LONDON (AP) — The International Olympic Committee has defended NBC for not showing the men’s 100-meter final live on its main network.
Usain Bolt dashed to victory in the signature event of the London Olympics on Sunday at 4:50 p.m EDT. NBC broadcast the race hours later on tape-delay in prime time.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams says “it’s certainly not for us to tell them how to reach their audience.” Adams says NBC live-streamed the race for online viewers, so “if you wanted live, you could get it live.”
NBC has exclusive U.S. for the London Games. It struck a $2.2 billion deal with the IOC in 2003, which included rights to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
NBC has broadcast every Summer Olympics since 1988.
