I’m wondering if anyone can tell me which channel I can view some of the Winter Olympics on? Or can you?
I was getting very excited this Chinese New Year as I would have much time to watch TV and for the first time in many many years be able to watch some of the Olympic games. As I flipped through the channels over the last week all I have seen is small news clips about them. I’m very surprised as no Taiwan TV station is broadcasting them. Unless they are on very early in the morning or on a channel that my cable company doesn’t carry.
Or is there little interest in Taiwan to air them?
Not much interest in winter sports down here for some reason. I’d guess there’s no way they can earn as much in advertising as they have to pay for broadcasting rights.
In case anyone missed it, though, Sweden as expected whipped the Canadian hockey team, 5-2.
So what both of you (wsmith and PlacardJoe) are saying is that there is no interest in Taiwan to see the Olympic games?
I’m not talking about just ordinary every day sports guys. So actually I’m a little surprised at your response.
And actually if I were back home and the Olympics were held in Taiwan and if the games included ping-pong, badminton, pool, bowling, or Chinese checkers, I’d probably watch them…
quote:Originally posted by JeffG:
So what both of you (wsmith and PlacardJoe) are saying is that there is no interest in Taiwan to see the Olympic games? [img]images/smiles/converted/hellno3d.gif[/img]
I’m not talking about just ordinary every day sports guys
What they are saying, like Viking Man, is that there is NOT MUCH interest in the Olympics here, not NO interest.
Your question answers itself. If there was interest, broadcasters would pay for the rights, confident that fees from local advertisers would
enable them to make a profit.
I think there has been some misunderstanding about my post. I was writing my post at the same time as Viking Man, apparently, so I had to edit it and insert the names of those I was referring to.
The generally poor weather conditions and the lack of space makes playing outdoor sports in Taiwan a difficult undertaking. There is, therefore, a general lack of interest in outdoor sports in Taiwan. Spectators have generally participated, some time or other in their lives, in sports they like to watch. Personally I love to watch cricket, football (soccer), rugby and golf. Most Taiwanese have never taken part in outddor sporting activities, let alone winter sports.
It is thus quite understandable that there is no coverage of the winter games, as there is no market. Vikingman has it right: broadcast rights cost a fortune, so advertisers need to be found to sponsor any such coverage. And it doesn’t take a marketing genius to figure that spending money on slots around winter olympic coverage on Taiwanese TV will just be a waste of money.
I’m frustrated too, sometimes. I “watch” cricket on the Internet by visiting a site that updates the scorecard ball-by-ball. I don’t get to see anything except the scorecard. Pretty sad, I know.
I had to do the same thing in the States as virtually noone even knows what cricket is, nevermind actually wanting to watch a five day game.
So just as in most western countries, we would not want to watch badmington, ping pong, pool, bowling, and Chinese checkers on TV, Taiwanese have no interest in cricket or the Winter Olympics.
I’ve even thought of getting a satellite dish but have decided against it.
Hang in there for the next games, as I’m sure by then one will be able to watch sport or anything else on the Net, wherever one happens to be.
I’ll have to agree with you. Actually I thought about looking on the Net for them, but I thought it probably wouldn’t be available yet. But, you are right, I’d imagine in the next few years we’ll be able to watch it over the Internet.
Viking too makes a good point about advertising and costs. It’s true.
Well, I guess the newspapers and the evening news will have to due for now…
Strange that there’s so little interest. Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) does have athletes participating in the Olympics. For that matter, so do Jamaica and Puerto Rico. One of the best US speed skaters is from Miami, which, as far as I can remember, is not noted for its winter conditions.
And I think they’re really missing out by not showing at least highlights of the Olympics. I’ve fallen in love with short-track speed skating. The other night, an Australian won by being the slowest skater in two straihgt races. In both races, the leaders all wiped out in spectacular fashion and the Australian calmly skated past the debris a few seconds later.
I can’t remember clearly, but it seems to me that when I was first in Taiwan in 1984, they DID show the Olympics on TV. At that time it was just the 3 networks, no cable and no satellites yet, and one English-language program at night. Maybe the increased programming choices have edged out “programs that are good for you” or something like that?? It’s all money, I guess.
Getting a dish won’t help. The birds are all in geo-sync orb over the larger markets. To get the signal here they’d have to 1) work through all the rights issues, and 2) bounce the signal to a Japanese satellite and have them shoot a the bobsled into your living room.
So that ain’t gonna happen.
And I don’t think that people aren’t involved in sports here cuz it’s wet and hot and polluted outside (those are the excuses we use). Rather, when they’re 8 and in peak physical condition, their mothers call them in from their fun and games and sit them squarely on a chair (no slouching or pen twirling!) to begin the arduous Chinese indoctrination technique know as exam preparation. If overbearing and domineering enough, the mother and the rest of the family won’t be embarrassed later on by a flunky reject with physical coordination, powerful lungs, and an appetite for sports on television.
I agree with Placard Joe. Want to see something funny? Throw a ball to a kid at your bushiban and watch them try to catch it. I have noticed a total absence of hand-eye coordination in 99 out of 100 Taiwanese kids. Ask your kids what they do on the weekend and you might glean a hint as to why this is so. They don’t play sports. They don’t play outside. They sleep, play computer games, and watch tv. Oh yeah, they study and do homework too. A lot of my kids have never climbed a tree.
As an aside, and just because no one else has said it in this thread: