(and they're only broadcasting five-and-a-half hours of the Games)
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...adcasting-half-hours-Games.html#ixzz257BUQj9R
Some events will first be shown in 90-minute programme nine days after end of the Games
Network is broadcasting events in daily YouTube packages
Fans have called it 'disrespectful' to athletes
U.S. television network NBC has been attacked for refusing to show the Paralympics opening ceremony live and only showing five-and-a-half hours of the Games in total.
Commentators called the move 'disrespectful', as coverage was confined to occasional highlights on its cable channel and daily YouTube packages.
Fans will be unable to watch any events live, despite the U.S. team of 223 athletes being the third largest at the London Games after Britain and China.
The network will wait until September 16 - seven days after the Games end - before screening a 90-minute special on the Paralympics.
Equality campaigners complain that Paralympic athletes are not being treated as the equal of their able-bodied teammates.
Damon Herota, an IT consultant in Florida who has launched an online campaign calling for better coverage, said: ‘It’s a sign of disrespect, especially to those military veterans who are competing. Attitudes are supposed to have changed since the days of Vietnam, when veterans were ignored. What message does this send?’
'The effect on people would be simply amazing and the barriers it would break down between able-bodied Americans and the disabled would be monumental,' added Mr Herota, whose petition has so far attracted about 1,300 signatures
Disappointed viewers have now started several online petitions in an effort to persuade the network to change their policy.
Amy Quincy, from Florida, wrote on change.org: 'It would be an opportunity for NBC to take a big step toward the recognition of physically challenged athletes who have reached the pinnacle of their physical abilities and are competing at a world class level.'
NBC insists its coverage represents a major increase on previous years, up from the single 90-minute programme it offered from the Beijing Paralympics.
It also points out that the U.S. Olympic Committee, and not the network itself, controls broadcast rights to the Paralympics.
The news follows criticism of NBC during the Olympic Games over not showing key events live.
Instead, it showed them on tape-delay in primetime slots - which still drew in record audiences.
Sports fans were particularly enraged when the 100m men's sprint - won by Jamaican runner Usain Bolt - was delayed by nearly six hours for American audiences.
NBC also spoiled the results of U.S. swimmer Missy Franklin's gold medal-winning race when it ran an advert for the Today show revealing the outcome before it was telecast that night.
It caused outrage by cutting a tribute to the victims of the London 2005 terrorist bombings from its opening ceremony coverage, explaining that it wasn't tailored for the U.S. audience.
During the closing ceremony, it delayed showing The Who's performance for an hour-long preview of a new show.
Twitter was flooded with gripes about NBC keeping most day's marquee events off the air until they can be shown in prime-time, the broadcast that brings in the most viewers and advertising revenue for the network. But many of the gripers were apparently still watching anyway and, for some, knowing the results only whetted their appetite to see how the competition played out.
Many of the Twitter complaints were posted with the hashtag #nbcfails. 'The #Olympics don't revolve around USA time zone or #NBC's prime time. Air it live NBC!' one user posted.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...adcasting-half-hours-Games.html#ixzz257BUQj9R
Some events will first be shown in 90-minute programme nine days after end of the Games
Network is broadcasting events in daily YouTube packages
Fans have called it 'disrespectful' to athletes
U.S. television network NBC has been attacked for refusing to show the Paralympics opening ceremony live and only showing five-and-a-half hours of the Games in total.
Commentators called the move 'disrespectful', as coverage was confined to occasional highlights on its cable channel and daily YouTube packages.
Fans will be unable to watch any events live, despite the U.S. team of 223 athletes being the third largest at the London Games after Britain and China.
The network will wait until September 16 - seven days after the Games end - before screening a 90-minute special on the Paralympics.
Equality campaigners complain that Paralympic athletes are not being treated as the equal of their able-bodied teammates.
Damon Herota, an IT consultant in Florida who has launched an online campaign calling for better coverage, said: ‘It’s a sign of disrespect, especially to those military veterans who are competing. Attitudes are supposed to have changed since the days of Vietnam, when veterans were ignored. What message does this send?’
'The effect on people would be simply amazing and the barriers it would break down between able-bodied Americans and the disabled would be monumental,' added Mr Herota, whose petition has so far attracted about 1,300 signatures
Disappointed viewers have now started several online petitions in an effort to persuade the network to change their policy.
Amy Quincy, from Florida, wrote on change.org: 'It would be an opportunity for NBC to take a big step toward the recognition of physically challenged athletes who have reached the pinnacle of their physical abilities and are competing at a world class level.'
NBC insists its coverage represents a major increase on previous years, up from the single 90-minute programme it offered from the Beijing Paralympics.
It also points out that the U.S. Olympic Committee, and not the network itself, controls broadcast rights to the Paralympics.
The news follows criticism of NBC during the Olympic Games over not showing key events live.
Instead, it showed them on tape-delay in primetime slots - which still drew in record audiences.
Sports fans were particularly enraged when the 100m men's sprint - won by Jamaican runner Usain Bolt - was delayed by nearly six hours for American audiences.
NBC also spoiled the results of U.S. swimmer Missy Franklin's gold medal-winning race when it ran an advert for the Today show revealing the outcome before it was telecast that night.
It caused outrage by cutting a tribute to the victims of the London 2005 terrorist bombings from its opening ceremony coverage, explaining that it wasn't tailored for the U.S. audience.
During the closing ceremony, it delayed showing The Who's performance for an hour-long preview of a new show.
Twitter was flooded with gripes about NBC keeping most day's marquee events off the air until they can be shown in prime-time, the broadcast that brings in the most viewers and advertising revenue for the network. But many of the gripers were apparently still watching anyway and, for some, knowing the results only whetted their appetite to see how the competition played out.
Many of the Twitter complaints were posted with the hashtag #nbcfails. 'The #Olympics don't revolve around USA time zone or #NBC's prime time. Air it live NBC!' one user posted.
