After five years of talks, America's television network NBC has persuaded the International Olympics Committee to schedule two of the most popular sports - gymnastics and swimming - at a time that will allow it to broadcast them in primetime in the US.
NBC chiefs were disappointed with the Winter Olympics in Turin earlier this year, because many viewers failed to watch taped coverage of events after they had learned results via the web.
NBC hopes advertisers will be prepared to pay bigger premiums if it airs certain events live. Swimming and gymnastics make up 70 per cent of its coverage.
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