The extensive though ultimately flawed coverage of the Olympic Games on NBC could have opened the door to other sports looking to the Internet for viewers. Basketball is the latest subscriber to the power of Web video.

The NBA is looking to open up its Broadband rights for the coming 2008/2009 season, which begins in late October.

The biggest result of this decision is that games could now be streamed live online locally.

VOD & Streaming

Video streaming would go hand in hand with interactive TV and video on demand coverage, but it’s the one of the three services being launched by the League that would have the biggest impact.

According to Sports Business Journal, the plan would see each team having the right to cut a local deal. So Chicago Bulls fans would be able to watch matches on the Bulls.com website and/or the website of the regional sports networks.

Internet users from outside of the local area would be prevented from watching the matches online by the use of geo-blocking technology.

From September, fans of American football will be able to watch NFL games live online for free. This is massive news, which signals a significant change of strategy from the National Football League.

The NFL has until now kept a tight rein on the rights to its games, but this move to the Web shows a willingness to move with the times and experiment with Internet streaming.

NBC Streams Live Online

According to the LA Times, NBC will make its television feed of Sunday Night Football, including play by play, and commentary from John Madden, available on multiple websites. Some will be NBC sites, while some will be owned by the league.

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As most of you who have been dwelling on this planet for at least the last four years will already know, the next Olympic Games are being held in Beijing.

This time around however one of the main events seems to be broadband video as there will be blanket coverage of the entire event (yes the whole thing, even the Beach Volleyball) courtesy of NBC Universal.

Of the 3600 hours of coverage planned 2200 of them will be streaming live online over the internet. There are also plans currently being firmed up to provide some wireless coverage that will be unveiled officially some time before the event.

Because of the time differences, for many Olympic enthusiasts, these broadcasts will be in the middle of the night. Still, it’s nice to know that those of us in the western hemisphere will at least have the opportunity to catch our favorite events live.

2008 Olympic Games Sports that You Can Watch

• Archery
• Athletics
• Badminton
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Boxing
• Canoeing
• Cycling
• Diving
• Equestrian
• Fencing
• Field hockey
• Football/Soccer
• Gymnastics
• Handball
• Judo
• Modern pentathlon
• Rowing
• Sailing
• Shooting
• Softball
• Swimming
• Synchronized swimming
• Table tennis
• Taekwondo
• Tennis
• Triathlon
• Volleyball
• Water polo
• Weightlifting
• Wrestling

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