Kelsey Mitchell
Canadian audiences engaged on all CBC television, streaming and digital platforms during the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, with the channel marking record high digital audiences and also ranking as the most-watched TV network in Canada throughout the Olympic Games.
CBC’s digital and streaming platforms, including CBC.ca, the CBC Olympics App and CBC Gem, grew historic, record high audiences over the course of the Games, with Canadians streaming more than 37 million video views since the beginning of Tokyo 2020, up 62% over PyeongChang 2018, which had a similar time difference of 11 to 16 hours for viewers in time zones across Canada.
Additionally, live views made up 61% of all video views, highlighting the increasing popularity of live streaming on CBC digital platforms, and Connected TVs accounted for about 68% of the total time spent streaming Tokyo 2020 content on CBC Gem. In total, Canadians consumed nearly 17 million hours of digital Olympic content on CBC digital platforms, with time spent reaching the highest one-day total on record for CBC on Friday, August 6, the day of the women’s soccer gold medal game.
On television, 28 million viewers - or three in four Canadians - tuned in for Tokyo 2020 coverage on CBC/Radio-Canada. CBC ranked as the most-watched network in Canada for 17 consecutive days among all audiences and delivered an audience share of 21.4% in the English TV market, including 33% of viewers in the 25-54 demographic, a higher percentage than the overall season average across all English television (28%). Additionally, CBC's all-day audience during Tokyo 2020 was more than six times higher than the 2020/21 regular season audience, with the largest growth attributed to morning and overnight audiences, indicating that Canadians changed their TV viewing habits to watch the Games.
“With so much uncertainty in the lead up to Tokyo 2020, it’s been incredible to see Canadians rally around the Games and the athletes, and gravitate to CBC’s coverage across all of our platforms and at all hours. Whether watching online, through apps, social media or on television, millions of viewers across the country tuned in and engaged with CBC’s coverage each day, demonstrating the continued relevance of the Olympic Games. We couldn’t be prouder to share the stories of these athletes with Canadians, and bring them every moment of importance from the world’s biggest stage. We look forward to continuing our coverage with the Paralympic Games beginning August 24, and doing it all again in six months from Beijing,” said Chris Wilson, Executive Director, Sports and Olympics at CBC.