Olympic viewing: NBC sets opening ceremony record

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By DAVID BAUDER

NEW YORK (AP) - A look at media coverage of the London Olympics:

An opening ceremony from the mother country with a Beatle, a queen and Mr. Bean proved irresistible for viewers in the United States, with a record-setting 40.7 million people watching NBC's first night of summer Olympics coverage.

The Nielsen company said Saturday that London's opener was the most-watched opening ceremony of any summer or winter Olympics. It topped the previous mark of 39.8 million people who watched the 1996 Atlanta Olympics begin, and the 34.9 million who watched the colorful first night from Beijing four years ago.

The London ceremony featured an unusual made-for-TV stunt featuring actor Daniel Craig portraying James Bond escorting the real-life Queen Elizabeth II to the ceremony and ended with Paul McCartney's anthemic "Hey Jude." But according to Twitter, the biggest spike in tweets came when actor Rowan Atkinson ("Mr. Bean&quot appeared in a "Chariots of Fire" homage.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20120728/DA0A69K80.html

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U.S. supporters cheer during the group G women's soccer match between the United States and Colombia at the London 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 28, 2012, at Hampden Park Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland. (AP Photo/Chris Clark)

[Honeycombe8]

1. I thought the kid dancing part was not good or professional looking. But McCartney was good. Missed

Mr. Bean, so I hope I can find the video, since I LOVE Mr. Bean.

McCartney was great, even though he's apparently lost his voice. Such a shame. But his years of experience at showmanship, his ability to sing around the bad notes (someone else hit the high scream....that wasn't him), and the spectacle of it, was great.

The bicycles with dove wings in the air was phenomenal. I didn't know the band, but they were good, and I'm glad they chose a Beatles tune and didn't alter it much.

[rocktivity]

2. What -- no AbFab, Monty Python or Benny Hill?

Last edited Sat Jul 28, 2012, 10:56 PM - Edit history (2)

BARBARIANS!!!

On edit: I stand corrected -- there WAS an AbFab!

rocktivity

[may3rd]

3. "London 2012 Olympics: Empty seats on the opening day prompts investigation" where is everybody ?

Despite tickets for the events being sold out, television images revealed scores of empty seats at the swimming, dressage, volleyball and tennis.


Commentators noted the unfilled seats and members of the public who were unable to purchase tickets took to social media websites like Twitter to express their anger.


A spokesperson for Locog said: “We are aware that some venues have empty seats this morning. We believe the empty seats are in accredited seating areas, and we are in the process of finding out who should have been in the seats and why they weren’t there.”


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/london-2012/9434744/London-2012-Olympics-Empty-seats-on-the-opening-day-prompts-investigation.html