NBCUniversal reported a lower-than-expected viewership rate for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The event has garnered a sum of 15.5 million average viewers across the Tokyo Games includes NBC, its cable channels, and digital properties, including the new and popular service, Peacock.
According to the figures garnered through a collaboration between Nielsen and Adobe data, this year's viewership was down 26.7 million total viewers comparison to the Rio summer games in 2016. The data, based on a total audience delivery (TAD) tallies, revealed that the network received 42% less views than its broadcasted Brazilian-based competition five years ago. The figures serve as the lowest recorded since the summer games hosted in 1988.
Just a single day after the 17 day-event, delayed as a result of the pandemic, the network reported an average of15.5 million primetime viewers since the opening ceremony on 23rd July. Despite the viewership declines, ad sales exceeded $1.2 billion, and digital coverage soared through the roof, the company reports.
The media giant purchased over $1 billion for the exclusive rights to cover the Tokyo Games in the United States, part of a deal for Olympics coverage through 2032. It said 150 million Americans had watched its Tokyo coverage. “Despite being thrown a series of curveballs over the last 18 months, the power of the Olympics delivered to audiences across the various platforms of NBCU has proven itself unequaled,” Pete Bevacqua, the chairman of NBC Sports, said in a statement. “The pandemic fundamentally altered virtually every aspect of these Games, but our team pivoted, and reimagined, in the midst of showcasing history-making performances across 41 sports," the entwork stated.
Related News
