MSNBC: The Place for Curling

[brooklynite]

Source: Capital New York

MSNBC, which once used the tagline “The Place for Politics” to describe itself, will become “The Place for Hockey” and “The Place for Curling” come February.

NBC Olympics has announced that the "forward"-leaning cable news channel will air 45 hours of live Olympics coverage, including hockey medal games and curling. Sister channels CNBC and USA will also air live a combined 79 hours of curling and hockey during the Olympics.

Hockey has long been one of the more popular Olympic sports with viewers. As for curling, the sport of brooms and stones generated—despite its staid reputation—surprisingly strong ratings in 2010, often drawing over 1.5 million viewers for matches. Its popularity in 2010 prompted the decision to increase TV coverage for the 2014 games.

MSNBC and USA are “fully distributed,” meaning that they are available in around 100 million homes. CNBC is not far behind them, and is available in around 90 million homes. For live sports like the Olympics, sports rights holders like to shift live events to cable channels with the widest distribution so viewers can find them.

Read more: http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/media/2013/11/8535490/msnbc-place-curling

[cpwm17]

1. Curling became my favorite event in the last Winter Olympics

Unfortunately I don't have cable now to watch it this time.

[Nay]

3. Mine too! I'll have to remember to watch it in Feb.

[Blue_Tires]

4. I was flipping around channels one night and stumbled upon an event

Can I say how shamelessly in love I am with Eve Muirhead?

[immoderate]

2. Ooooh! Curling!

--imm

[question everything]

5. Groan

I don't know how they will be able to then return to political coverage.

So, what, Chris Matthews and Rachel Maddow and Karen Finney will not report about hockey? Interview pundits about skiing?

[Myrina]

15. Watching Matthews & Maddow call a hockey game would make me pull my toenails out.

I love hockey too much to even consider the possibility.

[Bluenorthwest]

6. Curling is a far bigger draw than most MSNBC programming. They don't crack a million unelss

there is a national election, anything they can do to attract viewers is probably wise for them. I won't watch the Anti Gay Games personally, but I'm sure it will draw in a few viewers for them and they sure need them.

[snort]

7. Yay!

Love watching curling. Very relaxing.

[healthnut7]

8. Love Curling!

I grew up with it. My parents curled and I curled in High School. I unfortunately sucked at it
but still watch any games that are on TV.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

9. They play an unbalanced version of curling in the olympics ...

... How can you launch a stone with one hand ...
... without a beer in the other hand ...
... for balance? and ballast?

It just seems like a sport that demands beer.

[Saviolo]

17. Problem is...

the Canadians would all be stopped for using a performance enhancing drug, 'cause our beer is so much better

[katmondoo]

10. Will this get rid of Lock Up?

Hope so. I can't stand that program. Turn it off as fast as I can.

[Gore1FL]

12. I hope it replaces the weekend programming only

losing lockup, caught on camera etc would be tolerable. I'd hate to lose the weekday programming.

[Towlie]

11. "It's a fiendish thingy!" - My own first exposure to curling. Does anyone else remember that?

[Cooley Hurd]

20. Yep!

[Brother Buzz]

13. Screw that curling shit

I want barrel jumping. Yes, that's Jackie Robinson judging this manly sport.

[Myrina]

14. Can they do something with their awful new website?

OMG, the image overload tanks my browser and I'm on a corporate network!!
I just want to see the fucking headlines, not watch a high-def movie!!

[csziggy]

16. Timing will be interesting

Sochi, Russia is +4 UTC. Eastern Time, US is -5 UTC. That makes times in Sochi 9 hour ahead of East Coast, US - IF I have it right (no guarantees!).

Opening ceremonies are Fri., Feb. 7 20:00-23:00 or 11:00AM-01:00PM ET.

The schedule for events is at http://www.sochi2014.com/en/games/sport/olympic-games/schedule/
Hover your cursor over a block in the calendar and sport, category, and time will pop up. Those are the actual times of the events, NOT when NBC will opt to run them on American TV.

The earliest event is Snowboard, M/W Slopestyle, 10:00-16:40 at the Mountain Cluster, Rosa Khutor venue. If shown live, it would run from 01:00AM to 07:40PM ET.

Previous years NBC has run delayed recordings of the most popular events during prime time and sometimes during the day, depending on the time difference. To find out when NBC claims they will run stuff, we'll have to look for their schedule. From past experience, I don't expect NBC to be accurate in their published schedules, which makes it impossible to set your recording device for specific events.

[Saviolo]

18. Anyone who likes curling...

I do recommend the Canadian movie Men With Brooms. Aside from a couple of Paul Gross moments that are a little glurgy, it's a really fun movie. Also amazing to see Leslie Nielsen up on that screen (one of his last really great big screen roles).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0263734/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_17

[cry baby]

19. Yay! Love curling! eom