The 2024 Paris Olympics marked not just another high-stakes sporting event, but also served as a catalyst for major shifts in television and streaming viewership, particularly highlighting the transitional phase of how audiences consume sports content. With the games commencing soon, the buzz surrounding their potential impact has increasingly captured the attention of broadcasters, advertisers, and streaming platforms alike.
Stan, the Australian streaming service, launched what turned out to be one of the most successful multicultural marketing campaigns aimed at increasing viewership among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Australians. This strategy proved effective, leading to 50% growth in subscribers during the Olympic period. Initially, one out of every ten viewers tuned in to Stan's dedicated international, in-language streaming channels, but as the games progressed, this figure increased to one out of seven.
Diana Ilinkovski, the Chief Marketing Officer at Stan, noted the effectiveness of the campaign, which relied on 2.5 million campaign impressions and targeted messaging across six languages. This multifaceted approach was crafted to connect deeply with various cultural communities, tapping not just individual viewer needs but collective sentiments - something Ilinkovski attributed to the campaign's success.
The campaign was part of Stan's broader strategy to attract not only new subscribers but also to win back those who had lapsed. The effort was deemed so effective due to its focus on community engagement and word-of-mouth marketing, achieving excellent sentiment across social media platforms as communities began to share their positive experiences of the coverage. Reg Raghavan, CEO of CulturalPulse, the agency behind the campaign, emphasized the importance of invitation over reach, explaining how brands must engage communities meaningfully to gain their loyalty.
The Olympics is not simply about the athletic competitions; it's also about the cultural exchanges and unity the games can inspire globally. For Stan, host partnerships with major international syndicators such as Eurosport and Warner Bros Discovery shaped the offerings, featuring dedicated channels for countries like France, Spain, and India, among others. These channels enabled viewers to watch events live or on-demand, catering to their respective preferences.
Shifting to the U.S. perspective, NBC saw record engagement through its streaming service, Peacock, which captured 2.1% of the TV viewing share during the Olympics. This figure marked the streaming platform’s most substantial share ever. Overall, Peacock offered over 4,000 hours of live coverage, amassing 23.5 billion minutes of viewing time, which was up by 40% compared to historical averages of previous Olympics combined.
According to Nielsen data, NBC's overall audience delivery for the Olympic Games reached 30.6 million across multiple platforms, which revealed a stunning 82% increase compared to the Tokyo 2020 Games. Interestingly, the network embraced a strategic shift to focus on streaming, considering how significantly the audience's viewing habits have shifted over recent years.
This theme of shifting viewing habits was corroborated by Gallup, which reported only 35% of U.S. adults expressed any strong interest to watch the Olympics, raising questions about the future of traditional broadcasting. The audience is growing increasingly accustomed to streaming and on-demand services, making NBC's transition timely. The results from the Olympic coverage validated this adjustment, as the viewership peaked at 17.9 million during key events such as women's gymnastics.
What does this all mean for the future? Well, the test for both Stan and Peacock will be whether they can maintain these newfound audiences post-Olympics. NBC hopes to capitalize on future engagements such as the NFL and NBA seasons kicking off, leveraging those events to retain viewers who may have joined primarily for the Olympic experience.
It’s clear now more than ever, the intersection of entertainment and sports is shifting. Online platforms are creating new opportunities for diverse audiences, and the increased viewership numbers from the Olympics demonstrate the effectiveness of thoughtful marketing and strategic partnerships. The lasting impact of the 2024 Paris Olympics could change not just individual companies’ trajectories but fundamentally reshape television and streaming dynamics across the globe.
