Games’ Pay-Per-View Detailed : Olympics: Cost to viewers will be between $100 and $150 for 600 hours of coverage without commercials in 1992.

Besides the 160 hours of coverage NBC has planned for free television during the 1992 Summer Olympics, another 600--without commercials--will be available through pay-per-view on three separate channels, it was announced Monday.

Cost of the pay-per-view programming to viewers will be between $100 and $150. NBC said more research is needed before the actual pay-per-view fee can be set. The network is not planning to sell partial programming.

The pay-per-view coverage will supplement events televised by NBC, although there will be some overlap--but not in prime time. The pay-per-view block will be 12 hours and run from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the West. Then at 2 p.m., the 12-hour block will be repeated.

NBC’s cable partner is Cablevision Systems Inc. It is half-owned by NBC and is the parent company of SportsChannel America.

But that does not mean pay-per-view programming will be carried on the 10 SportsChannel regional networks.

“We will not become a pay-per-view channel for the Olympics,” said Rockey Flintermann, the director of programming for Sports- Channel Los Angeles.

“This is a deal between Cablevision and NBC. I think they will deal directly with cable operators.

“We will probably play a role in the marketing and promoting of the pay-per-view telecasts, but I believe that will be the extent of our role.”

Essentially, the pay-per-view package will be for those who want more Olympic coverage, or for those with a keen interest in a particular sport.

Marc Lustgarten, Cablevision vice chairman, said: “We think it’s a win-win situation. There has always been a flaw in network coverage of the Olympics: they could never show it all.”

NBC won the American television rights to the Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, with a bid of $401 million. Pay-per-view alone could generate $375 million.

Tom Rogers, president of NBC’s cable operations, said 25 million homes should be ready for pay-per-view by 1992. Rogers estimates that 2.5 million households will buy the Olympic package.

Rick Kulis, president of Choice Entertainment, a Southern California pay-per-view company, said: “That 2.5 million may prove to be a pipe dream. If it is, it will be a black eye for all of pay-per-view.”

Said Lustgarten: “We view the pay-per-view package as better than a seat in Barcelona. To be able to sit with your remote channel-changer and be in three venues is better than being there.”

Much of NBC’s coverage will be taped because of the 10-hour time difference between Spain and Los Angeles. But the pay-per-view programming will be live.

NBC was criticized in 1988 for what it selected to cover in Seoul, South Korea, and ABC was criticized in 1984 for the same thing at the Games in Los Angeles.

Lustgarten said that even three pay-per-view channels will be overloaded by Olympic competition.

“We just have too many events,” he said. “When you look at the schedule, especially early on, it’s possible that four channels wouldn’t be enough.”