic channel that would broadcast live events (not the abbreviated highlights that other networks show), archival footage, and maybe coverage of international events. Their reasoning is that once the Olympics end, most TV viewers don't hear or see anymore about these sports until the next Olympic Games roll around. The 24-hour channel would expose viewers to some of the newer or lesser known events, such as snow boarding and curling.
I like the idea in theory. But I have to wonder if the USOC can pull it off. Launching a TV channel is costly and risky. Ratings for the last few Olympics on national TV have been declining, mainly due to the Internet and time zone differences. With the Turin Olympics, I often went online before I left work at the end of the day to check on the results. Then I decided if it was worth my time to watch the NBC broadcast in the evening.
But with a 24-hour channel, it may be possible to watch events live, even if it is 3 a.m. here in Chicago. Live coverage of events still is a big draw. For that, I may be inclined to tune in, and I think it would be interesting to watch the 1988 or 1976 Winter Olympic Games in their entirety.
But would enough people tune in often enough to make it profitable?
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