This photograph shows a directing studio at France Televisions on a television set in Trocadero, during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris, on July 31, 2024.
STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty Images
How Comcast's NBCUniversal has aired the Summer Olympics has changed drastically, and the results have been astounding. According to CNBC, the network's new strategy was already paying off, with more than 30 million viewers tuning in for the 2024 Paris Games across NBC's TV and streaming platforms.
These swelling viewership numbers translated to a record $1.2 billion in advertising revenue-a major turn of events from how the Olympics were performing on air.
How NBCUniversal Boosted Olympics Viewership
To make this possible, NBCUniversal brought in an all-new system into place, changing its whole traditional approach and placing most of the focus on Peacock.
The company faced some criticism in its handling of streaming both the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and 2022 Beijing Olympics, when many viewers found accessing the live content to be quite the chore. This time, however, Peacock provided extensive live coverage and a whole load of exclusive content, including the shows "Gold Zone" and a host of innovative features that included daily recaps narrated by Al Michaels.
That translated into a 40 percent increase in streaming minutes to 23.5 billion minutes of Olympic content.
According to Marketing Dive, marketing and promotional efforts leading up to and during the Paris Games also played a crucial role in this success. NBCUniversal employed a range of strategies to generate buzz, including extensive early marketing and integration of its own talent into the events.
Notably, Snoop Dogg's role as a special correspondent and appearances by other NBC stars helped drive interest and engagement.
Thanks to the new system's success, NBCUniversal executives have indicated that the strategies used for the Paris Olympics will be applied to future sports events. Jenny Storms, NBCUniversal's chief marketing officer of entertainment and sports, noted that the company's complete overhaul of its approach-from production to promotion-was a calculated risk that has paid off.
The successful execution of these new strategies is expected to influence NBC's coverage of upcoming live sports, including the Milan Winter Olympics in 2026 and the Los Angeles Summer Games in 2028.
Currently, NBCUniversal's traditional TV channels continue to dominate viewership, with nearly 90% of the audience tuning in through broadcast and cable. The success of the Paris Olympics has set a new benchmark for NBCUniversal, demonstrating the effectiveness of their updated approach to live sports coverage and streaming.
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