Englewood-based DISH Network struck an agreement with NBC to carry two specialty sports networks during the 2008 Olympics from Beijing. The 24-hour a day high-definition soccer channel and basketball channel were added to the DISH lineup late last week after Comcast declined to carry the channels.
DISH also picked up the Mandarin Chinese and Korean language networks devoted to Olympics coverage.
The network’s interative service is also in play for Olympics coverage, offering highlights and on-demand programming.
Additionally the multiple-screen showcase or mosaic is showing numerous competitions at once. “DISH Network’s iTV mosaic is an excellent platform to showcase NBCU’s coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games by giving customers a unique viewing experience that allows them to watch four live events and two highlight channels or select one channel for full-screen viewing,” said Michael Kelly, executive vice president of DISH Network.
NBC, meanwhile, boasted that the weekend’s coverage from Beijing was on track to become the most watched Olympics in history.
Through two days NBCU drew a record 114 million total viewers – four million more than Atlanta in 1996 – “the most watched Olympics in history and nearly 20 million more than Athens (95 million),” NBC said, citing Nielsen Media Research.
Showcasing swimmer Michael Phelps in primetime helped the network capture viewers and that strategy remains in place for tonight and Tuesday. More than 28 million viewers tuned in for the final hour of primetime Saturday, which included Phelps’ first Beijing gold medal win.
According to NBC commentator Dan Hicks, “Phelps is Tiger (Woods) in a bathing suit.”
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
