Spoilers: Angry Olympics Fans Tweet Their Protests, NBC Responds

NBC, already in hot water with fans over its coverage of the London Olympics opening ceremonies, just can’t seem to catch a break. The broadcaster, which has chosen to tape-delay certain events, is catching heat from viewers upset after NBC broadcasters spoiled the outcome of the Michael Phelps – Ryan Lochte 400-meter individual medley showdown.

Instead of carrying the matchup live, NBC aired a taped interview with Phelps. After Lochte won the event by nearly 4 seconds with Phelps finishing a disappointing fourth, NBC Nightly News led with the surprising racing result before the event had aired on television. The hashtag #NBCsucks soon became a trending topic on Twitter, with fans taking to the social media site to voice their displeasure.

Jim Bell, the long-time Today Show executive producer who has taken over running Olympics coverage from star producer Dick Ebersol, has responded by answering fans’ questions on Twitter. Bell says NBC will make it explicit whether or not an event is live or tape-delayed and also warn viewers of spoilers.

Reaction from fans online so far has been mixed, with some viewers saying they will forgo Twitter altogether during the Games and others coming to terms with NBC’s tape-delayed coverage.

UPDATE:

As fan fury over NBC’s Olympic coverage continues to grow Sunday, #NBCfail has become a trending topic on Twitter with complaints of the U.S. broadcaster overshadowing discussion of the Games.

The social media broohaha has even spawned a parody account, @NBCDelayed, that has picked up over 1300 followers after posting just 7 tweets in its first hour.

What do you think of NBC’s Olympic coverage? Tell us how you’re following the latest news from the London Games in the comments.

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