The British Are Streaming . . . For Free! So Why Isn't NBC?

The BBC's access to Olympics coverage highlights how expensive and broken the TV user experience has become.

In the U.S., NBC has a death grip on Olympics coverage, aggressively keeping clips off YouTube and monetizing its broadcast at every possible turn. But the BBC tells a much different story. This winter, the BBC is broadcasting the Olympics live and in their entirety at no additional cost to viewers. To stream NBC's live Olympic coverage stateside, however, customers must absorb the cost of both a pay-TV subscription and Internet connection respectively (not to mention withstand commercials) for access to the online broadcast. Sports enthusiasts within the U.K., however, can enjoy not only their national BBC television broadcast, but each and every Olympic event streamed live to their preferred desktop or mobile device by purchasing a standard yearly BBC license (for only £145.50 per color TV per year, no less)--ad free.

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