More than 1.1 million Comcast subscribers across Michigan, and those through other providers, are expected to have an unprecedented Summer Olympics viewing experience during the London Games.
NBC is scheduled to provide 5,535 hours of Olympics coverage, and cable subscribers who at least have the basic digital service will get to view events on NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo and Telemundo, as well as online in real-time.
"People want content when they want it," said Patrick Paterno, a Comcast spokesman for the company's Heartland region. "We didn't have the kind of technology four years ago that we have now."
Subscribers of Comcast's on-demand service also will have the luxury of watching events whenever they want to — either on TV, or online, a tablet or mobile device.
If that isn't enough, NBC offers a mobile app called "Olympics Live Extra" that live-streams 3,500 program hours from a total of 32 Olympic events and the awarding of 302 medals.
Another mobile app, "NBC Olympics," will update viewers on the latest news with live results, TV and online viewing listings and social interaction opportunities during live broadcasts during the 17-night programming schedule.
Both mobile apps are free and available at itunes.com/app store or play.google.com.
The technological advances should excite viewers, said Mark Lazarus, NBC Sports Group's chairman.
"It is a tremendous undertaking — things that have never been done, to a level that's never been done before," Lazarus said in a recent teleconference. "We're going to build the optimum mix for viewership and for fan experience."
The Olympics Live Extra app only is available to verified cable and satellite providers, including Comcast, and requires activation through the service.
For information on Olympics Extra, visit nbcolympics.com/liveextra/help.
Given the number of Olympic events and broadcast hours, an event might end up on multiple NBC-affiliate channels or it could be limited to one.
All broadcasts times are subject to change, so cable subscribers should check their local listings daily.
The easiest way for Comcast subscribers to find which Olympic-related channels they have is to use the "Menu" function on their remote, press "Find shows" and search "2012 Olympics."
3D also available
NBC and Panasonic teamed up to provide coverage of the Olympics, and it's expected to be available in 80 percent of all United States homes.
This is an Olympics first.
Comcast, AT&T, Bright House Networks, Wide Open West and most other major cable providers have this service, part of the network's enhanced Olympics package.
The 3D coverage of events is expected to be on a one-day delay and can only be viewed with a 3D-ready TV and glasses.
This article first appeared on The Detroit News via NBC Olympics by Eric Lacy: NBC planning more than 5,000 hours of Olympic coverage
[My Take]
The NBC Olympics would be a more practical app to use if they create an app for Google TVs (LG/Sony) since Olympics games are normally watched on televisions. Imagine watching 2012 Olympic games while checking out the results and schedules at the same time on the same TV screen.
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