The latest violator, Moscow TV6's Internet arm, yanked its live Web coverage Thursday, Powell said. TV6 representatives in Moscow, however, denied they ever showed live video of the Olympics on their website. I think a couple broadcasters might be pushing the envelope. But everything has been quickly settled. Often in a matter of minutes, he said.
Internet piracy is a new issue for the Olympics.
The Sydney Games mark the first time a major segment of the global population has had access to the technology needed to watch events online. But the Olympics is funded by broadcasters around the world, buying exclusive broadcast rights and paying a lot of money for those rights. The IOC expects around 40 percent of the Games' revenue to come from the sale of exclusive TV rights to about 20 broadcasters around the globe. The IOC says that revenue might be at risk if fans could bypass TV and tune in on the Internet, although only 4 million U.S. households, for example, have high-speed access to the Net. Without high-speed access, online viewing of streaming video is unbearable.