By Kim Young Shin

“NBC coverage of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics will be live across all time zones,” said NBC, the rights holder for broadcasting the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in the U.S., on March 28.

Because the western and eastern coasts of the country are three hours apart, the TV channel used to air some programs, especially sports, on a delayed basis.

Although it may sound like a matter of course that all official broadcasters show live footage of the Olympics, it's not an easy decision, considering a viewing rate that is directly connected to advertising revenue.

Social media played a big part in the decision.

“Social media won’t be ahead of the action in any time zone,” said Jim Bell, president of NBC Olympics Production & Programming.

He said, “Nothing brings the U.S. together for two weeks like the Olympics. That communal experience will now be shared across the country at the same time, both on TV and streaming online.”

Meanwhile, NBC visited Pyeongchang and Gangneung in Gangwon-do Province, two host cities for next year’s Winter Games, in February to film some stock footage and to introduce the cities to its viewers, with U.S. actor Jonathan Bennett as host. The five clips shot in those two cities have been broadcasted since March 5 on the “Today Show” and on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” one per week.

ysk1111@korea.kr