People are angry at NBC. In other news, the Pope is Catholic.

For the first time in what seems like eons, NBC is not languishing in last place. Sadly for the creative forces at the Peacock, it isn't the original programming that is bringing in the ratings and the ad revenue, rather, it's Olympic coverage that is causing their winning streak. As Nikki Finke reports, half of America watched Olympic coverage during the last week.

This is an astounding statistic, and one would think that NBC would be thrilled that this many people are watching. They may be able to recoup some of that $250 million they're losing on Olympic broadcasts with that high number!

However, that doesn't mean that those viewers are watching NBC happily. West Coast residents are angry at the network for tape-delaying their broadcasts of high-profile events for prime time, and those prime time delays are ruining the results for viewers. That's not all; viewers are being prompted to provide the name and account number of their cable or satellite company in order to view content (NBC hopes to make money from said companies), a large invasion of privacy and a potential security risk for viewers. In other words, you're stuck waiting around hours for highlights, unless you're willing to give up sensitive account information that NBC seems to think you have readily available every time you browse the Internet.

It's a sad testament to the state of the network to see that it requires losing $200 million, broadcasting content that is ONLY available on NBC in the United States (because, let's face it, if people could watch the games on higher rated networks like CBS, they would, since they're watching CBS more often) and non-scripted content like sporting events to reach the top. Also, NBC's honeymoon with American audiences is going to end in one week, and then they are likely to go crashing back down to fourth place.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Peacock; I'm still angry about the Conan O'Brien debacle, and it constantly amazes me that they continue to make awful programming decisions (which are too multiple to list). Yet, the Thursday night comedy block owns my soul (even if The Office is often disappointing, and a shell of its former self), and Chuck is great fun. I'd like to see Olympic viewers stick around after the Olympics and watch some of my favorite shows to increase their ratings (especially Chuck and Community, two on the bubble shows), but on the other hand? I'm reveling in NBC waking up on March 1 and realizing their dominance was a short-lived dream.