Bolt Delayed Broadcast Angers U.S. Viewers

The American broadcaster NBC has drawn more criticism from viewers for its decision not to show Sunday's men's 100 meters final live, which includes an online petition demanding they show all future events live.

That petition had over 24,000 signatures as of Monday afternoon.

Usain Bolt set an Olympic record in the men's final which included American's Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin.

By the time the delayed broadcast of the race began, many viewers were unable to avoid the results which are posted on Twitter, Facebook and disclosed in news broadcasts.             

[Deon Radcliffe, Los Angeles Resident]:
"That's horrible. That's like the worst Olympics I've seen. What's the point of having the answer before the actual event happened?"

[Jordan Sall, Los Angeles Resident]:
"I'd rather see it live. It's obviously not as fun when you know the score."             

Typical comments on Twitter included "Fastest man on the slowest network" and "Two billion people watch Usain Bolt win...but none in America."             

The race was actually streamed live by the network on their internet site but many complained of buffering problems with that particular option.             

NBC has managed to make the London Games the most-watched Olympics ever by tape-delaying marquee events to air in the evening in the United States, maximizing viewers and advertising dollars.

But media experts say this could very well be the last Olympics for which this model works, pointing to the ever-growing demand from consumers who want to be able to watch content on any device at any time they want.             

NBC paid $4.4 billion for the U.S. rights to the next four Olympics through 2020.