Ratings for the network’s coverage of the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony from Beijing were up nearly 20 percent over the 2004 Summer Games from Athens, NBC said today. If the estimates hold, Friday’s elaborate, made-for-HD spectacle will go down as the third highest-rated Summer Games opening ceremony on Nielsen Media Research record. Yahoo
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NBC seems to be more concerned about blocking broadcasts from other countries, not because of their right, but to avoid Americans seeing the editing that NBC took the liberty of doing to the Opening Ceremony.
After comparing with the BBC broadcast, it is clear NBC discarded certain images of the artistic presentation of the event. At least one of those images was clearly political. The delayed broadcast on Friday night, a blatant act of commercialism, outraged thousands of Americans. However, should this broadcasting company be made to answer about the censorship it imposed on 260 million Americans?
The Olympics are a legitimate news event. Should we expect the same altering of the Closing Ceremonies?