It is 2012, and the vast majority of Americans have access to the internet. They know how to find information immediately and generally like their televised events to be live, even if it's not at the most convenient time. This was the case in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010 as well, but that hasn't stopped NBC from tape delaying everything at the Olympics. On Friday, they'll be hitting you with the tape delay again.
The opening ceremonies at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London get underway at 9 p.m. local time, 4:00 p.m. ET from the Olympic Stadium. Most countries will be picking up the international broadcast at that time, and the United States is not one of them. NBC's tape-delayed coverage of the opening ceremonies begins at 7:30 p.m. ET, as part of their Olympics primetime coverage. They are streaming every event live on NBCOlympics.com this year, but not the opening ceremonies. For that, you'll have to wait.
For more on the Olympics, head over to SB Nation's London 2012 Olympics Hub.