Aussies slam Channel Nine’s coverage of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony – and target one of the network’s biggest stars Karl Stefanovic as they lash out
- Paris has officially launched the 2024 Olympic Games
- Host network Channel Nine under fire
- Viewers urged the presenter to stop talking about the procedure
Australians have recently criticised Channel Nine’s coverage of the Paris Olympics, furious with presenter Karl Stefanovic, if they were able to watch at all.
Thousands of Australians woke up in the middle of the night to watch the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris and had to wait for hours until the Australians finally emerged. They are the host country of 2032 and according to Olympic protocol they appeared as the third country.
However, they were not impressed with Nine’s handling of the opening ceremony, and in particular Stefanovic’s commentary.
They accused him of ignoring important and entertaining parts of the ceremony, with many calling on him to keep his mouth shut on social media.
‘@Channel9 please tell that idiot Karl Stefanovic to shut up during the performances. I was planning on watching Channel 9’s Olympics coverage but if this is any example of the quality of the broadcasts… I’m turning it off immediately,’ one person posted.
‘The @9NewsAUS coverage of the #Paris2024 Opening Ceremony is absolutely awful. @karlstefanovic is awful and has zero insight to offer. Terrible casting for this moment. The ceremony itself is pretty boring. Just a few boats floating down the river,’ added another.
Another fumed: ‘Why would you have Karl Stefanovic host the opening ceremony? Todd Woodbridge on his own would have been perfect.’
Viewers were unimpressed with Channel Nine’s coverage of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, particularly criticism of presenter Karl Stefanovic
The opening ceremony was also plagued by bad weather and rain, which made the arrival of the athletes look less than spectacular.
But viewers didn’t like being constantly reminded of this during the broadcast.
“Can someone shut Karl Stefanovic up? It’s raining, we get it. You’re a pathetic announcer @Channel9,” one viewer posted.
“Karl Stefanovic shut up about the weather. We get it, it’s raining,” said another.
And some viewers complained that they couldn’t watch at all.
‘So all the Channel 9 channels have conveniently disappeared from my TV and refuse to auto-scan or manually scan, just in time for the Olympics. I guess I’ll have to find another way to watch other than the useless Channel 9,’ fumed one disappointed Australian.
The wet weather also meant that the opening ceremony along the Seine did not have much of a shine
The Aussies appeared third to last as Brisbane will host the Games in 2032
And viewers raised concerns about the lack of subtitles for the dignitaries’ long speeches in French.
“Does Channel 9 have subtitles so I can read what he’s saying?” someone asked.
‘What’s wrong with your report of the opening ceremony in Paris… blurry. It’s like a report from the 70s,’ posted another.
Stefanovic wasn’t the only presenter to face criticism from Australian viewers, with some even questioning the talent chosen for Paris.
‘Why on earth is Matthew Pavlich competing in the Olympics? Great to see Channel 9 using experts to cover it,’ one person wrote.
While Channel 9 received much criticism, national broadcaster ABC received praise, particularly for bringing much-loved presenter Bruce McAvaney out of retirement to cover the 2024 Olympics.
‘Five minutes into the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on Channel 9 you realise that Bruce McAvaney is absolutely irreplaceable,’ said one viewer.
I wish Bruce McAvaney would do it [on Channel Nine] “Now that’s class,” posted another.