August 21, 2008 8:14 AM
CCTV Not Airing Either Soccer Final
Right now, the U.S. women are playing Brazil for a gold medal in women's soccer. But aside from those inside the Workers Stadium, Beijingers are not seeing the game.In fact, CCTV -- the state-owned conglomerate that has the TV rights to the Olympics here in China -- is not televising either the men's or women's soccer finals.
Right now on CCTV-1, they're showing track & field. CCTV-2 is showing the women's 10m diving final; later tonight, they'll have the Chinese women's basketball team against Australia. CCTV-Olympics is showing the China-Brazil women's volleyball semifinal, before moving on to the quarterfinals of men's table tennis.
But as for America's big games tonight -- the U.S.-Japan gold medal softball game, the U.S.-Russia women's basketball semifinal or, yes, that U.S.-Brazil soccer final -- none of them are on any of CCTV's 16 channels.
The much-anticipated men's soccer final between Argentina and Nigeria also won't air on CCTV. The game is at noon on Saturday, and CCTV has not scheduled any Olympics programming on any of its channels at that hour. But the game still won't be on TV in China.
Canoeing, synchronized swimming and taekwondo will all air Saturday morning or late afternoon on the CCTV family of networks, however.
After a month of monitoring CCTV, it's clear to me that the state has gone to great lengths to promote Chinese nationalism through its TV programming, but at the expense of showing some of this country's most popular sports -- including basketball and soccer. There's a good reason why sports that China's medaling in -- like archery or judo -- have gotten significant coverage on CCTV, while many men's basketball games haven't even aired.
One more thing: when I see CCTV's anchors wearing shirts actually promoting the Chinese National Team on air -- re: above -- I wonder whether the Chinese people even notice the subliminal messages that their news media is feeding them.
August 21, 2008
9:05 AM
el cid writes:
Fair points, up to a point, on bias in Chinesse coverage of their own olympics but it does leave a sour taste in ones mouth to carp about their nationalistic bias if you've been watching US coverage. Or to protest about their human rights violations after our last 8 years of reinterpreting little things the the Geneva convention. Or even Costas complaining about Usain Bolt not showing respect for other Olympic atheletes when NBC didn't even show the 100m dash live.
August 21, 2008
9:14 AM
jim writes:
You got to be kidding, right? Have you seen NBC coverage. It is all Americans, all the time. Talk about bias coverage.
August 21, 2008
9:35 PM
Jessie writes:
Daniel, shut the hell up, seriously, NBC is supposedly not the home of the 2008 Beijing Olympics but the home of the US Olympic Team, and your talking about BIAS!!!!!! BS to the extreme!!!! I went to the BBC's feed and guess who they were favoring Britain, I went to KBC's feed in Kenya guess who they were favoring Kenya, I have seen CCTV's coverage and they are favoring China, they said they would have it in an international point of view but they have'nt it's a Chinese point of view and that's fine cause there in CHINA!!! TALK ABOUT BIAS, a day after Phelps won the 8 medals Usain Bolt set a world record in track and field, but what did NBC show, it's 1 millionth interview with MICHAEL PHELPS! I watched BBC's coverage when they were giving Olympic Updates and they did'nt even mention Michael Phleps. Don't accuse CCTV of bias when every single broadcaster including the bigwigs at NBC who seem to have a lot of power in the IOC since they can move the swimming events to whatever time they want (but I gotta give props to NBC because they paid the most out of all the broadcasters for the Olympics so they deserve that power and they deserve the biggest studio out of all the other broadcasters)and all the others in Europe via BBC, Australia via 7 Net, Canada via CBC and everyone else is bias for there respective countries. ESPN is broadcasting the Olympics in Brazil but I gotta give props to them to because they are showcasing the Brazilian athletes to the Brazilian people, not the Americans even though they are owned by the huge American corporation Disney. Finally, if your NBC and your coverage is from an international viewpoint instead of a US viewpoint you know what that equals LOW RATINGS!!! Same thing with CCTV and every single IOC rightsholder around the world. I am very disappointed with the bias in this blog entry. If you are really missing the American bias of the Olympic coverage you are used to look for a backdoor source on Sopcast or something and look for NBC coverage, or go to NBC Olympics.com and lie about your zip code and cable or satellite operator. Don't even let me get started on TV News in the US and how FOX, NBC and CNN proclaim that they are your source for international news when it's the same 6 US based stories that are talked about EVERY SINGLE HOUR IN THE 24/7 CYCLE!!!!!!!! The only guys that really do international news correct on occasion is CNN. COME ON DAN!!!!!!!!!! SORRY IF I PISSED U OFF BUT THIS IS POPPING UP EVERYWHERE AND I'M TIRED OF IT!!! By the way the day of the Opening Ceremonies on the 10AM hour of the Today Show on Hoda Kotb's birthday (look for the video on MSNBC.com) Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda were wearing Team USA gear. COME ON DAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 21, 2008
10:53 PM
el cid writes:
uh, ditto.
August 21, 2008
11:33 PM
Daniel Oshinsky writes:
Yes, I understand about the overload on America. No disagreement here on the never ending cable news cycle.
All of the networks are biased towards their home countries. But BBC journalists aren't wearing "Go U.K.!" t-shirts on screen. Aussie channel 7 announcers don't cry with and console athletes after they lose.
I wouldn't go as far as to call Katie Lee Gifford a source of news. The journalists wearing Team China gear on air here are.
And if you have 16 channels like they do over here, and if there's a gold medal match -- especially for a sport like soccer, featuring a player like Leo Messi, whose jersey is just as popular here as LeBron's or Kobe's -- it should be on T.V.
Every previous Argentina game has been on T.V. here. Not sure why they can't make space on CCTV-Infinity or whatever the Chinese equivalent of Oxygen is for the final.
August 21, 2008
11:48 PM
Daniel Oshinsky writes:
Also: no, I have not seen any of the NBC coverage of these Games. I'm assuming from your comments that Bob Costas isn't leading karaoke sing-a-longs of "O Canada" on air these days.
August 22, 2008
3:35 PM
Jessie writes:
But, Dan, you would'nt consider The Today Show journalism, of course Kathie Lee is'nt journalism, if you work with Regis your entertainment, but the Today Show as a whole is journalism, if a breaking news story happens while Kathie Lee is on the air guess who's gonna be reporting it, Kathie Lee, if it's real serious then they'll bring in Matt or Meredith or Brian Williams, but technically she gets paid by NBC News not NBC Entertainment, and even though NBC may be bi-partisan it is still journalism, Hoda Kotb is a journalist who is reporting on the Olympics on the 7-9AM main hrs. of the Today Show, so for them to be wearing USA gear IS BIAS! I have nothing wrong with that but to say that the journalist at CCTV should'nt be wearing China's gear is wrong because if NBC can do it CCTV can do it. But gotta admit funny joke of yours about Bob Costas.
August 22, 2008
3:52 PM
Jessie writes:
To say that NBC does'nt console with athletes is wrong because NBC consoled with Lolo Jones when she missed the hurdle, they tried to ask her questions that would make her feel better. This isn't Barney or PBS Kids or the Wiggles THIS IS THE OLYMPICS. Although I have to give props to them because they did dare to ask Jeremy Wariner whether the change of coaches had anything to do with his silver medal. He's never talking to Bob Neumier again LOL. Also let me counter CCTV's decision to not air Argetina's soccer with NBC's decision to not AIR THE GAMES LIVE IN THE WEST COAST!!!!!! HOW THE HECK ARE YOU GOING 2 HAVE GOOD RATINGS FOR THE OLYMPICS IN THE WEST IF EVERYONE IN THE WEST ALREADY KNOWS THE RESULTS TO EVERYTHING VIA ESPN, SPORTS TALK RADIO, INTERNET, BACKDOOR WEBSITES TO WATCH P2P TV COVERAGE ETC. People here in the states have been complaining about that like crazy and I'm sure you've heard about it even though you're all the way in China. I don't hear any Chinese people complaining that they don't get to see Leo Messi play soccer, I AM SURE CCTV WAS GOING TO AIR ARGENTINA'S SOCCER GAME 3 HOURS LATER AFTER IT WAS OVER. WHAT'S WRONG WITH TAKING A PAGE OFF OF NBC'S BOOK. by the way Messi's jerseys can only be compared to Kobe's sales in Argentina no where else. KOBE AND LEBRON EXPLODE IN JERSEY SALES EVERYWHERE ELSE. Also, I'm sure they probably showed the game online Live, did you check there. By the way the US and China are arch nemesis so I'm sure NBC wouldn't want to showcase Team China and CCTV showcase Team USA. By the way, here's more bias I noticed, on CBC, BBC, CCTV, KBC and 7 Network's coverage of the Olympics they all acknowledge China as the leader because of golds but on NBC, ESPN, CNN, FOX News, and the internet when they show the standings they acknowledge the US as the leader because of overall medals. TALK ABOUT BIAS!!!!
Internationally China is the leader, In the US the USA is the leader. Talk about Bias, born in the US of A BABY!