While watching the Olympics and reading various articles regarding the quality of the Channel 7 coverage, it struck me that their approach to covering this event is very behind the times.
Complaints about the Channel 7 coverage are a symptom of a larger change in viewing preferences by the discerning Australian sports viewing public.
With the advent of subscription and digital FTA television, sports viewers are now becoming accustomed to seeing the sports they want, when they want them.
Besides an admirable contribution by SBS, there has not been the coverage necessary to satisfy this emerging consumer demand for live sports content.
So take a good look ladies and gents, because this is the last time you’ll see a major sports tournament covered in this fashion. With Channel 9 covering the London Games in conjunction with Fox Sports, we are likely to see a very different approach to the next Olympic coverage.
The magazine style-delayed highlight format used by Channel 7 at Beijing is unquestionably of a bygone era.
It is of a time when Tom Williams was thankfully nowhere near a microphone, Gary Wilkinson was still an authority on tennis, and John Harker was an authority on anything other than Napisan.
Love this article? Nominate it for The Roar’s Armchair Sports Writer Award. Or vote now for this week’s nominated articles.
LeBron James is going back to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years. Steph Curry is headed to the games for the…
Olyroos coach Tony Vidmar is refusing to put a line through Nestory Irankunda's hopes of playing at the Paris Olympics after claiming he is…
The 2023-24 NBA season promised so much for the Australian contingent - for a few it’s been the ideal runway to the Paris Olympics…
Basketball superstar Lauren Jackson has been included in the extended Opals squad for the Paris Olympics, despite announcing her retirement from the international scene.…
The Brisbane Olympics stadiums fiasco has had wild twists and turns in just the last few days, but we still might not have seen…
Olympic swimming legend and Australian Sports Commission boss Kieren Perkins has warned that "someone will die" if a multi-sport event that allows athletes to…
