[Manteiv]

It's so rude of them to put spoilers right there on their front page when some of us want to be surprised by results.

[Crundaangerge]

That's why my home page is Google with nothing but the search box...no spoilers

[royarnekara]

It's a social media run world... it sucks, but it is what it is... like Doris I try to stay away from places I know will share before we view...

[invasuant]

As an indication of what a low sort of character I am, I've been looking for spoilers because I can't stand the tension. Maybe it's that I've had a tense week myself, but I can't bear to watch and not know. I try not to share any of the news with anyone else, though. Hint: Don't go reading the gymnastics or swimming threads on here just yet!

[smokeberly]

I too am an evil person.

I know perfectly well that I am going to go to sleep before they finish up the gymnastics on the night time show. If the results are good, I TiVo them If not, I don't bother.

[SpyRemo]

I know perfectly well that I am going to go to sleep before they finish up the gymnastics on the night time show. If the results are good, I TiVo them If not, I don't bother.

I viewed the spoilers today as it's going to be an early (and long) day tomorrow... driving up to Anchorage tomorrow (actually Wasilla) and then flying out Saturrday morning... won't have time to watch the olys after today

[dxpfmP0l]

I hope to stay up to the bitter (or sweet) end.

I hope the drive is uneventful, Toni. Enjoy your jaunt!

[gooseCile]

If you're in the US, a lot of the blame has to go to NBC, which refuses to broadcast some of the most anticipated events on any of its many channels, preferring to hog it, via tape-delay, for their prime time broadcast. Oh sure, if you subscribe to all the NBC-related networks, you can stream it online, but only in the location where you're subscribed to NBC, so if you want to watch it on your iPad during your lunch break at work, you're probably outta luck. And if you don't have the equipment, the bandwidth or the technical know-how to stream it, you're also outta luck.

But wait, what if you have all that, except you're busy during the particular hours those events are streamed live (London Olympics does take place during work hours)? Would you be able to get home, turn on an archived stream and watch it before anybody can spoil you? Nope! NBC will not allow any streamed events to be re-streamed except AFTER it's been shown in prime time. For marquee events like gymnastics, this means you either have to stream it online live while it's happening, or the soonest you can see it is on NBC's horribly edited prime time broadcast.

But that's for folks who want to play by NBC's awful rules. If you don't, you can follow the workarounds in these posts, and get access to the live feeds/video archives of the BBC or Euro Vision Sports. This way, you can watch the events as soon as you can, which is hopefully before you can be spoiled.

P.S. If you're wondering why NBC doesn't mind having its audience spoiled (going so far as to spoiling the results of a race in a promo for its broadcast), NBC Sports Group chairman Mark Lazarus said in an interview today that spoilers actually increase ratings! He said that NBC did a poll that found people who are spoiled are also people who are more likely to watch a sports event. Because in NBC-world, correlation can only mean one-way causation! The idea that people interested enough in the results of a competition to get spoiled are also people more likely to watch that competition never occurred. So don't expect NBC to change its spoiled stripes.

[horaAppagob]

I guess I'm just not that bothered by it?

[GooogleGuy]

Analysis: NBC offers peek of future Olympics biz model, coverage
By Liana B. Baker
NEW YORK | Thu Aug 2, 2012 8:22pm EDT

(Reuters) - NBC briefly tore down the digital wall protecting its Olympics coverage on Thursday and permitted consumers without a pay TV subscription to watch live online a much-anticipated race starring American swimmers Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte.

The move was aimed at appeasing critics of NBC's strategy of delaying broadcasts of major Olympics events for prime time or requiring a cable subscription for online streaming - and could foreshadow how the Comcast Corp-owned network might handle its coverage of future Games.

NBC has managed to make the London Games the most-watched Olympics ever by tape-delaying marquee events to air in the evening in the United States, maximizing viewers and advertising dollars.

But media experts say this could very well be the last Olympics for which this model works, pointing to the ever-growing demand from consumers who want to be able to watch content on any device at any time they want. NBC paid $4.4 billion for the U.S. rights to the next four Olympics through 2020. ...
Full story at:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...ors_picks=true
Question:
Was the free live stream of the Phelps-Lochte race well-publicized in advance? I have not been reading the GS swimming thread.
I would have watched the race if I had been aware that the live stream was free (I do not have a cable subscription).

[DrCeshing]

I guess I'm just not that bothered by it?

I'm sure you're not the only one. I don't mind spoilers on sporting events much myself, I just like watching sporting events live, so I can feel this ethereal yet visceral charge of "OMG this is happening right now!" But if I can't watch it live, then I don't mind if I get spoiled. I'll still watch the competition if I'm interested enough.

On the other hand, I hate getting spoiled on works of fiction that I'm interested in. It makes me feel like I missed out on experiencing the narrative as the author intended it.

[11Pecepebra]

I agree those spoilers are much more frustrating...

it could also be that I grew up in Alaska and we always were "spoiled" because we are ALWAYS tape delayed... it's ridiculous, but when that's all you know, it's easier to deal with it