Top Rated 2012 Olympic Broadcasts

CTV released their final 2012 Olympic ratings this afternoon. I’m not going to bother debating their coverage anymore, simply because it’s over. I don’t care anymore. The next potential chance for CTV to show an Olympics isn’t until 2018. That’s a long way off. The numbers are fairly staggering. An average of 7.5 million Canadians (5.1 million watched it live on CTV alone) watched the closing ceremony last night. Not only does that make it the highest rated closing ceremony ever, but the highest rated Summer Olympic broadcast too. A combined audience of 2.419 watched the Beijing Closing Ceremony (live and encore) on CBC and CBC Newsworld in 2008.

Here is a comparison of 2004, 2008 and 2012 for Morning, Overnight (which was live in 2008) and Primetime coverage, as well as the Ceremonies. Note that CBC didn’t have Daytime coverage in 2008, so I’ve chosen not to include it.

Olympic Morning (CTV/CBC)
Athens 2004: 322, 000
Beijing 2008: 675, 000
London 2012: 922, 000*

Note: London 2012 only only days 1-9, which is all that’s available at the time.

Olympic Primetime (CTV/CBC)
Sydney 2000: 1.255 million
Athens 2004: 1.1 million
Beijing 2008: 1.294 million
London 2012: 1.967 million*

*Note: London 2012 only includes days 1-9, which is all that’s available at the time.

Olympic Primetime (TOTAL)
Beijing 2008: 1.434 million
London 2012: 2.8 million*

*Note: London 2012 only includes through day 13. The last two full days of competition are not available. 2008 includes CBC and TSN broadcasts (and not RDS or Radio-Canada), while 2012 includes all networks involved in the consortium.

Olympic Overnight (CTV/CBC)
Athens 2004: 212, 000
Beijing 2008: 544, 000
London 2012: 429, 000*

*Note: London 2012 only includes days 1-9, which is all that’s available at the time.

Opening Ceremony (live broadcast only)
Atlanta 1996: 4.3 million
Athens 2004: 1.4 million
Beijing 2008: 1.6 million
London 2012: 6.4 million

Closing Ceremony (live broadcast only)
Beijing 2008: 933, 000
London 2012: 5.1 million

(Credit to Chris Zelkovich for past CBC ratings)

Of course, it is worth remembering that sports ratings have trended higher since BBM Canada introduced portable-people-metres as their measurement system in 2010.

A couple more numbers to think about. The peak minute audience for CBC in 2008 was 2.574 million, for Simon Whitfield’s silver medal performance in triathlon. The 2012 opening ceremony peaked at 8.1 million viewers. CBC averaged around 300, 000 streams per day in 2008. CTVOlympics.ca cracked the million mark consistently, which shows the direction sports broadcasting is headed.

Here are the ten most watched 2012 Olympic events on CTV. Following the break, you can find many more ratings I’ve compiled over the past two weeks.

1. Athletics, men’s 100m final (CTV, V, RDS) – 6.2 million
2. Women’s Soccer, Canada v. USA (CTV, TSN, V) – 3.8 million
3. Athletics, men’s 1500m semifinal (CTV, V) – 3.1 million
4. Swimming, women’s 50m freestyle final (CTV, RDS) – 3.0 million
5. Athletics, women’s 400m hurdles, round 1 (CTV, V) – 3.0 million
6. Swimming, men’s 4x100m medley final (CTV, RDS) – 2.9 million
7. Swimming, men’s 1500m final (CTV, RDS) – 2.8 million
8. Athletics, men’s 200m final (CTV, V, RDS) – 2.7 million
9. Women’s beach volleyball, CZE-USA (CTV) – 2.6 million
10. Cycling, men’s omnium 15km (CTV, RDS) – 2.5 million

Beady Eye Perform at Olympic Closing Ceremony

Gem (left) and Liam (right) perform at the 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony.

As many readers may know, Oasis mean more to me than any other band. Period. They’re my Beatles, or whatever (not to say they’re better than the Beatles). Beady Eye performed at the Olympics Closing Ceremony tonight. They did the biggest Oasis hit internationally, 1995’s Wonderwall. It seemed to ignite a firestorm, among Oasis fans and others. Not only did I not have a problem with it, I was happy. Here’s why. (Note: if you come here for sports media, you may just want to skip this one. Just needed to get it off me.)

One thing that really bugs me is the use of “cover band” or “Liam’s new band”. NBC went as far as to call them The Bootleg Beatles, except for Oasis. I grew up with the last line-up of Oasis. All the big songs that I remember coming out (Stop Crying Your Heart Out, Lyla, Shock of the Lightning) featured the line-up of Liam, Noel, Gem Archer and Andy Bell. This was the line-up from 2001 through the break-up of Oasis in 2009. Drummer Chris Sharrock joined them for their last world tour. As much as I liked the originals with Bonehead, Guigsy and Alan White, this was the lineup I grew up with.

Archer and Bell (as well as Liam, obviously) performed Wonderwall, Morning Glory and Rock n Roll Star live most every night for ten years together. If they choose to do the same with Beady Eye, it doesn’t make them a cover band. Despite the fact that Noel wrote them (and is receiving royalties on them), this is the exact same line-up that played them for ten years. Only difference is movement on instruments (Archer to lead/acoustic guitar, Bell to rhythm guitar and a new bassist) and the lack of Noel, who isn’t exactly a great guitarist in his own right.

Also important to remember, Noel left Oasis. Therefore, in my mind at least, Beady Eye is the continuation of Oasis. Nobody would be complaining if Noel showed up and did his current (boring, in my opinion) version of Wonderwall. Noel turned the opportunity down.

Let’s be honest, if Noel was there Liam wouldn’t have sang the song any better. So, there is no way anyone can say the performance would have been better if it was Oasis. Anyone can play it on guitar, especially Gem and Andy.

Anyway, I’ve had enough of everyone slagging off on members of my favourite band. Were Liam’s vocals 1996-esque. No? But we’ll never see that again. An Oasis reunion won’t revive his vocals. But, he was a lot better than Jesse J.

London 2012: Medals for Commentators

Right then, the Games of the XXX Olympiad are now closed. Regardless of TV coverage and Canadian performances (or lack of), London put on a great show. It was a great Olympics for the United Kingdom. Now that the Olympics, and CTV’s reign as official Olympic broadcaster in Canada, are over, I thought I’d have a little fun. Rank the commentators who most deserve medals. I’ve included any commentators that I’ve heard on a regular basis over the past couple weeks. CTV and NBC. I know some (many?) will disagree, but I don’t really care because the Games are done now. Chances are Rod Black won’t call a gymnastics competition anytime soon. And Blythe Hartley and Joanne Malar won’t be on TV at all.

I’ve divided everything up into three categories. They are: Play-by-play, Analyst and Studio host. I’ve also created a top 3 list exclusively for commentators working in Toronto. Here it is.

Play-by-Play (on-site)
Gold: Terry Gannon (rowing/canoeing, NBC)
Silver: Rod Smith (swimming/diving, CTV)
Bronze: Paul Romanuk (weightlifting, CTV)
4th: Gord Miller (athletics, CTV)
5th: Mike Emrick (water polo, NBC)

Gannon is one of the more versatile play-by-play commentators in North America. A play-by-play announcer for Golf Channel, he is now part of NBC due to the Comcast takeover. While Rob Faulds is a good rowing commentator, Gannon’s calls were level-headed and rarely biased.

Smith has a prime role in Canadian sports broadcasting as the 6pm ET host of SportsCentre. Personally, I think his talents are better used in the broadcast booth. His booming voice was great for speed skating in Vancouver and swimming in London. I’d like to see him get a spot calling play-by-play for the CFL on TSN, personally.

Romanuk is one of the all-time great Canadian sportscasters. He’d probably be right there with Chris Cuthbert and Dan Shulman, had he not decided to move to London a few years back. He called basketball in Beijing for CBC, before moving into the obscure (in Canada at least) sport of weightlifting in 2012. Not only did he impress, especially on the call for Christine Girard’s bronze medal, but I often watched a sport I had never watched before.

I was also pleasantly surprised by Miller. For me, the trio of Miller, Moorcroft and Smith was the best during the Olympics. They put the biggest night of the Games, day #8 in athletics, into great context. His call of “an extraordinary Saturday night in London” paid homage to the great Don Wittman in a way. I’ll never forget watching that athletics session and Miller’s commentary goes hand-in-hand with it. I also loved that Miller let Jamaica have their moment of glory before mentioning that Canada had finished 3rd in the men’s 4x100m relay.

Emrick is best-known as the main play-by-play commentator for the NHL on NBC. I’ll admit, I’m not the biggest fan of water polo. However, Emrick’s voice during the middle of summer makes it worth tuning into.

Play-by-Play (Toronto studio)
Gold: Luke Wileman (soccer, CTV)
Silver: Eric Smith (boxing, CTV)
Bronze: Jim van Horne (tennis/badminton/boxing, CTV)
4th: RJ Broadhead (beach volleyball, CTV)
5th: Bryan Mudryk (various sports, CTV)

Luke Wileman was the voice (in Canada) of the greatest soccer game in Olympic history (as British commentator Dan O’Hagan put it). Not only was he the voice of that match, but also the redemption game for Canada against France for bronze. The team captured the hearts of the nation. Wileman called it from Toronto, and very well-so, I may add.

Eric Smith might not be a familiar name to many. He works on The Fan 590 as a Raptors analyst. For the Olympics, he was as boxing commentator. Even though he was in Toronto, he caught things that some at Excel might not even have noticed.

Jim van Horne and Bryan Mudryk get on the list for being versatile, if nothing else. Van Horne called Milos Raonic’s marathon match against Jo Wilfried Tsonga, the Bruce/Li doubles semifinal (badminton was never even originally scheduled to air in Canada in English) and the debut women’s boxing with Mary Spencer. While none of those athletes went on to win medals, they were some of the seminal moments in the Games. Van Horne is an Olympics veteran, and a valuable asset to the CBC come 2016.

Heese and Broadhead impressed me overall. I actually preferred them to NBC’s beach volleyball commentators, who seemingly repeated the same, tired cliches day after day. They did their research, attending the Canadian Olympic Trials in July. Broadhead new the athletes, the terms and the rules. He impressed on Nordic sports in Vancouver and again on beach volleyball in London.

Mudryk only beats van Horne in that he called judo, taekwondo, equestrian. Who knew he was so versatile. I’d honestly never watched judo before, but Mudryk explained the rules perfectly, better than the analyst Frazier Will in fact. I’ll admit, I almost gave this spot to Vic Rauter simply for his counting-up of points during Martine Dugrenier’s repechage match.

Analyst
Gold: Michael Smith & David Moorcroft (athletics, CTV)
Silver: Emily Cordonier (volleyball, CTV)
Bronze: Mark Heese (beach volleyball, CTV)
4th: Rowdy Gains (swimming; NBC)
5th: Russ Anber (boxing, CTV)

Smith amd Moorcroft were exceptional on CBC in 2008, and again this time for CTV. Moorcroft put Britain’s super Saturday into a great British perspective, without coming across as biased. Canada had great results in the heptathlon and decathlon. Smith was a decathlete for Canada, so he was able to analyze the competitions better than both. Both Smith and Moorcroft acknowledged the rule broken by Canada in the men’s 4x100m relay. In fact, they were first to say it must be a lane violation because all of the handovers were legal. Again, not biased. By luck, and preparation, CTV’s athletics team was Olympics broadcasting at its finest.

Cordonier was very impressive in her broadcasting debut. She was another example of a Canadian commentator who was better than her American counterpart at NBC. Her and Kevin Quinn worked well together. She explained many of the technical rules of indoor volleyball (which are more detailed and confusing than the beach version). It didn’t hurt that her and commentator Kevin Quinn had a couple of spectacular comebacks in the men’s and women’s gold medal matches.

The same things I said about Broadhead and Cordonier apply to Heese.

With no Byron McDonald in London and the annoying Joanne Malar on CTV, Gains was the top analyst for swimming in 2012. Sure, he is a bit American biased at times, but he knows his stuff. I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping McDonald is back for Rio on CBC.

Those who like Russ Anber really like him. Those who don’t, well they really don’t. He is excitable. I miss the days of In This Corner on TSN, as well as the time when TSN would produce their own coverage of World Championship fights taking place in Canada. Having Anber back on TV was a bit of a flashback to that.

Studio Host
Gold: Brian Williams (Primetime, CTV)
Silver: Al Michaels & Dan Patrick (Daytime, NBC)
Bronze: James Duthie (Daytime, CTV)

Williams is Williams, regardless of what the haters say. He knows more about amateur sports than the rest of the country combined. It will be a sad day if Sochi rolls around and Williams isn’t on Canadian televisions.

Michaels and Patrick are two legends in American sports broadcasting. I actually really enjoyed their daytime show on NBC. Michaels will now go back to being the best NFL commentator with Sunday Night Football starting next week.

I was actually quite impressed with Duthie. Who knew he was so well-versed in amateur sports? Hopefully if TSN sub-licenses 2014/16 Olympic coverage from CBC, he will host their primetime show.

Coming up later this week, I’ll have some final thoughts on CTV’s brief era as Canada’s Olympic broadcaster and how they changed the way we watch the Games forever. I’ll also look ahead to CBC’s coverage of Sochi 2014, which is less than 18 months away. I’ll also have a complete ratings report for the 2012 Olympics, hopefully on Wednesday.

Olympic Broadcast Schedule: Day 16 (Sunday, August 12)

Well it’s here, everyone. Been a great two weeks, even seemingly heartbreak after heartbreak for Canada during week 2. Tomorrow the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London come to a close. There are still medals to be handed out in volleyball, basketball, the men’s marathon, boxing, wrestling, handball, mountain biking, rhythmic gymnastics, water polo and modern pentathlon (which isn’t on TV). Otherwise, Canadians can see every single day 16 gold medal final.

And then there’s the closing ceremony, which will include some of the best British pop and rock acts of all time. Rumoured/confirmed performers include The Who, Spice Girls, Queen, Pink Floyd, Ray Davies and Beady Eye. So, here is Liam and Gem from Beady Eye doing Wonderwall (the song they’re expected to do) while you read the schedule for the final day of Olympic competition.

Rosie MacLennan won Canada’s lone gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, in women’s trampoline.

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ENGLISH ROADCASTERS: CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, NBC
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CTV MORNING

Men’s Volleyball: Bulgaria v. Italy (live; 4:30am)
Men’s Basketball: Argentina v. Russia (live; 6:00am)
Men’s Volleyball: Russia v. Brazil (live; 8:00am)
Men’s Basketball: United States v. Spain (live; 10:00am)
Men’s Boxing: 52kg, 60kg, 69kg, 81kg, +91kg Finals (12:30pm)

TSN MORNING

Athletics: Men’s Marathon (live; 6:00am)
Cycling: Men’s Mountain Bike (live; 8:30am)
Men’s Water Polo: Croatia v. Italy (live; 10:50am)
Men’s Volleyball: Russia v. Brazil (12:00pm)

SPORTSNET MORNING

Men’s Handball: Hungary v. Croatia (live; 6:00am)
Wrestling: Men’s 66kg & 96kg medal rounds (live; 8:00am)
Men’s Handball: Sweden v. France (live; 11:00am)
Rhythmic Gymnastics: Group Final (12:30pm)

OLN DAYTIME

Water Polo: Montenegro v. Serbia (live; 9:30am)

NBC DAYTIME

Athletics: Men’s Marathon (live; 6:00am)
Men’s Basketball: United States v. Spain (live; 10:00am)
Men’s Water Polo: Croatia v. Italy (12:30pm)
Rhythmic Gymnastics: Group Final (1:45pm)
Wrestling: Men’s 66kg & 96kg (2:45pm)
Men’s Volleyball: Russia v. Brazil (4:00pm)

OLYMPIC FAREWELL on CTV/TSN/SPORTSNET/OLN (2:00-4:00pm)

Brian Williams takes Canadians through the best of London 2012. Along with encores of key Canadian performances and interviews, the show looks back at the inspiring stories and outstanding achievements that captivated the nation, including the Canadian women’s soccer team, Usain Bolt, and Missy Franklin. During the two-hour show, Lisa LaFlamme fronts a piece on women in sport, highlighting the courageous women competing for countries with female athletes for the first time in Olympic history. The feature also looks at the remarkable performances of Gabby Douglas in gymnastics, Missy Franklin in the pool, and Jessica Ennis on the track. Stephen Brunt also returns with his last essay of the Games, examining how London 2012 has redefined Great Britain through the golden performances of Team GB during last week’s ‘Super Saturday’.

CLOSING CEREMONY on CTV/TSN/SPORTSNET/OLN (4:00-7:00pm)

Hosted by James Duthie and Jennifer Hedger, this spectacle caps off the 17 days of London 2012 and celebrates the athletes that made these Games possible. Dubbed “a mashed-up symphony” of British music by artistic director Kim Gavin, the LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES CLOSING CEREMONY is set to include some of Great Britain’s top musical acts including Muse, Ed Sheeran, George Michael, the Spice Girls, The Who, Annie Lennox and more. The show will also celebrate Rio, host of the 2016 Games, with a Brazilian-themed performance.

CTV PRIMETIME (7:30pm-11:00pm LOCAL)

Closing Ceremony

TSN PRIMETIME (7:30pm-11:00pm)

Closing Ceremony

SPORTSNET PRIMETIME (7:30pm-11:00pm ET/MT/PT)

Closing Ceremony

OLN PRIMETIME (7:30pm-11:00pm)

Closing Ceremony

NBC PRIMETIME (7:00pm-Midnight ET/PT)

London Gold Review Show (7:00pm)
Closing Ceremony (8:30pm)
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DIFFUSEURS FRANCOPHONE: V, RDS, RDS2
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LONDRES 2012 à V

Athletisme et Velo de Montagne (Hommes) (en direct, 4h00)
Handball (Hommes) (HUN vs. CRO), Volleyball (Hommes) (RUS vs. BRA), Water-polo finale (Hommes) (en direct, 10h00)
Résumé suivit de la cérémonie de clôture (en direct, 15h00)
Résumé et cérémonies de cloture (en direct,  15h00)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS

Volleyball (Hommes) et Basketball Bronze (Hommes) (ARG vs. RUS) (en direct, 4h00)
Basketball (Hommes), Volleyball (Hommes) et Water-polo (Hommes) (en direct, 10h00)
Résumé et cérémonies de cloture (en direct,  15h00)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS2

Handball Médaille de Bronze (Hongrie vs Croatie) (en direct; 6h00)
Boxe finale (hommes) (en direct, 8h30)
Water-polo (hommes) Finale Croatie vs Italie (en direct, 10h45)

Aujourd`hui à Londres à V (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Jean Pagé examines the day’s highlights.

Aujourd`hui à Londres à RDS (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Chantal Machabée presents the highlights from the third day of London 2012 competition.

London 2012 Primetime Highlights: Day 15

First off, sorry I didn’t post a complete broadcast schedule today. Was busy with other things last night. But, here are the primetime highlights across CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN and NBC this evening. Lots of medals given out (and taken away, kind of) on the penultimate day of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

CTV: Host Brian Williams gives a complete rundown of Day 15 highlights and results. With a focus on Canadian performances, the four hour show looks at Catharine Pendrel in mountain bike, Mark de Jonge, Hugues Fournel and Ryan Cochrane in canoe/kayak, Riley McCormick* and Eric Sehn* in men’s 10m platform diving and more. OLYMPIC PRIME TIME ON CTV also recaps the athletics events of the day – including another highly-anticipated race featuring Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake in the men’s 4x100m relay – and the men’s soccer final.

TSN: Host Darren Dutchyshen takes sports fans through four hours of Day 15 highlights including recaps of the women’s volleyball gold medal game between Brazil and the United States, the men’s soccer final featuring Brazil vs. Mexico and men’s taekwondo +80kg with Canada’s François Coulombe-Fortier.

Sportsnet: Host Brad Fay recaps Canadian mountain biker Catharine Pendrel’s quest for a medal in the women’s cross-country. Pendrel is also featured in The Experts, where she proves to bobsledders Helen Upperton and Shelley-Ann Brown just how hard her sport really is. Plus, Sportsnet looks back at the incredible journey of the Canadian women’s soccer team.

OLN: Men’s Hockey Final: Germany v. Netherlands

NBC Primetime: Track & Field finals include men’s 4×100 and women’s 4×400 relays. Also, the men’s platform Diving semifinal and final, and the women’s Volleyball final.

NBC Late Night: Finals in the 60kg, 84kg and 120kg weight classes in men’s freestyle Wrestling.

Olympic Broadcast Schedule: Day 14 (Friday, August 10)

2008 Olympic silver medalist Karine Sergerie (pictured) and Sébastien Michaud are medal contenders in Taekwondo on Friday.

Each day during the 2012 Olympic Games the Canadian Sports Media Blog, in conjunction with Channel Canada, will provide an Olympic broadcast schedule for all official broadcasters that are available in Canada. These include CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, RDS, V, RDS2, ATN, OMNI, plus American broadcaster NBC. After the broadcast schedule is a complete list of events for the day. Many of these are available for live streaming on CTVOlympics.ca.

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ENGLISH ROADCASTERS: CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, NBC
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CTV MORNING

Canoeing: Preliminary Heats/Semifinals (live; 4:30am)
Boxing: Men’s Semifinals (live; 8:30am)
Cycling: BMX Semifinals/Finals (live; 10:00am)

TSN MORNING

Taekwondo: Men’s 80kg/Women’s 67kg preliminaries (live; 6:00am)
Wrestling: Men’s 55kg/74kg last 16/quarters/semis (live; 8:00am)
Taekwondo: Men’s 80kg/Women’s 67kg quarters/semis (live; 10:00am)

SPORTSNET MORNING

Swimming: Men’s 10km Marathon (live; 7:00am)
Synchronized Swimming: Women’s Team Final (live; 10:00am)

OLN DAYTIME

Women’s Hockey: Great Britain v. New Zealand (live; 10:30am)
Men’s Water Polo: Croatia v. Montenegro (12:30pm)
Women’s Hockey: Netherlands v. Argentina (live; 3:00pm)

NBC DAYTIME

Canoeing: Semifinals (10:00am)
Men’s Water Polo: Croatia v. Montenegro (live; 10:40am)
Canoeing: Semifinals (11:45am)
Swimming: Men’s 10km Marathon
Rhythmic Gymnastics: Qualification (1:45pm)
Wrestling: Men’s 55kg/74kg Finals (2:45pm)

CTV DAYTIME

Men’s Basketball: Spain v. Russia (live; 12:00pm)
Athletics: Finals (live; 2:00pm)
Men’s Basketball: Argentina v. United States (live; 4:00pm)

TSN DAYTIME

Wrestling: Men’s 55kg/74kg medal round (live; 1:00pm)
Taekwondo: Men’s 80kg/Women’s 67kg medal round (live; 3:00pm)

SPORTSNET DAYTIME

Rhythmic Gymnastics: Qualification (11:30am)
Men’s Volleyball: Bulgaria v. Russia (12:30pm)
Diving: Men’s 10m Preliminaries (live; 2:00pm)
Soccer: Korea v. Japan (live; 2:45pm)

CTV PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm LOCAL)

Host Brian Williams gives a complete rundown of Day 14 highlights and results with a focus on Canadian performances. The four-hour show recaps the athletics events of the day, BMX cycling and Tory Nyhaug*’s performance, taekwondo with looks at Karine Sergerie and Sébastien Michaud’s results, diving, canoe/kayak, and marathon swimming.

TSN PRIMETIME (7:00pm-9:30pm)

Host Darren Dutchyshen takes sports fans through Day 14 highlights including recaps of men’s volleyball semifinals, Canada’s underwater performance in synchronized swimming, and men’s water polo semifinal #2 (Italy v. Serbia)

SPORTSNET PRIMETIME (10:30pm-2:30am ET)

Host Brad Fay reviews the men’s basketball semifinals with coverage of powerhouse Argentina taking on the favoured United States, as well as Spain vs. Russia. Canadians Karine Sergerie and Sébastien Michaud look to fight their way to the podium in taekwondo, while Adam van Koeverden teaches kayaking in another edition of The Experts.

OLN PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm)

Canoeing: Qualifying Heats/Semifinals

NBC PRIMETIME (8:00pm-Midnight ET/PT)

Finals in Track & Field relays, plus finals in BMX Cycling, a men’s Volleyball semifinal, and qualifying in men’s platform Diving.

NBC LATE NIGHT (12:35am-1:35am ET/PT)

Finals in the women’s hammer throw and 5000m, and a men’s Water Polo semifinal match.
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DIFFUSEURS FRANCOPHONE: V, RDS, RDS2
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LONDRES 2012 à V

Canöe-kayak course en ligne (hommes, femmes) – demi-finale (en direct, 4h30)
Nage en eau libre (femmes) – finale (en direct, 7h00)
BMX (hommes, femmes) – demi-finale/finale (en direct, 10h00)
Handball (hommes) – demi-finale (en direct, 12h00)
Taekwondo (hommes, femmes) – quarte de finale/demi-finale (en direct, 13h15)
Soccer (hommes) – médaille de bronze (en direct, 14h45)
Taekwondo (hommes, femmes) – finale (en direct, 17h00)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS

Taekwondo (hommes, femmes) – préliminaires (en direct, 4h00)
Boxe (hommes) – demi-finale (en direct, 8h30)
Nage synchronisée (femmes) – finale par équipe (en direct, 10h00)
Water-polo (hommes) – demi-finale (en direct, 11h30)
Basketball (hommes) – demi-finale (en direct, 12h00)
Athlétisme (hommes, femmes) – séries/finale (en direct, 14h00)
Basketball (hommes) – demi-finale (en direct, 16h25)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS2

Volleyball (hommes)  (en direct, 10h00)
Boxe (hommes) (en direct, 11h30)

Aujourd`hui à Londres à V (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Jean Pagé examines the day’s highlights.

Aujourd`hui à Londres à RDS (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Chantal Machabée presents the highlights from the third day of London 2012 competition.
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MULTICULTURAL BROADCASTERS: OMNI, ATN
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ATN

Rhythmic Gymnastics: Qualification (live; 7:00am) – Urdu
Women’s Hockey: Great Britain v. New Zealand (live; 11:10am)
Women’s Hockey: Netherlands v. Argentina (live; 3:00pm)

OMNI.1

Italian Primetime (8:30-9:00pm)
Portuguese Primetime (9:30-10:00pm)

OMNI.2

Athletics: Finals (live; 2:00pm) – Punjabi
Mandarin Primetime (8:30-9:00pm)
Cantonese Primetime (9:30-10:00pm)

OMNI Alberta

Athletics: Finals (live; 2:00pm) – Punjabi
Italian Primetime (8:00-8:30pm MT)
Portuguese Primetime (8:30-9:00pm MT)
Cantonese Primetime (9:00-9:30pm MT)
Mandarin Primetime (9:30-10:00pm MT)

OMNI BC

Athletics: Finals (live; 2:00pm) – Punjabi
Mandarin Primetime (8:30-9:00pm PT)
Punjabi Primetime (9:30-10:00pm PT)
Cantonese Primetime (10:00-10:30pm PT)
Italian Primetime (10:30-11:00pm PT)

The Canadian Sports Media Blog is in no way affiliated with any Olympic broadcaster or the Olympic Games themselves. I take no responsibility for any errors in this schedule as it is subject to change and updates can happen at any time.

Olympic Broadcast Schedule: Day 13 (Thursday, August 9)

Damien Warner is sitting in 3rd after day 1 of the decathlon. ((Matt Dunham/Associated Press)

Each day during the 2012 Olympic Games the Canadian Sports Media Blog, in conjunction with Channel Canada, will provide an Olympic broadcast schedule for all official broadcasters that are available in Canada. These include CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, RDS, V, RDS2, ATN, OMNI, plus American broadcaster NBC. After the broadcast schedule is a complete list of events for the day. Many of these are available for live streaming on CTVOlympics.ca.

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ENGLISH ROADCASTERS: CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, NBC
________________________________________________

CTV MORNING

Diving: Women’s 10m Semifinal (live; 5:00am)
Rhythmic Gymnastics: Individual qualifying (live; 7:00am)
Women’s Soccer: Canada v. France (live; 8:00am)
Women’s Volleyball: Korea v. United States (live; 10:00am)

TSN MORNING

Canoeing: Finals (6:00am)
Rhythmic Gymnastics: Individual qualifying (live; 7:30am)

SPORTSNET MORNING

Athletics: Qualifying rounds (live; 6:00am)
Wrestling: Women’s 55kg last 16/quarters/semis (live; 8:00am)
Cycling: Men’s BMX (live; 10:00am)

OLN DAYTIME

Equestrian: Individual Grand Prix Freestyle (live; 7:30am)
Women’s Water Polo: Australia v. Hungary (live; 1:30pm)
Women’s Water Polo: United States v. Spain (live; 3:00pm)

NBC DAYTIME

Synchronized Swimming: Team Technical Routine (live; 10:00am)
Canoeing: Finals (10:45am)
Swimming: Women’s 10km marathon
Rhythmic Gymnastics: Qualifying
Women’s Water Polo: Australia v. Hungary (live; 1:40pm)
Women’s Water Polo: United States v. Spain (live; 3:00pm)
Men’s Beach Volleyball: Alison/Emmanuel (BRA) v. Brink/Reckermann (GER) (live; 4:00pm)

CTV DAYTIME

Boxing: Women’s Finals (live; 11:30am)
Athletics: Semifinals/Finals (live; 1:00pm)

TSN DAYTIME

Women’s Basketball: Australia v. United States (live; 12:00pm)
Men’s Beach Volleyball: Pļaviņš/Šmēdiņš (LAT) v. Nummerdor/Schuil (NED) (live; 2:00pm)
Women’s Soccer: Japan v. United States (live; 2:45pm)

SPORTSNET DAYTIME

Synchronized Swimming: Team Technical  Routine (12:30pm)
Diving: Women’s 10m Final (live; 2:00pm)
Men’s Beach Volleyball: Alison/Emmanuel (BRA) v. Brink/Reckermann (GER) (live; 4:00pm)

CTV PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm LOCAL)

Host Brian Williams gives a complete rundown of Day 13 highlights and results with a focus on Canadian performances. The four-hour show recaps the women’s soccer bronze and gold medal match-ups, athletics events including the highly anticipated men’s 200m final with Usain Bolt* and Yohan Blake*, as well as the women’s 10m platform results featuring Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion.

TSN2 PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm)

Host Darren Dutchyshen takes sports fans through four hours of Day 13 highlights and recaps including the women’s basketball semifinals and the women’s water polo gold medal game

SPORTSNET PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm ET/MT/PT)

Host Brad Fay provides viewers with highlights from Day 13’s premier events, including Usain Bolt’s attempt to defend his title in the men’s 200m final. A full review of the highly anticipated women’s gold medal soccer match between USA and Japan will also be presented, as well as coverage from the women’s 10m platform final as Canadians Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion look for their second medal of the Games.

OLN PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm)

Canoeing: Finals
Men’s Hockey: Semifinals

NBC PRIMETIME (8:00pm-Midnight ET/PT)

Track & Field finals include the men’s 200m, plus semifinals and finals in women’s platform Diving, a women’s Volleyball semifinal between the United States and South Korea, and quarterfinal action in men’s BMX Cycling.

NBC LATE NIGHT (12:35am-1:35am ET/PT)

A women’s Volleyball semifinal match between Brazil and Japan, plus the final in the women’s javelin throw.

________________________________________

DIFFUSEURS FRANCOPHONE: V, RDS, RDS2
_____________________________________

LONDRES 2012 à V

Plongeon (femmes) et nage en eau libre (femmes) (en direct, 4h00)
Volleyball (femmes), boxe (femmes), handball (femmes) et water-polo (femmes) (en direct, 10h00)
Plongeon (femmes), soccer (femmes), volleyball de plage et water-polo (femmes) (en direct, 14h00)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS

Canoe-kayak, athletisme, taekwondo et soccer (femmes) (en direct, 4h00)
Nage synchronisee, volleyball (femmes) et basketball (femmes) (en direct, 10h00)
Athletisme, taekwondo et basketball (femmes)  (en direct, 14h30)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS2

BMX – Hommes (en direct, 10h00)

Aujourd`hui à Londres à V (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Jean Pagé examines the day’s highlights.

Aujourd`hui à Londres à RDS (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Chantal Machabée presents the highlights from the third day of London 2012 competition.
________________________________________

MULTICULTURAL BROADCASTERS: OMNI, ATN
________________________________________

ATN

Rhythmic Gymnastics: Individual qualifying (live; 7:00am)

OMNI.1

Women’s Soccer: Canada v. France (1:30pm)
Women’s Soccer: Japan v. United States (live; 3:30pm)
Italian Primetime (8:30-9:00pm)
Portuguese Primetime (9:30-10:00pm)

OMNI.2

Mandarin Primetime (8:30-9:00pm)
Cantonese Primetime (9:30-10:00pm)

OMNI Alberta

Women’s Soccer: Canada v. France (1:30pm)
Women’s Soccer: Japan v. United States (live; 3:30pm)
Italian Primetime (8:00-8:30pm MT)
Portuguese Primetime (8:30-9:00pm MT)
Cantonese Primetime (9:00-9:30pm MT)
Mandarin Primetime (9:30-10:00pm MT)

OMNI BC

Women’s Soccer: Canada v. France (1:30pm)
Women’s Soccer: Japan v. United States (live; 3:30pm)
Mandarin Primetime (8:30-9:00pm PT)
Punjabi Primetime (9:30-10:00pm PT)
Cantonese Primetime (10:00-10:30pm PT)
Italian Primetime (10:30-11:00pm PT)

The Canadian Sports Media Blog is in no way affiliated with any Olympic broadcaster or the Olympic Games themselves. I take no responsibility for any errors in this schedule as it is subject to change and updates can happen at any time.

Olympic Broadcast Schedule: Day 12 (Wednesday, August 8)

2011 World Champion, and 3-time Olympic medallist, Adam vam Koeverden completes in the men’s K1 1000m final. He was the top qualifier on Monday.

Each day during the 2012 Olympic Games the Canadian Sports Media Blog, in conjunction with Channel Canada, will provide an Olympic broadcast schedule for all official broadcasters that are available in Canada. These include CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, RDS, V, RDS2, ATN, OMNI, plus American broadcaster NBC. After the broadcast schedule is a complete list of events for the day. Many of these are available for live streaming on CTVOlympics.ca.

________________________________________________

ENGLISH ROADCASTERS: CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, NBC
________________________________________________

CTV MORNING

Canoeing: Finals (live; 4:30am)
Equestrian: Individual Jumping final (live; 7:00am)
Wrestling: Women’s 48kg last 16/quarters/semis (live)

TSN MORNING

Athletics: Qualifying rounds (live; 6:00am)
Wresting: Women’s 48kg last 16/quarters/semis (live; 8:00am)
Men’s Water Polo: Australia v. Serbia (live; 10:50am)

SPORTSNET MORNING

Men’s Handball: Iceland v. Hungary (live; 6:00am)
Boxing: Women’s semifinals (live; 8:30am)
Men’s Basketball: Russia v. Lithuania (live; 9:00am)
Men’s Basketball: France v. Spain (live; 11:15am)

OLN DAYTIME

Men’s Volleyball: Brazil v. Argentina (live; 9:00am)
Men’s Hockey: Australia v. Germany (10:30am)
Diving: Women’s 10m preliminaries (live; 2:00pm)
Men’s Hockey: Great Britain v. Netherlands (5:00pm)

NBC DAYTIME

Equestrian: Individual Jumping final (live; 10:00am)
Athletics: Qualifying rounds
Volleyball: United States v. Italy (live; 11:00am)
Canoeing: Finals (12:45pm)
Beach Volleyball: Xue/Zhang (CHN) v. Juliana/Larissa (BRA) (live; 2:00pm)
Men’s Water Polo: Croatia v. United States (live; 3:00pm)
Cycling: Men’s BMX qualifying
Athletics: Men’s Decathlon 400m (live; 4:30pm)

CTV DAYTIME

Men’s Volleyball: United States v. Italy (live; 11:10am)
Athletics: Semifinals/Finals (live; 1:00pm)
Men’s Volleyball: Bulgaria v. Germany (live; 5:00pm)

TSN DAYTIME

Men’s Water Polo: Spain v. Montenegro (12:00pm)
Women’s Beach Volleyball: Xue/Zhang (CHN) v. Juliana/Larissa (BRA) (live; 2:00pm)
Men’s Volleyball: Poland v. Russia (live; 3:00pm)
Women’s Beach Volleyball: May/Walsh (USA) v. Kessy/Ross (USA) (live; 4:00pm)

SPORTSNET DAYTIME

Wrestling: Women’s 48kg medal round (live; 1:00pm)
Men’s Basketball: Brazil v. Argentina (live; 3:00pm)

CTV PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm LOCAL)

Host Brian Williams gives a complete rundown of Day 12 highlights and results with a focus on Canadian performances. The four-hour show recaps the canoe/kayak sprint final results from earlier in the day with a look at Mark Oldershaw and Adam van Koeverden, who is also featured in The Experts segment alongside DAILY PLANET host Dan Riskin. OLYMPIC PRIME TIME ON CTV also recaps the performances of Beijing 2008 gold medallist Carol Huynh in women’s freestyle wrestling and Eric Lamaze and Ian Millar in the individual jumping final, as well as athletics results.

TSN PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm)

Host Darren Dutchyshen takes sports fans through four hours of Day 12 highlights and recaps, including the men’s basketball quarter-final game featuring Australia taking on the USA’s Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant, as well as the women’s beach volleyball gold medal match-up.

SPORTSNET PRIMETIME (10:30pm-2:30am ET)

Host Brad Fay takes a look at Canada’s medal chances from Day 12, including Adam van Koeverden in the men’s K-1 1000m final and Mark Oldershaw in the men’s C-1 1000m final. Sportsnet also has full coverage of Carol Huynh’s attempt to defend her Olympic Games title in women’s freestyle wrestling, including a look at her special relationship with her hometown of Hazelton, BC in Difference Makers with Rick Hansen. All this, plus recaps of the quarter-final action in men’s volleyball, basketball and water polo.

OLN PRIMETIME (7:00pm-10:00pm)

Equestrian: Individual Jumping final

NBC PRIMETIME (8:00pm-Midnight ET/PT)

Gold is determined on the beach (women’s final) and track (men’s 110m hurdles). Plus, women’s platform Diving.

NBC LATE NIGHT (12:35am-1:35am ET/PT)

Qualifying rounds in the men’s javelin and women’s BMX Cycling.
________________________________________

DIFFUSEURS FRANCOPHONE: V, RDS, RDS2
_____________________________________

LONDRES 2012 à V

Athlétisme (hommes, femmes) – séries

Saut à la perche (hommes), lancer du marteau (femmmes), décathlon 100m (hommes), 5000m (hommes), décathlon saut en longueur (hommes), 800m (femmes), décathlon lancer du poids (hommes) (en direct, 5h00)
Basketball – Hommes (en direct, 9h00)
Lutte (femmes) – finale Nage libre (48kg), (63kg) (en direct, 13h00)
Plongeon (femmes) – Haut 10m préliminaires (en direct, 14h00)
Boxe (hommes) – quarte de finale Super-léger (64kg), mi-lourd (81kg) (en direct, 16h50)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS

Canöe-kayak course en ligne (hommes, femmes) – finale
K1 1000m (hommes), C1 1000m (hommes), K2 1000m (hommes), K4 500m (femmes) (en direct, 4h30)
Boxe (femmes) – demi-finale Mouche (51kg), léger (60kg), moyen (75kg) (en direct, 8h30)
Volleyball (hommes) – quart de finale (en direct, 10h00)
Water-polo (hommes) – quart de finale (en direct, 12h30)
Athlétisme (hommes, femmes) – demi-finale/finale Lancer du javelot (hommes), 110m haies (hommes), 1500m (femmes), saut en longueur (femmes), 200m (hommes), 400m haies (femmes), 200m (femmes), Décathlon 400m (hommes) (en direct, 14h00)
Volleyball de plage (femmes) – médaille d’or (en direct, 16h20)
Basketball (hommes) – quarte de finale (en direct, 17h00)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS2

Lutte (femmes) (48kg) et (63kg) (en direct, 8h00)

Aujourd`hui à Londres à V (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Jean Pagé examines the day’s highlights.

Aujourd`hui à Londres à RDS (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Chantal Machabée presents the highlights from the third day of London 2012 competition.
________________________________________

MULTICULTURAL BROADCASTERS: OMNI, ATN
________________________________________

ATN

Boxing: Women’s semifinals (live; 8:30am) – Bangla
Athletics: Semifinals/Finals (live; 1:00pm) – Tamil

OMNI.1

Italian Primetime (8:30-9:00pm)
Portuguese Primetime (9:30-10:00pm)

OMNI.2

Table Tennis: Men’s Team Final (live; 10:30am) – Mandarin
Mandarin Primetime (8:30-9:00pm)
Cantonese Primetime (9:30-10:00pm)

OMNI Alberta

Table Tennis: Men’s Team Final (live; 10:30am) – Mandarin
Italian Primetime (8:00-8:30pm MT)
Portuguese Primetime (8:30-9:00pm MT)
Cantonese Primetime (9:00-9:30pm MT)
Mandarin Primetime (9:30-10:00pm MT)

OMNI BC

Table Tennis: Men’s Team Final (live; 10:30am) – Mandarin
Mandarin Primetime (8:30-9:00pm PT)
Punjabi Primetime (9:30-10:00pm PT)
Cantonese Primetime (10:00-10:30pm PT)
Italian Primetime (10:30-11:00pm PT)

The Canadian Sports Media Blog is in no way affiliated with any Olympic broadcaster or the Olympic Games themselves. I take no responsibility for any errors in this schedule as it is subject to change and updates can happen at any time.

Olympic Broadcast Schedule: Day 11 (Tuesday, August 7)

2000 Olympic gold medallist Simon Whitfield competes in the men’s triathlon.

Each day during the 2012 Olympic Games the Canadian Sports Media Blog, in conjunction with Channel Canada, will provide an Olympic broadcast schedule for all official broadcasters that are available in Canada. These include CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, RDS, V, RDS2, ATN, OMNI, plus American broadcaster NBC. After the broadcast schedule is a complete list of events for the day. Many of these are available for live streaming on CTVOlympics.ca.

________________________________________________

ENGLISH ROADCASTERS: CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, NBC
________________________________________________

CTV MORNING

Diving: Men’s 3m semifinal (live; 5:00am)
Athletics: Qualifying rounds (live)
Triathlon: Men’s Race (live; 7:30am)
Gymnastics: Individual finals (live; 9:00am)

TSN MORNING

Triathlon: Men’s Race (live; 6:30am)
Women’s Basketball: United States v. Canada (live; 9:00am)

SPORTSNET MORNING

Track Cycling: Women’s Omnium (live; 6:00am)
Canoeing: Semifinals (7:00am)
Women’s Volleyball: Japan v. China (live; 8:00am)
Synchronized Swimming: Duet final (live; 10:00am)

OLN DAYTIME

Equestrian: Dressage Grand Prix Special (live; 5:00am)
Women’s Volleyball: Russia v. Brazil (12:00pm)
Women’s Volleyball: United States v. Dominican Rep. (live; 2:00pm)

NBC DAYTIME

Athletics: Qualifying rounds
Women’s Water Polo: United States v. Australia (live; 10:30am)
Cycling: Finals (live; 11:30am)
Diving: Men’s 3m semifinal (1:15pm)
Women’s Volleyball: United States v. Dominican Rep. (live; 2:00pm)
Women’s Beach Volleyball: May/Walsh (USA) v. Xue/Zhang (CHN) (live; 4:00pm)

CTV DAYTIME

Synchronized Swimming: Duet final
Athletics: Semifinals/Finals (live; 2:00pm)
Women’s Beach Volleyball: May/Walsh (USA) v. Xue/Zhang (CHN) (live; 4:00pm)
Boxing: Men’s 52kg & 69kg quarterfinals
Women’s Water Polo: Semifinal

TSN DAYTIME

Track Cycling: Finals (live; 11:00am)
Women’s Beach Volleyball: Juliana/Larissa (BRA) v. Kessy/Ross (USA) (live; 1:00pm)
Men’s Soccer: Korea v. Brazil (live; 2:45pm)

SPORTSNET DAYTIME

Men’s Soccer: Mexico v. Japan (live; 12:00pm)
Diving: Men’s 3m final (live; 2:00pm)

CTV PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm LOCAL)

Host Brian Williams gives a complete rundown of Day 11 highlights and results with a focus on Canadian performances. The four-hour show reviews the women’s 100m hurdles semifinals and finals with a focus on Jessica Zelinka, Phylicia George, and Nikkita Holder, and features a Superbodies segment on a hurdler’s body with Dr. Greg Wells. The show also recaps Tara Whitten’s results in the second day of omnium competition, Simon Whitfield’s performance in men’s triathlon, and how Marie-Pier Boudreau Gagnon and Élise Marcotte’s fared in synchronized swimming.  OLYMPIC PRIME TIME ON CTV also recaps the quarterfinal game between Canada and powerhouse United States in women’s basketball and other key events from the day

TSN PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm)

Host Darren Dutchyshen takes sports fans through four hours of Day 11 highlights, including recaps of men’s triathlon with a focus on Simon Whitfield, men’s 3m springboard final and Alexandre Despatie’s performance, Canada’s results in synchronized swimming, plus the women’s basketball quarterfinal match-up between Canada and the United States. The show also includes extended looks at men’s and women’s beach volleyball semifinals.

SPORTSNET PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm ET/MT/PT)

Brad Fay takes viewers to Olympic Stadium for a review of the men’s 200m heats, Usain Bolt’s second event of the Games and the 100m hurdles final where Canada may add more hardware to the country’s medal count. At the pool, Alexandre Despatie puts a shaky summer behind him in the 3m springboard diving finals. Capping off OLYMPIC PRIME TIME ON SPORTSNET are special features including Difference Makers with Rick Hansen featuring Simon Whitfield; Superbodies with Dr. Greg Wells, who takes a look at the physically taxing triathlon; and The Experts showcasing women’s hockey Olympic Games gold medallists Tessa Bonhomme and Jennifer Botterill attempting synchronized swimming.

OLN PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm)

Men’s Soccer: Mexico v. Japan
Men’s Soccer: Korea v. Brazil

NBC PRIMETIME (8:00pm-Midnight ET/PT)

Individual event finals in men’s and women’s Gymnastics and Track & Field, plus a key women’s Beach Volleyball semifinal.

NBC LATE NIGHT (12:35am-1:35am ET/PT)

Finals in men’s springboard Diving, and the men’s discus throw.
________________________________________

DIFFUSEURS FRANCOPHONE: V, RDS, RDS2
_____________________________________

LONDRES 2012 à V

Canoe-Kayak, Athletisme et Triathlon (Hommes) (en direct, 4h00)
Gymnastique Artistique et Soccer (Hommes) (en direct, 9h00)
Athletisme, Volleyball de Plage (Femmes) et Soccer (Hommes) (en direct, 14h00)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS

Plongeon (Hommes), Athletisme et Volleyball (Femmes) (en direct, 4h00)
Nage Synchronisee et Cyclisme sur Piste (en direct, 10h00)
Plongeon (Hommes), Boxe (Homme) et Haltérophilie (en direct, 14h00)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS2

Canöe-kayak (en direct, 4h30)
Basketball (femmes) Quart de finale (en direct, 9h00)
Waterpolo (femmes) Demi-finale (en direct, 10h45)

Aujourd`hui à Londres à V (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Jean Pagé examines the day’s highlights.

Aujourd`hui à Londres à RDS (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Chantal Machabée presents the highlights from the third day of London 2012 competition.
________________________________________

MULTICULTURAL BROADCASTERS: OMNI, ATN
________________________________________

ATN

Weightlifting: Men’s +105kg qualifying (live; 10:30am)
Weightlifting: Men’s +105kg Final (live; 2:00pm)

OMNI.2

Men’s Hockey: Australia v. Pakistan (12:30pm) – Punjabi
Men’s Hockey: India v. Belgium (2:00pm) – Punjabi
Mandarin Primetime (8:30-9:00pm)
Cantonese Primetime (9:30-10:00pm)

OMNI Alberta

Men’s Hockey: Australia v. Pakistan (12:30pm) – Punjabi
Men’s Hockey: India v. Belgium (2:00pm) – Punjabi

OMNI BC

Men’s Hockey: Australia v. Pakistan (12:30pm) – Punjabi
Men’s Hockey: India v. Belgium (2:00pm) – Punjabi

The Canadian Sports Media Blog is in no way affiliated with any Olympic broadcaster or the Olympic Games themselves. I take no responsibility for any errors in this schedule as it is subject to change and updates can happen at any time.

Olympic Broadcast Schedule: Day 10 (Monday, August 6)

Canadian middleweight boxer Mary Spencer makes her Olympic debut in the quarterfinals.

Each day during the 2012 Olympic Games the Canadian Sports Media Blog, in conjunction with Channel Canada, will provide an Olympic broadcast schedule for all official broadcasters that are available in Canada. These include CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, RDS, V, RDS2, ATN, OMNI, plus American broadcaster NBC. After the broadcast schedule is a complete list of events for the day. Many of these are available for live streaming on CTVOlympics.ca.

________________________________________________

ENGLISH ROADCASTERS: CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, NBC
________________________________________________

CTV MORNING

Canoeing: Preliminary Heats (live; 4:30am)
Athletics: Qualifying Rounds (live; 5:00am)
Men’s Basketball: Australia v. Russia (7:00am)
Gymnastics: Individual Finals (live; 9:00am)

TSN MORNING

Men’s Volleyball: Russia v. Serbia (live; 6:30am)
Equestrian: Team Jumping Final (live; 9:00am)

SPORTSNET MORNING

Canoeing: Semifinals (live; 5:00am)
Men’s Volleyball: Australia v. Poland (8:00am)
Men’s Water Polo: Romania v. Serbia (live; 9:00am)
Boxing: Women’s quarterfinals (live; 10:30am)

OLN DAYTIME

Women’s Hockey: Japan v. China (live; 8:45am)
Women’s Hockey: Korea v. Belgium (live; 11:00am)
Women’s Hockey: Great Britain v. Netherlands (live; 2:00pm)
Women’s Hockey: Argentina v. Australia (live; 4:15pm)

NBC DAYTIME

Athletics: Qualifying Rounds (10:00am, 1:15pm and 4;30pm)
Men’s Water Polo: United States v. Hungary (live; 10:30am)
Canoeing: Semifinals (11:30am and 1:45pm)
Equestrian: Team Jumping Final (12:00pm)
Synchronized Swimming: Duet Preliminary (12:45pm)
Men’s Beach Volleyball: Pļaviņš/Šmēdiņš (LAT) v. Gibb/Rosenthal (USA) (live; 2:00pm)
Men’s Volleyball: United States v. Tunisia (live; 3:00pm)
Cycling: Women’S Sprint quarterfinals (4:15pm)

CTV DAYTIME

Track Cycling: Men’s Sprint Finals (live; 11:00am)
Athletics: Semifinals/Finals (live; 1:45pm)
Men’s Beach Volleyball: Brink/Reckermann (GER) v. Ricardo/Cunha (BRA) (live; 5:00pm)

TSN DAYTIME

Synchronized Swimming: Duet Preliminary (12:00pm)
Men’s Beach Volleyball: Alison/Emmanuel (BRA) v. Fijałek/Prudel (POL) (live; 1:00pm)
Women’s Soccer:  Canada v. United States (live; 2:30pm)

SPORTSNET DAYTIME

Women’s Soccer: France v. Japan (live; 12:00pm)
Diving: Men’s 3m Preliminaries (live; 2:00pm)

CTV PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm LOCAL)

Host Brian Williams gives a complete rundown of Day 10 highlights and results with a focus on Canadian performances. The four hour show includes recaps of canoe/kayak and Adam van Koeverden, women’s boxing and Mary Spencer, cycling and Tara Whitten, women’s 100m hurdles with a focus on Jessica Zelinka, Phylicia George, and Nikkita Holder, plus Canada’s mixed team jumping results. OLYMPIC PRIME TIME ON CTV also features Soccer Prime Time Studio Analyst Kara Lang in studio to break down the semifinal showdown between Canada and the United States in women’s soccer along with reviews of gymnastics, diving, and synchronized swimming

TSN PRIMETIME (8:00pm-Midnight)

Host Darren Dutchyshen takes sports fans through four hours of Day 10 highlights, including recaps of the women’s soccer semifinal match-up between Canada and the United States, Mary Spencer’s performance in women’s boxing, Tara Whitten’s results in the first day of omnium competition, along with looks at men’s beach volleyball and volleyball

SPORTSNET PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm ET/MT/PT)

Host Brad Fay features Mary Spencer in the latest installment of Upclose, as she begins her quest for history and gold in women’s boxing.  Also, the popular Superbodies feature returns, taking a closer look at the toll it takes on the human body to run a 100m race. Plus, a review of men’s basketball as the United States faces its toughest task yet against Argentina.

OLN PRIMETIME (7:00pm-10:00pm)

Beach Volleyball: Men’s Quarterfinals
Equestrian: Team Jumping Final

NBC PRIMETIME (8:00pm-Midnight ET/PT)

More apparatus finals in Gymnastics, plus the men’s 400m final in Track & Field coverage. Also, qualifying in men’s springboard Diving, a men’s Beach Volleyball quarterfinal and the men’s sprint final in track Cycling.

NBC LATE NIGHT (12:35am-1:35am ET/PT)

Finals in the women’s steeplechase and shot put, plus the women’s omnium – a new program in Olympic Cycling.
________________________________________

DIFFUSEURS FRANCOPHONE: V, RDS, RDS2
_____________________________________

LONDRES 2012 à V

Canöe-kayak course en ligne (hommes, femmes) – demi-finale K1 1000m (hommes), C1 1000m (hommes), K2 1000m (hommes), K4 500m (femmes) (en direct, 4h30)
Basketball (hommes) Tunésie vs Lithuanie (en direct, 7h00)
Boxe (femmes) quart de finale (en direct, 8h30)
Nage synchronisée – duets routine libre (en direct, 10h00)
Plongeon (hommes) – tremplin 3m – Préliminaires (en direct, 16h45)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS

Athlétisme (hommes, femmes) – ronde de qualification/séries Lancer du disque (hommes), 100m haies (femmes), lancer du poids (femmes), 800m (hommes), 1500m (femmes) (en direct, 5h00)
Volleyball (hommes) (RUS vs SRB) (en direct, 7h15)
Gymnastique artistique (hommes, femmes) – finale: Anneaux (hommes), barres asymétriques (femmes), saut de cheval (hommes) (en direct, 9h00)
Cyclisme sur piste (hommes, femmes) – quarte de finale/demi-finale/finale + Épreuve de vitesse (hommes), épreuve de vitesse en équipe (femmes), épreuves de vitesse (femmes) (en direct, 11h05)
Athlétisme (hommes, femmes) – demi-finale/finale: Saut à la perche (femmes), lancer du poids (femmes), 200m (femmes), 400m Haies (femmes), 400m Haies (hommes), 3000m Steeple (femmes), 400m (hommes) (en direct, 14h00)
Basketball (hommes) (ARG vs EU) (en direct, 16h40)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS2

Basketball (hommes) (en direct, 9h30)

Aujourd`hui à Londres à V (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Jean Pagé examines the day’s highlights.

Aujourd`hui à Londres à RDS (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Chantal Machabée presents the highlights from the third day of London 2012 competition.
________________________________________

MULTICULTURAL BROADCASTERS: OMNI, ATN
________________________________________

ATN

Gymnastics: Individual Finals (live; 9:00am) – Bangla

OMNI.1

Italian Primetime (8:30-9:00pm)
Portuguese Primetime (9:30-10:00pm)

OMNI.2

Wrestling: Men’s Greco Roman Medal Rounds (live; 12:45pm) – Punjabi
Mandarin Primetime (8:30-9:00pm)
Cantonese Primetime (9:30-10:00pm)

OMNI Alberta

Wrestling: Men’s Greco Roman Medal Rounds (live; 12:45pm) – Punjabi
Italian Primetime (8:00-8:30pm MT)
Portuguese Primetime (8:30-9:00pm MT)
Cantonese Primetime (9:00-9:30pm MT)
Mandarin Primetime (9:30-10:00pm MT)

OMNI BC

Wrestling: Men’s Greco Roman Medal Rounds (live; 12:45pm) – Punjabi
Mandarin Primetime (8:30-9:00pm PT)
Punjabi Primetime (9:30-10:00pm PT)
Cantonese Primetime (10:00-10:30pm PT)
Italian Primetime (10:30-11:00pm PT)

The Canadian Sports Media Blog is in no way affiliated with any Olympic broadcaster or the Olympic Games themselves. I take no responsibility for any errors in this schedule as it is subject to change and updates can happen at any time.

Olympic Broadcast Schedule: Day 9 (Sunday, August 5)

Ten-time Olympian Ian Millar will complete in team jumping for Canada.

Each day during the 2012 Olympic Games the Canadian Sports Media Blog, in conjunction with Channel Canada, will provide an Olympic broadcast schedule for all official broadcasters that are available in Canada. These include CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, RDS, V, RDS2, ATN, OMNI, plus American broadcaster NBC. After the broadcast schedule is a complete list of events for the day. Many of these are available for live streaming on CTVOlympics.ca.

________________________________________________

ENGLISH ROADCASTERS: CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, NBC
________________________________________________

CTV MORNING

Track Cycling: Men’s Omnium (live; 5:00am)
Athletics: Women’s Marathon (live; 6:00am)
Tennis: Roger Federer (SUI) v. Andy Murray (GBR) (live; 9:00am)

TSN MORNING

Women’s Volleyball: China v. Korea (live; 6:30am)
Gymnastics: Individual Finals (live; 9:00am)
Boxing: Women’s round of 16 (live)

SPORTSNET MORNING

Equestrian: Team Jumping round 1 (live; 6:00am)
Women’s Basketball: Canada v. Australia (live; 9:30am)

OLN DAYTIME

Tennis: Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) v. Novak Djokovic (SRB) (live; 7:00am)
Women’s Volleyball: Italy v. Russia (live; 11:45am)
Women’s Volleyball: United States v. Turkey (live; 3:00pm)
Women’s Beach Volleyball: Juliana/Larissa (BRA) v. Goller/Ludwig (GER) (live; 6:00pm)

NBC DAYTIME

Athletics: Women’s Marathon (live; 6:00am)
Tennis:  Roger Federer (SUI) v. Andy Murray (GBR) (live; 9:00am)
Women’s Basketball: China v. United States (live; 11:45am)
Equestrian: Team Jumping round 1 (live; 1:30pm)
Women’s Water Polo: United States v. Italy (live; 2:00pm)
Women’s Volleyball: United States v. Turkey (live; 3:00pm)
Cycling: Final (4:30pm)
Beach Volleyball: Kolocová/Sluková v. Kessy/Ross (USA) (live; 5:00pm)

CTV DAYTIME

Track Cycling: Men’s Omnium (live; 12:00pm)
Athletics: Semifinals/Finals (live; 2:00pm)
Women’s Beach Volleyball: Kolocová/Sluková v. Kessy/Ross (USA) (live; 5:00pm)

TSN DAYTIME

Women’s Water Polo: Australia v. China (12:00pm)
Women’s Beach Volleyball: Xue/Zhang (CHN) v. Schwaiger/Schwaiger (AUT) (live; 1:00pm)
Diving: Women’s 3m final (live; 2:00pm)
Weightlifting: Women’s +75kg (live; 3:30pm)

SPORTSNET DAYTIME

Women’s Basketball: China v. United States (live; 11:45am)
Women’s Beach Volleyball: May/Walsh (USA) v. Cicolari/Menegatti (ITA) (live; 2:00pm)
Women’s Water Polo: Great Britain v. Spain (live; 3:20pm)

CTV PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm LOCAL)

Host Brian Williams guides Canadians through four hours of Day 9 highlights, including a recap of the highly-anticipated showdown between Jamaica’s Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake in the men’s100m final. Additional recaps include the women’s 3m springboard final featuring newly minted bronze medallists Jennifer Abel and Émilie Heymans, Canada’s match-up against Australia in women’s basketball, as well as men’s boxing, synchronized swimming, equestrian, and cycling.

TSN PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm)

Host Darren Dutchyshen takes fans through Sunday’s recaps and highlights, including the men’s tennis final with Andy Murray and Roger Federer, men’s and women’s boxing, beach volleyball and equestrian, and a review of the world’s fastest man in the men’s100m final during an athletics round up. The four-hour show also features three-time Olympic medallist Karen Cockburn showing CFL great Milt Stegall how to tackle the trampoline in The Experts.

SPORTSNET PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm ET/MT/PT)

A full review of one of the most anticipated events of the London 2012 Games – the men’s 100m final featuring Usain Bolt and his fellow countryman and biggest threat, Yohan Blake. Plus, Sportsnet heads to the pool where divers Jennifer Abel and Émilie Heymans looked to add to their bronze medal in the 3m springboard final.

OLN PRIMETIME (7:00pm-10:00pm)

Athletics: Women’s Marathon

NBC PRIMETIME (8:00pm-Midnight ET/PT)

Track & Field’s centerpiece event — the men’s 100m dash, plus apparatus finals in Gymnastics, the women’s springboard final in Diving, and a Beach Volleyball matchup.

NBC LATE NIGHT (12:35am-1:35am ET/PT)

Finals in the men’s hammer throw and steeplechase, and qualifying in the high jump, plus the men’s singles final in Badminton.
________________________________________

DIFFUSEURS FRANCOPHONE: V, RDS, RDS2
_____________________________________

LONDRES 2012 à V

Volleyball (Femmes) (en direct, 4h00)
Boxe (Femmes), Gymnastique Artistique, Basketball (Femmes) et Halterophilie (en direct, 8h30)
Volleyball de Plages (Femmes) et Athletisme (en direct, 13h30)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS

Basketball (femmes) et Athlétisme (en direct, 4h00)
Tennis (Hommes) (en direct, 9h00)
Cyclisme sur Piste (Hommes), Plongeon (Femmes), Boxe (Hommes) et Volleyball (Femmes) (en direct, 13h00)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS2

Boxe (fenmmes) Poids Léger (60kg) Poids Moyen (75kg) (en direct, 9h30)

Aujourd`hui à Londres à V (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Jean Pagé examines the day’s highlights.

Aujourd`hui à Londres à RDS (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Chantal Machabée presents the highlights from the third day of London 2012 competition.
________________________________________

MULTICULTURAL BROADCASTERS: OMNI, ATN
________________________________________

ATN

Badminton: Men’s Singles/Doubles Bronze (live; 4:00am) – Hindi
Badminton: Men’s Singles/Doubles Finals (live; 8:00am) – Hindi

OMNI.1

Portuguese Primetime (7:00-8:30pm)
Italian Primetime (8:30-10:00pm)

OMNI.2

Badminton: Men’s Singles/Doubles Finals (live; 8:00am) – Cantonese

OMNI Alberta

Badminton: Men’s Singles/Doubles Finals (live; 8:00am) – Cantonese
Portuguese Primetime (7:00-8:30pm MT)
Italian Primetime (8:30-10:00pm MT)

OMNI BC

Badminton: Men’s Singles/Doubles Finals (live; 8:00am) – Cantonese
Portuguese Primetime (7:00-8:30pm PT)
Italian Primetime (8:30-10:00pm PT)

The Canadian Sports Media Blog is in no way affiliated with any Olympic broadcaster or the Olympic Games themselves. I take no responsibility for any errors in this schedule as it is subject to change and updates can happen at any time.

How Do CTV’s Commentators Stack Up to CBC’s?

It is really hard to judge how good, or bad, CTV’s Olympic coverage is in 2012. It all depends on the viewer. Some would say it is better than CBC’s, some would not. Some would say that it is a lot better than CTV’s 2010 coverage, but again, some wouldn’t. It mostly comes down to quantity vs. quality. There is no question that CTV had more coverage than CBC and TSN ever combined to show in the past. CTV alone is broadcasting 18 hours of coverage day, with 15 additional hours on both TSN and Sportsnet. In 2008 CBC and TSN combined for about 18 hours of coverage daily. Rarely were both broadcasting at the same time, giving viewers a choice of what they wanted to see. What does come into question about CTV’s broadcasts, though, is the quality.

It does seem that the “Canadian-ness” of CTV’s broadcasts is toned down in 2012. Maybe they listened to viewers. Maybe they realized that the US Men’s Basketball team, Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt are as popular in Canada as most of our own athletes. The opening montage, which featured only Canadian athletes in 2010, has been replaced by one with a sea of colours representing athletes from all over the world. Featured prominently are Bolt, Lebron James, Kerri Walsh and Misty May, Roger Federer, and Michael Phelps, alongside Canadian stars Jessica Zelinka, Dylan Armstrong, Christine Sinclair, Alexandre Despatie and Adam van Koeverdan.

In that sense, CTV’s coverage of the London Olympics is immeasurably better than their coverage of Vancouver. As a viewer, I feel like I’m watching the world coming together, instead of prominent Canadian athletes being cheered on against others.

One thing that hasn’t changed from CTV’s coverage in 2010 is the song in that opening montage (and every other montage). Believe is back and as annoying as ever. I actually like the instrumental version, but hearing the full version every time a Canadian wins a medal and at the close of every Primetime broadcast is grating. And the new version by The Tenors isn’t any better. I still cheer on the Canadian athletes, but I’ve learned to quickly change the channel after the event is done. Of course this will return in 2014 (more on that later).

The hosts of CTV’s broadcasts are great. Brian Williams is still the best Olympic host in Canada, maybe in all of the English-speaking world. He is not afraid to speak his mind, which, in my opinion, is important for a well-respected journalist. With CBC gaining Olympic rights back from 2014, this is likely Williams’ last Olympic Games. A few have complained about him (my favourite is that he reads from a script. Every host does). I’ve tuned in every night during the Olympics so far to watch CTV’s Primetime show.

The only CTV host who is close to as good as Williams is James Duthie. I was a bit concerned about his knowledge of summer sports. Turns out I was wrong. Right from the opening broadcast it was clear to me that he had prepared for London. He is witty, and actually funny, unlike, for example, Ron MacLean. His co-host Jennifer Hedger is mostly good as well. Maybe she isn’t the most exuberant of TSN’s SportsCentre hosts, but she is one of the most professional. Morning hosts Dave Randorf and Catriona Le May Doan are the worst of the bunch at CTV. Randorf is very knowledgeable. He is an Olympic veteran as a former Daytime and Primetime host for TSN. Le May Doan, on the other hand, is too close to the Canadian Olympic team. She feels like a Canadian cheerleader, not an Olympic co-host. Maybe CTV should have found another role for her in London.

None of TSN’s hosts have stood out to me. Kate Beirness constantly makes mistakes, although she does correct them. She is a young, talented broadcaster; however, maybe too inexperienced for such a large role. Michael Landsberg is a great interviewer, but not a great host. His joke about Mark Heese appearing on Off the Record didn’t come across as a joke at all. Made it look like he just wanted to promote that he hosts a sports talk show. Darren Dutchyshen at least hasn’t made an embarrassing error like he did in Vancouver. He is probably the best of TSN’s hosts, but isn’t as good as his primetime counterparts at CTV, Sportsnet and NBC.

Speaking of Sportsnet’s primetime host, Brad Fay is the stand out host of Olympic coverage for me. He is very knowledgeable on Olympic sports and could become the star host that Sportsnet has never had (ala Maclean at CBC and Duthie at TSN).

As for their commentators, most are unforgettable. Some in a bad way. Rod Smith (aquatics), Rob Faulds (rowing), Gord Miller (athletics) and RJ Broadhead (beach volleyball) are among the standouts. Smith’s cadence and booming voice are perfect for swimming’s biggest events. Faulds is an Olympic veteran, he was part of CTV’s 1992 coverage in Barcelona. And who knew Broadhead was so knowledgeable about beach volleyball?

Thank goodness I don’t watch much gymnastics, apparently. I haven’t read many good things about Rod Black. And his call of Rosie MacLennan’s first gold medal for Canada in London was one of the worst Olympic calls I have ever heard. After the scores for the Chinese gymnast came up, Black excitedly yelled “Jump for joy Canada!” Sure I was happy for MacLennan, but jump for joy? Everyone talks about Jamie Campbell’s medal calls seeming scripted, I wonder how long Black had worked on this one?

Maybe we just don’t have good amateur sports analysts in Canada. Or maybe too many of them are too close to our current athletes. Joanne Malar was unbearable on swimming, constantly shouting over Smith. She said Michael Phelps was swimming for Canada in the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay. Another shouter was rowing analyst Barney Williams. He surely jolted me out of bed while watching rowing at 6am. Again though, many times he seemed to cheer Canada to the finish line. Kyle Shewfelt, while excellent with his analysis, also seemed to get overly excited for Canadian medals. So did judo analyst Frazer Will, who repeated himself countless times during week 1.

The most surprising analyst for me is Mark Heese. He knows everything about beach volleyball and is able to make it easy to understand for casual viewers. Usually Canadian coverage messes up volleyball on the beach, but CTV’s coverage with Broadhead and Heese is just as good as their American counterparts at NBC. Heese also wasn’t a Canadian cheerleader.

Some viewers don’t like Blythe Hartley. I think she is actually able to explain diving a lot better than 2008 CBC analyst Anne Montminy. Again, like Heese, she stands out to me because she doesn’t overtly cheer for Canadian athletes on air. This even though her and Emelie Heymans were teammates for many years. It is rare that a recently retired athlete is able to put personal connections aside on television.

Maybe CBC deserves the credit, but Michael Smith and David Moorcroft are a fantastic pairing on athletics. There were CBC’s track analysts in Beijing. Moorcroft was able to provide an excellent British opinion this evening as the British team had an historic night, winning 3 gold medals at the Olympic Stadium. Smith, a former decathlete, gave insight into the heptathlon that many could not. Hearing Moorcroft made me realize that CTV could use a larger British presence on their coverage. They just happened to choose a Brit for the right event as day 8 athletics will go down as the signature moment of London 2012.

The two commentators that deserve the most attention are freelancers. One is in London, the other in Toronto. Both were TSN regulars some 20 years ago. Both get to call minor sports, sometimes on short notice. Paul Romanuk is CTV’s commentator for triathlon and weightlifting. He put Paula Findlay’s performance in the women’s triathlon in perfect context this morning. He is probably the most professional, unbiased commentator in Canada. Everyone else should look up to him. Jim van Horne got the call for Milos Raonic’s marathon match. He also called a women’s doubles badminton semifinal feature Canada. His knowledge of badminton was particularly surprising.

Both Romauk and van Horne had to work without analysts. Maybe it was too their benefit considering some of CTV’s other analysts detract from the broadcast. Romanuk on weightlifting and van Horne on badminton were the two standout commentators during the first week of CTV’s coverage, in my opinion.

There is one other thing that CTV got right. Using NBC coverage for tennis and basketball and BBC commentary for soccer. Using NBC for tennis gave CTV the ability to show whatever matches they want, without having commentators on-duty in a Toronto studio to call them in a moments’ notice. Basketball and soccer as best covered by the Americans and the Brits respectively.

The Olympics: Non-Political, Right? (Not)

Everyone talks about the IOC’s status as a political-neutral organization. The Olympics bring together the best athletes from around the world, regardless of whether they are from a Communist country, a Capitalist country, or even a country with gross human rights violations. The IOC even goes so far as to ban countries whose governments interfere with their sports programs. Afghanistan was banned from the 2000 Olympics because the Taliban-backed government refused to allow women to compete in sports. South Africa was banned during apartheid, from 1964 until 1992. Iraq was almost banned in 2008 for political interference.

Then there was that one time when politics sadly played too great of a role in the Olympics. The day was September 5, 1972. The time, early morning, around 4:30 in Munich. A 8-man Islamic terrorist group, associated with Black September, climbed over the fence into the athletes village. Two members of the Israeli delegation were killed. Nine more were taken hostage by the terrorists. All nine were later killed after a failed attempt by the Germans to save them.

The International Olympic Committee considers this a political act. That is the official reason why the eleven athletes were not mentioned during the Opening Ceremony last Friday, 40 years after they were killed. But, let’s take politics, religion, country and everything else out of it for a second. Eleven athletes were killed by armed terrorists. They didn’t die doing what they loved, as some sadly have during Olympic competition. They died because someone didn’t believe they should be allowed to do what they loved.

Brian Williams of CTV got himself in some hot water during the Opening Ceremony when he mentioned this 11 athletes as the current Israeli athletes marched into the Olympic Stadium. Here is what Williams said.

“As Israel prepares to enter, my position is well known. It is one that I have taken at previous Olympics. It is wrong that the IOC refuses to have a minute’s silence for Israeli athletes that were slaughtered in Munich.”

Many came to this blog to mention that Williams shouldn’t be allowed to share his political opinions during a sports broadcast. First, it wasn’t a political opinion. A political opinion would have been decrying Russia or China for voting against the UN in sanctions against the Assad government. All Williams said is athletes who died in Munich should be honoured. Which, if you can’t tell, I agree with.

I also agree with Williams’ ability to speak on the issue. He is the voice of Olympics broadcasting in Canada. His opinions should matter as much as anyone else’s on such issues. If there is one thing he has gained in his 35 years of Olympic broadcasting, it is the right to speak his mind when the IOC screws up (or at least he believes it has). Sure he overshadowed the Israeli athletes, maybe wrongly so. But I don’t think any of them would disagree with the ’72 athletes getting attention.

My only problem with Williams’ statement was the timing. Maybe it wasn’t the wrong time, but I’m not sure it was the right time either. Brian has four hours on Olympic Primetime every night. He also has a certain amount of control on what airs on that broadcast. I would have preferred for CTV to do a short 15-30 minute piece, augmented by Williams’ views on the IOC not recognizing the athletes, on what happened on that fateful day. It is something difficult to grasp for someone like me who wasn’t alive at the time.

It probably would have been more powerful than a quick mention during a mostly happy event, like the Opening Ceremony. The bit during the Opening Ceremony got my attention, and many other Canadians as well, apparently. The question is, did it have any kind of lasting effect.

It is also worth noting that Williams commended the IOC for pressuring Islamic countries, such as Saudi Arabia, into allowing their women to compete in the Olympics. Now here is where I draw a connection that I hope isn’t true. Saudi Arabia is one of many Arab countries that doesn’t recognize Israel as a country. They obviously wouldn’t want Israeli athletes to be honoured. The IOC was willing to bend over backwards so they could say that for the first time ever all countries competing in the Olympics are sending female athletes.

Olympic Broadcast Schedule: Day 8 (Saturday, August 4)

Karen Cockburn, Canada’s flagbearer at the Beijing Closing Ceremony, will attempt to win a medal in her fourth straight Olympics in women’s trampoline today. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)

Each day during the 2012 Olympic Games the Canadian Sports Media Blog, in conjunction with Channel Canada, will provide an Olympic broadcast schedule for all official broadcasters that are available in Canada. These include CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, RDS, V, RDS2, ATN, OMNI, plus American broadcaster NBC. After the broadcast schedule is a complete list of events for the day. Many of these are available for live streaming on CTVOlympics.ca.

________________________________________________

ENGLISH ROADCASTERS: CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, NBC
________________________________________________

CTV MORNING

Triathlon: Women’s Race (live; 4:00am)
Men’s Basketball: Russia v. Spain (live; 6:15am)
Badminton: Women’s Doubles Bronze
Athletics: Men’s 100m Preliminaries
Gymnastics: Women’s Trampoline (live; 9:00am)

TSN MORNING

Rowing: Finals (live; 6:00am)
Men’s Soccer QF: Japan v. Honduras (live; 7:20am)
Diving: Women’s 3m Semifinal (live; 9:30am)

SPORTSNET MORNING

Athletics: Qualifying Rounds (live; 6:00am)
Men’s Basketball: Lithuania v. United States (live; 9:30am)
Track Cycling: Women’s Team Pursuit (live; 11:00am)

OLN DAYTIME

Equestrian: Jumping qualifying (live; 5:30am)
Men’s Soccer QF: Mexico v. Senegal (live; 9:30am)
Athletics: Men’s 20km Race Walk (live; 12:00pm)

NBC DAYTIME

Tennis: Women’s Singles Final (live; 9:00am)
Gymnastics: Women’s Trampoline (11:00am)
Athletics: Preliminary Rounds (11:15am and 1:30pm)
Men’s Volleyball: United States v. Russia (live; 11:45am)
Cycling: Women’s Team Pursuit (2:00pm)
Men’s Water Polo: United States v. Serbia (live; 2:40pm)
Rowing: Finals (3:45pm)
Athletics: Men’s 10, 000m Final (live; 4:15pm)
Men’s Beach Volleyball: Prokopiev/Semenov (RUS) v. Gibb/Rosenthal (USA) (live; 5:00pm)

CTV DAYTIME

Tennis: Women’s Singles Final (12:00pm)
Swimming: Finals (live; 2:30pm)
Athletics: Semifinals/Finals (live; 3:30pm)

TSN DAYTIME

Men’s Soccer QF: Brazil v. Honduras (live; 12:00pm)
Men’s Soccer QF: Great Britain v. Korea (live; 2:45pm)

SPORTSNET DAYTIME

Athletics: Semifinals/Finals (live; 2:00pm)

CTV PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm LOCAL)

Host Brian Williams gives Canadians a complete rundown of results from the jam packed Day 8. The four-hour show includes highlights and recaps of athletics, swimming, trampoline, tennis, equestrian, cycling, and diving events from earlier in the day. OLYMPIC PRIME TIME ON CTV also includes a review of key Canadian performances including Dylan Armstrong, Jessica Zelinka, Ryan Cochrane, the men’s 4x100m medley relay team, Karen Cockburn, the mixed jumping team, Paula Findlay, and more.

TSN PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm)

Host Darren Dutchyshen takes fans through four hours of recaps and highlights, including women’s triathlon and a look at Paula Findlay’s performance, men’s doubles tennis, beach volleyball, the results of Zach Bell and Tara Whitten in cycling and an athletics wrap up featuring Jessica Zelinka, Usain Bolt, Oscar Pistorius, and more.

SPORTSNET PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm ET/MT/PT)

Host Brad Fay reviews Canada’s many medal opportunities from Day 8, including Ryan Cochrane in the men’s 1,500m freestyle, Karen Cockburn in the women’s individual trampoline, Canada’s women’s team pursuit in cycling, and Paula Findlay in the women’s triathlon. Sportsnet also has a full recap of the women’s singles final in tennis and an emotional Difference Makers with Rick Hansen segment on trampoline gymnast Rosie MacLennan’s relationship with her grandfather. All this, plus a look at Usain Bolt’s first day back on the track for the first round of the men’s 100m.

OLN PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm)

Men’s Soccer Quarterfinals

NBC PRIMETIME (8:00pm-Midnight ET/PT)

Swimming concludes with four finals, including the men’s and women’s medley relays. Plus the women’s 100m dash, the women’s springboard semifinal in Diving and Beach Volleyball.

NBC LATE NIGHT (12:35am-1:35am ET/PT)

Finals in the women’s discus, plus events in track Cycling.
________________________________________

DIFFUSEURS FRANCOPHONE: V, RDS, RDS2
_____________________________________

LONDRES 2012 à V

Triathlon (Femmes), Aviron et Trampoline (en direct, 4h00)
Athletisme (en direct, 11h15)
Athletisme et Boxe (en direct, 14h00)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS

Triathlon, Athletisme (Hommes) et Water-polo (en direct, 4h00)
Plongeon (Femmes) et Soccer (Hommes) (en direct, 9h30)
Couverture en direct de Natation, Halterophilie et Basketball (Hommes) (en direct, 14h00)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS2

Un rameur en couple finale (femmes), poids léger deux de couple finale (hommes), un rameur en couple finale (femmes), poids léger deux de couple finale (femmes), poids léger deux de couple finale (hommes), poids léger deux de couple finale (femmes) (en direct, 4h30)
Tennis, finale hommes et femmes (en direct, 9h00)

Aujourd`hui à Londres à V (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Jean Pagé examines the day’s highlights.

Aujourd`hui à Londres à RDS (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Chantal Machabée presents the highlights from the third day of London 2012 competition.
________________________________________

MULTICULTURAL BROADCASTERS: OMNI, ATN
________________________________________

ATN

Badminton: Women’s Doubles Bronze (live; 4:00am) – Hindi
Badminton: Women’s Singles Bronze/Gold Finals (live; 8:30am) – Hindi

OMNI.1

Men’s Soccer: Brazil v. Honduras (live; 12:00pm) – Portuguese

OMNI.2

Mandarin Primetime (7:00-8:30pm)
Cantonese Primetime (8:30-10:00pm)

OMNI Alberta

Men’s Soccer: Brazil v. Honduras (live; 12:00pm) – Portuguese
Mandarin Primetime (7:00-8:30pm MT)
Cantonese Primetime (8:30-10:00pm MT)

OMNI BC

Men’s Soccer: Brazil v. Honduras (live; 12:00pm) – Portuguese
Mandarin Primetime (7:00-8:30pm PT)
Cantonese Primetime (8:30-10:00pm PT)

The Canadian Sports Media Blog is in no way affiliated with any Olympic broadcaster or the Olympic Games themselves. I take no responsibility for any errors in this schedule as it is subject to change and updates can happen at any time.

Olympic Broadcast Schedule: Day 7 (Friday, August 3)

Jessica Zelinka begins her quest for an Olympic medal on day 1 of the women’s heptathlon, including her signature event, the 100m hurdles. Canada also has three medal hopefuls on day 7. Dave Calder and Scott Frandsen in men’s pair rowing, Jason Burnett in men’s trampoline, and Dylan Armstrong in men’s shot put. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

Each day during the 2012 Olympic Games the Canadian Sports Media Blog, in conjunction with Channel Canada, will provide an Olympic broadcast schedule for all official broadcasters that are available in Canada. These include CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, RDS, V, RDS2, ATN, OMNI, plus American broadcaster NBC. After the broadcast schedule is a complete list of events for the day. Many of these are available for live streaming on CTVOlympics.ca.

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ENGLISH ROADCASTERS: CTV, TSN, Sportsnet, OLN, NBC
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CTV MORNING

Athletics: Qualifying Rounds (live)
Swimming: Preliminary Heats (live)
Rowing: Finals (live; 6:00am)
Gymnastics: Men’s Trampoline (live; 9:00am)
Track Cycling: Team Pursuits (live; 11:15am)

TSN MORNING

Swimming: Preliminary Heats (live; 6:00am)
Men’s Beach Volleyball: Round of 16 (live; 8:00am)
Tennis: Men’s & Women’s Semifinals (live; 9:00am)

SPORTSNET MORNING

Athletics: Qualifying Heats (live; 6:00am)
Women’s Basketball: Brazil v. Canada (live; 9:30am)

OLN DAYTIME

Women’s Soccer QF: Sweden v. France (live; 7:00am)
Diving: Women’s 3m Preliminaries (live; 9:30am)
Weightlifting: Men’s 75kg Final (live; 2:00pm)

NBC DAYTIME

Athletics: Qualifying Rounds (10:00am and 11:30am)
Rowing: Finals (10:30am and 3:45pm)
Swimming: Preliminary Heats (10:45am and 2:00pm)
Women’s Beach Volleyball: Maria/Talita (BRA) v. Kolocová/Sluková (CZE) (live; 12:00pm)
Women’s Beach Volleyball: Kuhn/Zumkehr (SUI) v. Kessy/Ross (USA) (live; 1:00pm)
Women’s Water Polo: United States v. China (live; 2:30pm)
Athletics: Women’s 10, 000m Final (live; 4:25pm)

CTV DAYTIME

Athletics: Semifinals/Finals (live; 2:00pm)

TSN DAYTIME

Women’s Beach Volleyball: Kuhn/Zumkehr (SUI) v. Kessy/Ross (USA) (live; 1:00pm)
Women’s Soccer QF: Canada v. Great Britain (live; 2:30pm)

SPORTSNET DAYTIME

Women’s Soccer QF: Brazil v. Japan (live; 12:00pm)
Swimming: Semifinals/Finals (live; 2:30pm)

CTV PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm LOCAL)

a complete rundown of Day 7 highlights and results, including recaps of women’s soccer, women’s basketball, swimming, athletics, and trampoline. The review of Jason Burnett’s performance in trampoline includes a Difference Makers with Rick Hansen segment on the aerial acrobat. The show also primes Canadians for an exciting weekend of athletics events and includes a
Superbodies feature on the beach volleyball with Dr. Greg Wells.

TSN2 PRIMETIME (7:00pm-11:00pm)

Recaps of the men’s and women’s tennis semifinals along with an extended look at the Canadian women’s soccer team’s quarter-final performance against Great Britain

SPORTSNET PRIMETIME (7:00pm-9:30pm ET)

a full review of the Canadian women’s soccer team’s quarterfinal match versus host Great Britain. Plus, a recap of Dylan Armstrong quest for gold in the men’s shot put final.

OLN PRIMETIME (7:00pm-10:00pm)

Equestrian: Dressage day 2

NBC PRIMETIME (8:00pm-Midnight ET/PT)

Swimming finals include the men’s 100m butterfly, plus Track and Field’s opening night, Diving, the U.S. women’s Volleyball team faces Serbia, and the men’s Trampoline final.

NBC LATE NIGHT (12:35am-1:35am ET/PT)

Qualifying rounds in the women’s discus and Day 1 of the heptathlon, plus track Cycling finals.

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DIFFUSEURS FRANCOPHONE: V, RDS, RDS2
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LONDRES 2012 à V

Aviron – Finale – Un rameur en couple (hommes), quatre de couple (hommes), deux de pointe (hommes), deux de couple (femmes) (en direct, 4h30)
Soccer – femmes (en direct, 8h10)
Plongeon (femmes) – Tremplin 3m Préliminaires (femmes) (en direct, 9h30)
Soccer – femmes (en direct, 14h55)
Boxe (hommes) – Super-léger 64kg et Mi-Lourd 81kg (en direct, 16h30)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS

Volleyball de plage – Femme (en direct, 4h00)
Athlétisme Lancer du Poids Hommes, Heptathlon 100m Haies Femmes, Triple Saut Femmes, 100m Femmes, 400m Haies Hommes, Heptathlon Saut en Hauter Femmes, Lancer du Marteau Hommes, 400m Femmes et Steeple Hommes (en direct, 5h00)
Boxe – hommes – Mouche (52kg) ronde des 16 (en direct, 8h45)
Soccer- Femmes – Brésil vs CANADA (en direct, 9h30)
Cyclisme sur piste – Finale – Keirin (femmes), Poursuite par équipe (femmes), Poursuite par équipe (femmes) (en direct, 11h30)
Trampoline – Hommes (en direct, 13h45)
Natation (en direct, 14h30)
Athlétisme – Heptathlon 200m (femmes), 10,000m (femmes) (15h50)

LONDRES 2012 à RDS2

Natation – 50m style libre (femmes), 1500m style libre (hommes), relais quatre nages 100m (femmes) et relais quatre nages 100m (hommes) (en direct, 5h00)
Tennis – Demi-finale (en direct, 7h50 à 14h30)
Waterpolo – Préliminaires (en direct, 14h30)

Aujourd`hui à Londres à V (7:00-11:00pm)

Host Jean Pagé examines the day’s highlights.

Aujourd`hui à Londres à RDS2 (7:00-11:00pm)

**Spécialement sur RDS2 en raison du match des Alouettes à RDS.**
Host Chantal Machabée presents the highlights from the third day of London 2012 competition.
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MULTICULTURAL BROADCASTERS: OMNI, ATN
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ATN

Archery: Men’s Individual (live; 9:00am) – Urdu
Weightlifting: Men’s 75kg Final (live; 2:00pm) – Punjabi

OMNI.1

Italian Primetime (8:30-9:00pm)
Portuguese Primetime (9:30-10:00pm)

OMNI.2

Swimming: Semifinals/Finals (live; 2:30pm) – Mandarin
Mandarin Primetime (8:30-9:00pm)
Cantonese Primetime (9:30-10:00pm)

OMNI Alberta

Swimming: Semifinals/Finals (live; 2:30pm) – Mandarin
Italian Primetime (8:00-8:30pm MT)
Portuguese Primetime (8:30-9:00pm MT)
Cantonese Primetime (9:00-9:30pm MT)
Mandarin Primetime (9:30-10:00pm MT)

OMNI BC

Swimming: Semifinals/Finals (live; 2:30pm) – Mandarin
Mandarin Primetime (8:30-9:00pm PT)
Punjabi Primetime (9:30-10:00pm PT)
Cantonese Primetime (10:00-10:30pm PT)
Italian Primetime (10:30-11:00pm PT)

The Canadian Sports Media Blog is in no way affiliated with any Olympic broadcaster or the Olympic Games themselves. I take no responsibility for any errors in this schedule as it is subject to change and updates can happen at any time.