With the Winter Olympics just under our belt, it’s a great opportunity to discuss the power of media during this event. There were many firsts during the Olympics- not only in terms of medals but also with regards to the audiences.

From the beginning, it was clear these games were held in North America. This was evident with the opening ceremony. Whether it was the aboriginal dancers, the Canadian singers or the customs, we knew these were our Olympics. Throughout the games, there were differences between this Olympics and the summer Olympics from 2008, where China was the host. China brought their own style and beauty to them. However, China is a communist country and the differences from a media perspective were quite apparent. China has strict regulations on internet usage and has recently implemented guidelines for Google.  Of course Google is questioning them. But could you imagine America without Google? We are very dependent on it. But alas, I digress.

The Canadian games were completely represented in the media. In the US, NBC owned the rights to the games but by contrast, in Canada, there were over ten networks (CTV, TSN, RDS, RIS Infosports, Rogers, OMNI, OLN, V, APTN, ATN, etc…) that carried them. Granted there are certain factors to take into consideration. First, Canada was the host country. Second, there are two official languages in Canada, thus needing to be aired in both. And probably the most relevant factor, it’s fair to assume that not one of those stations could afford to buy the rights outright. So what does this mean for the audience? Well, we could say we were not as lucky because if you were tired of watching the umpteenth time Apollo sped around the rink – too bad! Yes I am giving away a secret here; technically the games on NBC were not live. In Canada, if you did not want to watch skating, you could simply change to another station for different coverage. I am not revealing a deep dark secret here, as this was completely obvious through whichever means of social media you were following. Although I am a big believer in the power of social media, at times I found it difficult to follow them. It is hard to watch a sport, when you know the outcome. However, the benefit was that you never felt like you were missing anything. The added bonus to social media is that you can follow the athletes on Twitter for instance. This gives you the extra sensation of being involved in the games. You can feel their angst, their excitement, their fear… Imagine if it was your child competing and you could not be there with them. What a great way to share this special moment with them.

All in all, NBC did a great job, but more importantly so did our athletes. Congrats to all!