(AP) - After the tape-delayed Sydney Games produced the worst Olympic TV ratings in 32 years, NBC has asked Athens 2004 organizers to consider changing the starting times of some events.
Athens is
7 hours ahead of the East Coast.
Sports federations would have to approve any time changes, a point discussed during a meeting between Peter Diamond, NBC senior VP for Olympic programming, and
Athens organizing committee executive director Spyros Capralos.
"For NBC, shifting the events later into the evening is ideal because of the time- zone difference between Athens and the United
States. Both parties stressed that cooperation with sports federations will be key to any such arrangements," Athens 2004 organizers said in statement Thursday.
No details of the network's request
were made available, and NBC Olympics officials were traveling and could not be reached for comment.
Because of the 15-hour time difference from Australia, NBC decided to televise last year's
Olympics on tape (with the exception of one basketball game).
The ratings for NBC's 162 hours of coverage in Sydney were 39% lower than for the 1996 Atlanta Games, and 21% worse than the 1988 Seoul
Games.
NBC owns the U.S. TV rights to the Summer and Winter Olympics through 2008.