The First Digital Olympics was Six Years Ago

Levy, Lachlan and Higgins, March 2006, manuscript:

Internet news and information has a distinct advantage over every aspect of televised daily news, except for 24-hour cable news networks, because of the high-access levels. (Dimmick, 2004) As the internet becomes more competitive in terms of technology, it can offer more of a displacement. ‘The rich and streaming features on the internet make this medium more closely resemble what television and radio offer to the audience/listener than other traditional media.’ (Tsao and Sibley, 2004) As the line between what the internet is capable of doing and the presentation of televised media become closer together, the lack of time-restrictions on the internet may be the answer to the contemporary problem. It is the belief of the researchers of this study that, the 2006 Olympics offered the first glimpse of a situation where the internet showed itself to be as capable to report a live sporting event as televised media, and the ability to win the ‘time’ battle allowed it to become a factor in altering regular viewing habits. Several reasons may drive a user to higher use of information sources on the internet, ranging from more immediate desires for information to the high amount of control associated with interactive media. As the younger generations, which are using the internet in greater numbers (nearly 75% of children 12 to 17 are online, while 63% of those 18 and over are (Madden, 2003), gain more and more access to media, displacement is a greater possibility. (Althaus and Tewksbury, 2000)

It’s ok. We’re still getting tape delay (although just the Opening, but, still). No lessons learned.