"Video is currently supported on the following browsers:
Internet Explorer 6, 7 for Windows
(Vista, XP SP2 or greater and 2003)
Firefox 1.5, 2, 3 for Windows
(Vista, XP SP2 or greater and 2003)
Firefox 1.5, 2, 3 for Mac
(OS 10.4.8 or greater, Intel only)
Safari 2 & 3 for Mac
(OS 10.4.8 or greater, Intel only)"

NBC Olympics site which is based on Silverlight.

I wonder will ANYONE out there dare to defend Microsoft's wannabe failure (yes, still, look at dl numbers) after seeing this very real life example?

Sadly, MS never proves us wrong but it won't last very long. You can't act like spoiled rich kid in neighbourhood forever even with the gigantic money they got.

Look at Realplayer, Flash pages on Versiontracker and see their system requirements.

What does NBC shareholders tell about this?

Even if you install Silverlight, read its EULA carefully. It says about sending a lot of data, the data which even Apple Inc. doesn't require as OS/Hardware vendor themselves.